SOCCER SIDELIGHTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 686, 11 June 1929, Page 14

SOCCER SIDELIGHTS

PASSING NOTES

(By Perseus)

Chatham Cup Knock-outs: In its unexpectedness and glorious uncertainty, a Soccer cup-tie knockout is as hazardous as any game of cricket, and surprise is the element most often associated* with it. Last Saturday was no exception to this general condition, as Oneliunga and Belmont must realise on being blown out by senior B teams, even though the verdict in both cases was gained by the narrowest of margins—a goal to nil. Both Bon Accord and Manurewa are to be congratulated on surviving such a strenuous ordeal, and fortune further favoured the Bon Accordians when the luck of the draw gave them a miss in the next round, and they automatically appear in the semi-final.

Some Strenuous Bouts: In addition to the narrow margins mentioned, the two games at Blandford Park provided stirring encounters between evenly matched teams, with furious finishes for victory or death. Both Ponsonby and Y.M.C.A., who are hotly in pursuit of Trams for top of the championship ladder, were surprised to find themselves blown out by Thistle and Celtic, who are struggling at the foot of the same steps to escape relegation to the B division. It was quite unexpected to find the three Scottish clubs so successful, and their numerous supporters were justly elated over their triumphs. The typical cup-tie game with its rush and bustle, barge in and no beg-pardons style of play, is the opposite of the studied, deliberate methods of the Scottish style, and the cleverest of team work and carpet weaving with the ball is usually rudely upset by unorthodox play.

Two Great Recoveries: There is special merit attached to the wins of Thistle and Celtic in the fact that Thistle at one stage was two goals down, and Celtic one behind Ponsonby at half-time. These arrears were wiped out by splendid rallying and determination which gave each club a win by two clear goals when the final whistle sounded. When Y.M.C.A. started spoiling Thistle’s team-work, and secured a two-goal break in the first 20 minutes they looked like certain winners. But a sudden change of tactics caught the Young Men unprepared, and ten minutes or so of long and accurate passing was so destructive to the defence that Thistle was one up before Y.M. realised, too late, that the opposing flanks needed checking. It is not often that a team gets knocked out

after securing a two-goal lead, as purely defensive tactics are usually sufficient to retain it. Similarly Ponsonby held a goal advantage over Celtic on the change over, and although opposed by only 10 men failed to survive the knockout. True, there was an element of luck in Celtic’s first two goals, but that is all in the game, and Ponies’ wasted chances ruined their prospects of another Chatham Cup win.

The Next Round: The draw for the second round finds the three Scottish survivors still avoiding a meeting and their luck continuing to hold good in the ballot. Bon Accord goes into the semi-final with a bye, while Thistle meets Northcote and Celtic has drawn the other B survivor—Manurewa. The second round and semi-finals will be played off by floodlight at Blandford Park, tomorrow (Wednesday) night being fixed for the first of the series, when Thistle and Northcote meet. Northcote is .no longer the champion club of former days, when it cleaned up all the Chatham Cup contenders in the A.F.A. area, only to crash at Huntly, but the Blues have taken on a new lease of life this season by combining with the neighbouring suburb club, Birkenhead, and the coalition club is fast developing into a strong combination which will take some beating, and it will not profit Thistle much to hold its B opponents too cheaply, or calculations may be upset. The present indications are that one of the Scottish clubs is a certainty for the final, as Thistle will meet Tramways in the semi-final, which will probably decide the club to carry the honour and responsibility of representing Auckland in the later battles. Trams have been the luckiest club in the contest, having drawn an easy game with Corinthians, and then passing into the semi-final unopposed, with a bye. But the transporters’ last two games in the A championship, when they only beat Shore by a goal to nil and then slipped a point to Y.M., shows that they are not invulnerable, and the local club for Chatham Cup honours is still well hidden.

The Northcote and Birkenhead United Association Football Club’s team for the Chatham Cup game on Wednesday evening is as follows: Stott, Roberts, Battershell, Meek. Holman (2), Elsby, Munro, Pugh, Norling. Mullins, Neaves.