TRAVELLING TROUBLES.

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 6, 6 July 1935, Page 22

TRAVELLING TROUBLES.

Coincident with the beginning of the second round of championship games every season the management committee of the Wellington Football Association is inundated with complaints fr,om clubs which allege that they are being unfairly treated in the matter of travelling. The same complaints are received every year, and the same answer must necessarily be given—that the fixtures committee of the association is doing its best in the face of complicated conditions.

Club secretaries would save themselves and others a lot of time and trouble by investigating the position before hastening to complain. Those who are aware of the difficulties of making the fixtures cannot fairly find any fault with the work of the three gentlemen who are responsible for the job. But "look before you leap" does not seem to be appreciated for the good advice it is, judging from some of the complaints.' In at least two cases considered by this week's meeting of the management committee the teams supposed to have been unfairly treated had played eight games' in'the city and only three at a distance.

Senior footballers who think that they are being called upon to travel too, often should remember that the best game, must always be*played on the Basin Reserve; that good games must be played on the charge grounds of Petone and Lower Hutt, so that if .either of the local teams is brought to .Wellington to play, a couple of city teams .will probably have to travel to the Valley; and that it is difficult for Hospital to J obtain permission to. travel; '■ The question of Hospital's nearly always playing oh their own ground' has been well thrashed out dozens of times, and it is now , generally recognised that while Hospital do gain an advantage from their own ground, .their being tied to it is a necessary evil, which may be done away with at a future; date but for the present must be suffered patiently for. the good of the game. Moreover, no one will deny the reason in the Porirua authorities' insistence on having a game there every

Saturday to entertain; the patients. If | Hospital were frequently absent and the ground were to be kept for Soccer, itwo city teams would have to make the trip out there. ~.' \

It is evident that the.present trouble will never ■be rectified until Soccer reaches the happy stage when each club has its own ground. Then a system of, home and away matches can be played to the satisfaction of everybody. But while the game has to be played on widely-scattered public reserves, players and enthusiasts should accept the assurance that the fixtures committee is doing its best and that complaints not investigated and jusified before being made are a sheer waste of time. '

AN EASY WIN

Marist's victory over Hutt last Saturday was a sweeping one. Hutt's display was.poor, and Marist did not have to extend themselves to win b,y 9 goals to 1. The game was for the most part uninteresting, because of Marist's obvious superiority. In the second spell in particular it seemed that they could score goals whenever they, wanted to.

Moyes, the Hutt goalie, was far from satisfactory. Three at .least of Marist's goals could >.aye been prevented if he had shown any enterprise. •

Hatch and Barton did not arrive until the game had been in progress for fifteen minutes, but both quickly made ' their presence felt. Hatchaxd has been playing a good game all this season, and his performance on Saturday was steady and sound.

The Kershaw brothers, too, were conspicuous. E. Kershaw was good botfl- on attack and defence, and J. Kershaw initiated many promising movements.

Hutt's recent failures seem unaccountable. The players are nearly all good individually, but they lack all idea of combination. The team is altered a good deal from week to week, and this may have some bearing on the matter, but the changes are neither so drastic nor so frequent as to explain Hutt's series of defeats.

INSTITUTE NOT DISGRACED

Though beaten by Hospital by the wide margin of seven to one, Institute had no reason to feel downhearted or .disgraced. -The home team was definitely master of the situation in the second spell, yet the final score was distinctly flattering. Hospital profited from their chances, while the visitors just failed to add the final touch to good leading-up work.

The first half was as fine an exhibition of the code as has been witnessed so far this season. Institute rattled on the pace and gave a pleasing display of fast, nippy; forward work, with the diminutive G. Sutherland as elusive and slippery as an eel. At centra, Ward was hard to hold, while Bilby led his men judiciously. Both backs shirked nothing, with King saving well, even brilliantly on occasion.

The second spell told the old, old story. Institute's first-half dash had used up all their surplus energy, and from then on they battled gallantly but vainly against a solid and exceptionally fit combination, Hospital's mid-line took command, and the visit-

SAME COMPLAINTS YEAR AFTER YEAR

ing front line saw less and less of the ball. The home eleven kept their positions better all through, parted with superior judgment, and were never more dangerous than when repelling an attack. A hefty clearance usually found Institute's defence well sepai-ated, and more than one Hospital goal came just after the visitors had been bombarding Wyatt's citadel.

McLean, Watson, and .Wills defended stoutly, but were stretched to cover all danger points—Gibbs's right foot, Woods's left, McGrory's tricky footwork, Webster's unexpected headers, arid Caisley's ' mathematical placing. On top of this were three halves just as likely to score with close backing up and yet appearing from seemingly impossible places to cover their backs. Miles and Thompson were kept on the run in the first half, but were seldom beaten in the second spell. Institute's forwards were clever all through but the first half pace told heavily at the end. ' '