SOCCER

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 151, 30 June 1928, Page 22

SOCCER

By ' Vanguard'"

DIAMOND BEATEN BUT STILL LEADING MARIST GO UNDER

Tho unexpected happened on Saturday, when Marist, who were only two points behind the leaders in the senior championship, were defeated by Institute, a team which occupies tho lowest position but one in the- cnampionship. In addition, Diamond, who hitherto had been defeated only once in the championship, were beaten by V.M.C.A. by a heavy margin. The positron now in regard to the championship is that through. Marist's defeat, Diamond havo been able to retain their lead, though only by two points. Had Marist won, Marist and 'Diamond would havo been on even terms, and the position would have been much more interesting. V.M.C.A. are now level with Marist, and it looks as if these two teams, which have become old rivals, will again be- making a bid for championship honours. Diamond have not been fielding a side of usual strength on recent Saturdays, and if they are to.retain their load much improvement will have to bo made in their ranks. Thistle's position, too, is likely to mako the championship more interesting still. Last Saturday they played a Chatham Cup fixture with Petone, and though tho W.F.A. had decided that it should bo a championship game also, the committeo altered their decision and classified the match as a Chatham Cup 'game* only. Thistle aro two points behind Marist and V.M.C.A., but they, aro a game short, so there is yet a possi-. bility of their being in tho hunt. HUTT VALLEY LEAGUE. . The following is the position of the teams at tho end of tho first round, in th© Hutt Valley League:— ' .. • Goals. Chp. P. W. h. D. J?. A. Pts. St. Thomas 6 4, 1• 1 23 8 9 Lower Hutt''. 6 41 1 1 22 10. 9 Trentham' G 4' 1 1 13 8 9 Anglican 6 3 1 2 19 6 8 Sroera A 6 2 3 1 12 11 5 Moera B ... 5 0 5 — 2 34 0 Potono 5 — 5 — 0 15 0 A Big Margin. In- their recent matches, the- members of the ■ Seatoun team have not shown tho football they promised by their display given earlier in the season. On Saturday, they easily succumbed to Hospital, the latter winning by six goals to one. Seatoun were outplayed from , start to finish, but in spite of the odds they were- up against, at times the members gave solo displays which added bright touches to the match. The score at half-time was 4-1 in favour of Hospital, Lambert (2), Tavandale, • and White having scored. Tho Seatoun goal, the only one they scored in the-game, was the result of persistent effort. Towards the end of tho' first half the forwards initiated a strong attack, and a hard shot from Harrop just missed the upright. Tho team was not disheartened) however, and kept play in the vicinity of tho Hospital goal. Kershaw sent Jamison away. The latter forced a corner, and M'Kenzie placed the ball in a nice position for Harrop to net. In tho second spell, Hospital had matters. very much their own way, Lambort and Whito again scoring. Seatoun made stronuous efforts to reduce the lead, but their work generally lacked combination and finish. The Hospital defence was sound, Thompson and i Gibb both playing good football. Hospital were at no time extended, and won fairly easily. Waterside Again Win. Waterside, who were formerly in the Senior A competition, maintained their success by defeating Thistle by three goals to nil last Saturday on the Basin Esorve. Generally, Waterside had the better of the game, though at times Thistle became dangerous. They were unlucky in not scoring at least once. Both teams gave an average display of football, but Waterside appeared to have sufficient in hand to enable them to check Thistle when the latter became dangerous.. The first spell finished with Waterside leading 1-0, and in that half,play was fairly evenly shared. Waterside did most of the attacking, but found the opposition troublesome. In the second half, Thistle could not stand up to the repeated efforts of Waterside, and the latter not only added two goals, but kept their own goal clear. There was not much brilliant solo work in the' Waterside team, but the team, as a whole, gave a satisfactory display. Stanbridgo, in the centre-forward position, was probably the pick of the forwards. He had good men with him, particularly Garrod, who played well on the right wing. The halves, though sound, were not outstanding. A great deal of heavy work fell to Irwin and Bplton, who played safely in the fullback positions. Abbott was sound in goal. . Thistle were fortunate in having Forbes as their goalkeeper. ■ He gave a finished performance, and was called on to a.great extent. The backs were not all that was desired, but they had heavy odds against them. . The halves made a mediocre trio. The forwards made an average line, with Houston, on the left wing, most prominent. . i Tackle—and Get the Ball. Although it is the halves and the full-backs who have to do tho greatest amount of tackling, it is very necessary for every member, of a football side to make himself master of the tackle as far as possible (writes Jack Hill, the Burnley half, in <'All /Sports"). Getting tho ball from the other fellow is a very important branch of football. ■ Not always, of course, can the player' who is making the tacklo hope to get possession of the , ball' himself, but quick tacklers are specially valuablo, because they make an opponent get rid of the ball hurriedly, cind\ consequently in an unsatisfactory manner.' Determination is at the root of all really good tackling. The player who says to himself, "That's my ball," although another player is in possession, has mado the first important step towards getting it. . 1 When you have made up your mind to go for it—well, go. Half-hearted tackles arc no use at all. Keep* youi\ eyo on the ball, too, in making the tackle. .Half tho failures in tackling arc duo to lack of determination. I often sco fellows start to make a tacklo; tlion the thought occurs to them that they won't get there. They hesitate for a fraction

of a second. Then they go in. Too late is the usual verdict. That brings me to another important point. Don't go right in to . tackle— flinging yourself at the ball—or your opponent is likely to make a fool of you. That is a badly-timed tackle. If you cant' spot an opportunity of robbing your opponent, then spread yourself out —you know what I'mean by that—to prevent him getting the ball past ytfu. The next best thing to getting the ball yourself in a tackle is to dictate, the direction in which the man you are tackling shall pass. The wing-half, tackling the inside wing-forward,, does it on the inside, thus covering up the pass to the centre-forward, and • compelling the ball to be sent outwards— where tlieve is less danger. Again, support your tackles with all your strength, which is the same as saying don't make "off your balance" tackles. Often in a close bout between (two players it is the man with the greatest strength of leg who comes through with the ball, and additional strength comes from balance. A Poor Display. , In,one of the poorest games that has been seen at the Basin Beserve for some time past, V.M.C.A. scored an easy victory over Diamond last Saturday by six goals to one. Neither side was at full strenth, but even so, one was justifed in expecting better things from players supposed to be of senior rank. Spectators were plainly bored by the display, and altogether the game was a poor advertisement for the Soccer code. Diamond, who up till last Saturday had had art enviable record in championship matches, went completely to pieces, and, put little heart into their work. YiM.C.A. atso played below form, but so weak was the opposition that they could not help scoring. The absence of Nieolle and Dempster necessitated changes in the V.M.C.A. forward lino, Worth taking the inside right position and-Ogilvie playing on tho right wing. iLast season Ogilvie played as a half-back, and it'was asking a' lot to place him in so important a. position as right wing. He was not a success. He lacked speed, and llis centres were weak and often badly placed. Worth did well in tho inside position, but one could not help wishing that "he was on the wing. It was pleasing'to note- the improvement of Stocks, who played, on the left wing. In previous games, tho ex-Dia-mond player has not appeared to bo quite at homo, but he was at tho top of his form on Saturday, and his goal following a brilliant solo effort was one- of the few bright spots of the game. Lack and Eigby both played solid games, the latter shining out particularly. Ballard was tho pick of tho half-line, kicking with sound judgment, and several times being respon-. sible for placing Ids team on the initiativo. Pearson also rendered good service. M' Girr and Trott, as usual, made a solid pair of backs, and Lucas was very safe in goal. One of his saves towards the end of the -game was most spectacular, the goalkeeper jumping high to tip the ball over the crossbar. Diamond's display was very j poor. There was little attempt at combined play, and the players generally indulged in too much wild, kicking. Stark and Daniolls were the pick of the forward line, tho latter doing more, than his fair share, both in attack and defence. Tho half line was weak. Wea,thcrspoon and Guest did their best in the full-back positions, but the odds against them were too heavy. Waller was not aa safe- as he might have been in goal. Institute and Marist. Institute sprang a surprise last Saturday when they defeated Marist by the odd goal in three. When these two teams met in the first round of the championship the score was 5-3 in Marist's favour. In the initial stages of last Saturday's play it looked, as if there would be a somewhat similar result. s Marist pressed from the start, and had the better of the play in tho flrat half. Had they made the best use of all their chances then, undqubtedly, they would have won. Play in the second half was moro even. Marist still maintained ■ their attack, but Institute wero more in evidence than at first. Aftor Dickenson opened the scoring 'to be followed immediately by May, there was an all-round speeding up by both teamß. Cudby, who had been playing splendidly on the wing throughout the game, went to the cen-tre-forward position. He very soon showed his worth in that position, finding the net from a good centre by Barton. The Institute defence was very sound, and that was in some measure due to the splendid goalkeeping of Bogers, and the solid work of Gill and Bell. Busterholz and Brownlee did good work in the half line. The forwards were ragged at times, but though their combination was weak, they made a better display as a line'of individuals. Maddocks played a great game, initiating many forward movements. Another outstanding player was Hay, at inside-left. He was unlucky , with a free-kick which he took, the ball hitting tho cross-bar. Kelly was prominent in the Marist defence. He showed himself possessed of a sure kick, the direction of which was good. The halves, as usual, constituted, a tower of strength. Cudby was tho best of tho forwards. In the first half ho was prominent on the left, putting in some fine shots. Ho was identified with Condon and Durning in working out several clever movements. The other winger, Barton, also showed to advantage. Australians Touring Java. A party of sixteen players and.two managers left Sydney on 20th Jnne on a' new Soccer tour, through Java, where apparently the game has taken on well. The trip is being undertaken, at the invitation of the Dutch East Indies Association, and a series of games will ho played at Samarang, Sourabaya, Batavia, and Bandoeng. To the party of sixteen players, New South Wales has* contributed six, Queensland four, Victoria three, and South Australia, West Australia, and Tasmania one each. In view of all the difficulties encountered in selecting a side for such an extended tour, the tour--ing party is stronger than seemed probable. Moreover, the team will bo abundantly supplied, with men who can take up a new position if circumstances domand it—a sure source of_ strength. The players will each receive an allowance of 10s per day while on tour. Thistle's Withdrawal. The position created by the. withdrawal of tho Thistle Club from the Auckland Football Association's senior grade championship is full of interest (states the "Herald"). Ponsonby is the only club to gain by the decision to allow the first round games to stand, and to declare iho two games played against Thistle in the second round void. On the other hand, Belmont loses tho fruits of its only victory scored in the competition to date. This, is rather hard on the new promoted team. The following table shows tho position of the clubs with the adjustments made:—Fonsonby 10 points, Tramways 13, V.M.C.A. 13, North Shore 11,. Onehunga 10, Northcoto 2, Belmont 1. It is understood tho position which has arisen in tho championship will be reconsidered this week, when it may be

decided that a faivbr decision would be arrived at by cancelling all games in which Thistle has participated this season. In that event, all clubs would benefit two points, with the exception of Onchimga and Belmont, which have defeated Thistle, while Ponsonby, which has been defeated by Thistle twice this season, will be four points better off. Whichever way the decision goes, the result of next Saturday's game between Tramways and Ponsonby must have_ an important bearing on the championship. • The Art of Dribbling. ' In a further series of hints to players Jack Hill, of Burnley,, deals with tLs art of dribbling in an article in "All Sports":—lt cannot be said truthfully that these are footballing days when the individual dribble' is _ really conspicuous. Nevertheless, it is a fact that in every match, and almost to every player there are occasions when ability to dribble, to beat a close-up opponent, is of real advantage. Hence the necessity for beign able to dribble, , The close dribble and the swerve are the Siamese twins of football —they cannot 'be separated. All the great dribblers in big fotball to-day—David Jack/ Bob Kelly, Charlie Buchan, and Jimmy Dimmock, to mention a brilliant quartet—are great at the swerve business. They deceive their opponents as to the way they are going, and that makes the dribble easy. I have heard it 'said that ballroom dancing lielps the cultivation of the swerve. You see the idea behind that. The graceful dancer moves lightly on his feet, with the body gently swaying, yet with the balance always retained. The difference ■ between dancing and football is, of course, that in the game then) is the ball which has to be kept close by the player who would be a successful dribbler. '' That\ man seems to have the ball tied to his bootlace," is the fitting expression often used to describe the close dribbler. Whenever I saw Billy Meredith I always thought he would tread on-the ball with every step. Let me try to describe the best way to kisop the ball close. If you are running down the left wing, use the outside of the right foot to propel the ball —that is, turning the toe of the right foot inwards as if pointing at the left foot. In propelling the ball thus, with gentle taps underneath^ backward spin is imparted all the time, and thus the ball doesn 't run away. . When going along in, this manner the player is always ready to pull the ball inwards and to swerve inwards when an opponent makes the effort to • prevent him slipping along the line. Alternatively, if the opponent tried to prevent the inward turn, the player can immediately slip the ball past him with the loft foot and go through on the outside. .. • • ■ I have explained thb close dribble like that for the sake of simplicity, but the general' principle is the same, no matter in what part of the field the dribble is being done. I needn 't warn you that the ability to dribblo is a flue servant, but it is a bad master. The dangers of overdoing it are obvious. Hints for Referees. A large percentage of referees' troubles arise from tardily given decisions, and bad positioning (states an exchange). Both these faults can be avoided by the- referee who is mentally quick enough to blow at once for what ho has decided to give, aud physically quick enough to bo on the spot when he is required. The mental equipment can only be the possession of the referee who. has completely mastered the laws, and who never hesitates to give his decision instantly. The value of quicklygiven decisions—supported by the' necessary degree of confidence—kjannot be over-estimated. A hesitant . referee causes distrust; the players feel that he is afraid of himself and ; promptly, decide not to be afraid of a 1 man who fears himself. One can'go so'far as to say that a wrong decision, given,in-, stantly and held to, is less likely to cause dissension than a correct-decision given after a." great deal of consideration. Physical quickness is. part of the nepessary equipment of any referee who' desires to excel at his task. It has been.said that a referee needs to be as quick as any player. This:is certainly true, ■ but even if he is not as quick or agile.<is that he can overcome part of his handicap by correct positioning. Particularly so in the matter of starting off, after the taking of a corner. The wise referee doesn't hang back on the goal-line'until thomovements following the corner kick\ have been completed. Ho watches the flight, of the ball and having seen that it has not gone over the goal-line in its transit from, corner flag to goal, he at once commences to move away from the- line, still keeping the play in view. By this means ho is already on his way if the defence clear th© ball, whilst being usually better placed if a scramble takes place in the goal-mouth. Physical fitness, is a necessity in every referee. He owes it to the game and to himself. If he is going to keep up with the ball for the whole 90 minutes, he needs to be in the best possible condition. If not, one of. two things will happen. He will either be too far back to be able to judge of an incident in the play, or he will strain au already tired heart in an attempt to make up the ground. Always remember that the fresher you are, the less liable you are to make mistakes. A tired man is ; often a careless man. • , The Paid Player. ' i j William Walker, the famous English international, has the following to say of the paid player and the wages he receives:—"l don't know if you are aware of it, but beyond the border players can draw in wages any amount. Everything depends upon the affluence of the club and the ability of' the player. There are not many Scottish clubs which can or could afford to pay the whole of the staff the English maximum of £8 per week, but in certain cases crack players receive more than that amount. I know a player who changed his amateur status into a professional one, and was paid £20 per week. With this man and his flash wage lam not concerned, but I am a stern opponent of the English maximum wage. I am well aware of the fact that the big clubs who pay big wage 3 get the best players, but why should the smaller and poorer clubs be obliged to pay the maximum? In order to preserve their existence the poor clubs must pay or sink." The Art of Shooting. Many footballers in shooting make tho fatal error of striving for force instead of says a New Zealand coach. The player who swings his nether limb 3 with a wild and sweeping ferocity, expecting to carry away goalposts, rigging and all, sacrifices needlessly tho very element of thrust he is so anxious to i attain. Some players today fail to grasp the efficacy of the "below-knee" kick. The following observations by the famous "Andy" Ducut make this point very clear:— Shooting is the chief weakness in Soccer as played nowadays! Most teams feel the need for better shots in the fr.ont line. Untrained players kick from the hips. This error is responsible, for many wild shots. The force of one's shot should come from the knee and ankle. ' . ■ ■ Thrust the foot back from the knee only. Take the ball with'the instep— the top of one's foot, that is—and kick it by jerking the knee straight. There must necessarily be a distinct "flick" with tho ankle at the moment of impact. Force and extra sting are given by jumping off the ground as the kick is given. Kick while tho ball is under you, not in frout of you." As tho kick is taken with the right-foot, tho jump off the ground is taken with the left, and vice versa. This will put the weight behind the ball, which is tho correct position. - • - --• ..

Goals Clip. P. W. L. D. F. A. Pts Diamond i. 9 7 2 0 35 18 11 Marlst 9 .5 .2 2 25 15 12 Y.M.C.A 9 6 3' 0 32 14 12 Thistle 8 4 2 2 15 15 10 Hospital 9. 4 4 1 25 20 9 Petone "....' 8 2 3 3 10 13 7 lustituto 9 2 5 2 18 40 6 Seatoun 9 0 9 0 9 40 0