SOCCER TEAM RETURNS

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 July 1933, Page 5

SOCCER TEAM RETURNS

MANAGER REVIEWS TOUR POSITIONAL PLAY WEAK [per press association.] WELLINGTON, July 4. “When one sizes up the result, it is really not as bad as it appears in actual cold figures,” remarked. Mr. Godber, Manager of the Association team, which returned by the Wanganella, to-day. The team lost nine games, won three, and drew one. “Of. the nine games lost,” said Mr. Godber, “we were walloped on three occasions. The first was against the New South Wales side, when we were beaten 5-0 in the first hour of the game.” The New South Wales team was just back from a successful tour of Queensland, and was a marvellous combination. He did not remember having seen any team exhibit such fine team work. “We were whacked 7-1 at Newcastle, playing against the Northern districts in the third match, and were walloped by a club team in the last match, but the boys,were all sore after the tour, arid were more or less knocked about. They.lost the three tests by two goals each time. The other three games were lost by the odd goal.”

He was not raising this as an excuse, but the team had no field luck right through the tour. He gave several examples of where this was particularly striking. He. said that Australian Soccer had improved, comparing now with the performance of the team that visited New Zealand in 1922. He suggested that much more attention should be paid to positional play in the Dominion. Unless this were cultivated, New Zealand could not hope to beat Australia on the return visit next year.. He paid a. glowing tribute to the hospitality of the Australians. WANGELLA’S ROUGH TRIP. ’ WELLINGTON, July 4. The Wanganella had a rough passage from Sydney. She ran into an east-south-east gale after clearing Sydney Heads, and had bad weather for the remainder of the voyage. ’ Minor damage was done, the railing near the bow being broken and twisted, and a ventilator stove in. None of the passengers was hurt.

LEAGUE TOUR PLAYER’S HARD LUCK. (Recd. July 4,2 p.m.) SYDNEY, July 4. Heidke, the Queenslander, was medically rejected at the last minute from the League team, which leaves for England this afternoon. He was replaced by his club mate, Dan Dempster.