ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 81, 9 August 1929, Page 4

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL

) EXECUTIVE MEETING HELD. 1 ) I , PLAYERS PENALISED. i I The executive of the Taranaki Football Association met last night Mr T. Smith presiding over a faitf attendance. A letter from a soccer supporter regarding school football was forwarded) to Mr Gorri.ug, New Plymouth, fof'consideration. The Caledonian Club wrote stating they were in an unfortunate , position as regarded senior players. poen unable to procure enough players and thus had to play on two occasions. If the juniors were- played in another senior game it meant they would be senior players and would not be able to play junior again. As the Caledonians only required the juniors at intervals they wished to know if the Association could: alter the rule regarding the istatus of junior players. The chairman said! he had on one occasion, authorised the playing of juniors in a senior team as he .believed it better for the juniors to play than the match to he. abandoned or a team to field nine men . His action was endorsed and it was decided to leave the question to the club’s, discretion. The executive would take action only if a team protested that senior were playmg junior. PLAYERS PENALISED. Mr W. Spudding reported that diuring the Stratford versus Albion game at New Plymouth he was forced to order two Stratford players, Aird and Hilton, off the ground. Aird, lie stated, had used threatening langir- ■ ag 0 and Hilton, be alleged, on seeing Aird ordered to the line, bad used obscene language. Tird denied having used threatening language hut Hilton .admitted his offence.' Several members of the executive who were present at the game, gave evidence corroborative with what the referee said. Mr Cuff said it was a degrading scene. Mr Brown, who- played in the 1 game, said as far as be knew, no ' abusive or absen© language had been used) hy Aiid. ! ( Several other members, upheld Mr Cuff’s statement and said Aird) had; i undoubtedly threatened the referee both during and after the- game. Mr Tj-ittleiohn said that Hilton when told he. was making a scene, had quietly left the spot and dressed himself, hut Aird! had stayed on the line and passed remarks. It wa s decided to suspend Aird for the rest of the season and for the first six playing Saturdays in the next season. Hilton was suspended for the remainder of the season. Mr Brown, on hearing the sentence-, walked out of the loom, say-, ing “as regards Hilton I have noth--1 ing to say, but as far as the punishment of Aird goes I’ve- finished with . football.” Both Hilton and! Aird, on being . r told their sentence, said the whole l thing wasi lopsided and an runfiaii^ 5 procedure as they should not have been excluded from the meeting. l This, they said, gave them no chance > to contradict statements made, by > members.

Mr Smith explained they had to abide by tbe Association rules and ho advised the men to leave the room. The Association would control the soccer game in Taranaki, he concluded. “Then it is a poor look out lor soccer in Taranaki,” said Aird. After furiner argument the players left the room, Aird stating that he thought the chances of Stratford raising a team for the oommg wers small indeed.

A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr and Mrs Hill fut the presentation of monogram badges, to the club. These were to be given to the Taranaki soccer representatives. The action of the Northern subcommittee in changing the Huff Cup competition From tTfe Toiook-out to the Mag"® system was and: it was decided to run the following matches in the same manner. non appearance of referees. The Referees Association advised, that no referees were available to. control the games in the Southern, end on June 29th. Mr Cuff, secretly of tliQ Taranaki Referees Association, explained that they had been suable to notify the clubs concerned. Several referees bad been recovering from illness and it was thought they would be able to rule the games. In future clubs will be advised beforehand if there should be, a. possibility of a referee not being able, to attend a game. Oh such an occasion tbe home team has the rights to provide another referee. , . . The Wanganui Football Association notified that they would he able to send a junior team to Taranaki. It was decided to hold the match in conjunction with the six aside tournament in New Plymouth on September Oth. Permission to hold the tournament was granted-