AUCKLAND'S SOCCER FINALISTS

NZ Truth, Issue 1035, 26 September 1925, Page 12

AUCKLAND'S SOCCER FINALISTS

Searchlight On North Shore

CAN THEY WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP 1

(From "Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.)

In the neck and neck race for the championship of the Auckland- . senior competition North Shore and Thistle will provide an exciting finish! Shore are five points ahead, but have played two more matches than their rivals for the honors.

Though the North' Shore side has only one match to play to finish their league fixtures, 'that may prove to them the supreme test. Tramways will supply the opposition and the corporation side has a notorious habit of ', upsetting other teams' calculations. Should the. Shore drop even one point, their position becomes- none too secure. If they -do this and Thistle win their next three games then the two clubs will be oh. a par. The question is can the Shore pull through? And further, can the side go on to the winning of the Falcon Cup which is a much coveted honor? ; Putting the team, under closeup examination many faults and failings are discovered. First and foremost it has to be admitted that the club has the largest aggregation of noted players of any combination m the competition. But as often proves the case, a team which seems 911 paper to be invincible, fails miserably to justify that expectation when it comes to actual performance. Lack of Cohesion. While there is m the attack no end of vigor and force, with individual brilliance, there is an almost fatal lack of cohesion. The inside forwards for trickery and fancy ' touches have hot their equals m the, city, but this is not the class of play that pays. This fact is emphasised m the. goal scoring record. The club, though first on the table, is only third m goal scoring. What then is the fault? The main contributary factor to this state of affairs has been the consistent adoption by the forwards of the inside passing game. . The futility of this method ought to be evident to any experienced player and it is indeed surprising to see the Shore persist m its employment. In the first place they could do nothing which would help their opponents more m defence' than to concentrate their offensive operations on a given frontage. In this way the raided party is allowed to muster their defences to meet the onslaught. , Wing halves can close m on the centre, backs know where they can expect to have their brush with the enemy and altogether their task is comparatively light.' ' At the Devonport Domain on Sat-urday-when Shore defeated Northcote rather easily m the second half, this feature of their play was painfully evident. The writer took particular notice of the forward work and he counted only two occasions m the first 45 minutes when the extreme, wingers of the Shore were called into action when they ought. The passes they got were very indifferent ones. Granted Dacre, Palmer and, to a lesser degree, J. Woolley, who was off color, played at times sparkling football but of the individual type, and when they beat their man they frequently came back to attempt an encore. . • . • There is no comparison between the close up play and the long swinging passes. This is, however, not realised by Shore, and unless they can throw off their habit of using , the outside men only once or twice m ieach spell

and appreciating that, by the outside flanks can they make most ground, their goal scoring will be impeded. • Careless Passing. Men of the standard of DacVe and Palmer ought to be able to look where they are putting the ball, and there is no. excuse even for the younger member of the front rank, J. 'Woolley, not doing ■ sd. '"*"■ ' On aiv almost billiard-table ground such as the Shore domain was on Saturday, there is no accounting for passing the ball directly to an opponent when a clubmate was yards away and the opportunity of getting into 'action. -It was carelessness and nothing else. Repeatedly on Saturday the extreme wingers of Shore were left unmarked consequent on the play of the inside forwards, but they waited m vain for the ball. In short, the Shore are seriously, im-. pairing their own usefulness and assisting greatly m the solution of their opponents' difficulties by their policy of close forward play. They must swing that ball out to the wings and swing it so that the players concerned can have a reasonable chance of getting to it before some member of the other- side. The ideal pass is just a few feet m front of a player so that he can take it on the run, and away. He might as well have his- ankles m. chains as turn back a yard or two for the ball. Wandering ! As stated already, individually Jj Wbolley, Palmer and Dacre are players of ability. They have the tendency which should be rectified , of wandering out of position and into one another's way. , There is amongst them rare dash, fast, and at times, clever manoeuvring. They have penetrative power m an individual sense which would be put to much better use if . employed m united effort. The defence of the team , is sound and plays with some attempt at understanding. Lipscornbe is a goalkeeper who has only figured m lower grades until recently, but he is destined to make history. . In the backs there is an admixture of ripe and mellow experience and the eagerness and vigor of youth. Corbett and Gerrard are a steady pair, but their weakness at time appears under close up and bustling play. ; One of the finest defenders m New Zealand is' Davie Jones, who this season has played centre half for Shore. His footwork is a treat to witness, but at times there is the inclination to overdo it. The wing halves have shown steady form lately and little fault can be found with them m their covering up. Placing, however, .is not one of their strong points, and aimless kicking is more often indulged m. The team is well balanced, but has not a forward or half-back who can make the fullest use of a corner kick. Then, too, the side ought to work out a wider variety of tactics at a throwin. The side will take some beat- , ing, but when defeat is their portion the faults enumerated herein, unless remedied will be most prominent m their undoing.