SOCCER.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20362, 20 July 1934, Page 11

SOCCER.

Selector Experiments With Rep. Trial Teams. POSSTBI.ES V. PROBABLES. To-morrow senior competition play will be suspended. Instead, a representative trial match will be played at English Park Having had many opportunities of seeing all senior players in action, the sole selector, Mr B. O. Priddis, has wisely chosen this trial as the occasion to experiment, chiefly in the direction of playing men out of their regular positions. Even if the selector takes the bold step of making such experiments with the finally vselected team, there should be few to quarrel with him. Canterbury has not produced a team to win the" Football Association Trophy, and an unorthodox selection can at the worst only fail where many, others have failed. Jackson’s “ Come-back? ”

The veteran T. Jackson has been chosen as the Probables 'keeper. He has shown good form this season, and the selector evidently considers that he may stage a “ come-back." In contrast, the Possibles 'keeper. M’Rae, is a youthful player who has improved tremendously this season. As with most very tall custodians, M'llae’s one weakness—not very marked—is inability to get down to a low ball quickly enough. Mitchell's form is well known, and that is the probable explanation for his being selected only as an emergency. Most of the Probables' defence—Teichert, G. Sutherland, Paton, A. Sutherland and W. Wilson—are likely to find places in the representative team. On the other side, Pail, the young Nomads left-back, has been given a chance. He is cool and steady but does not always cover his partner as he should. Henderson, solid and powerful tackier, with a neversatisfied appetite for work, is the Possibles right-half. Another young player, M. Gordon, will be at centre-half. He is promising, hut still scarcely the equal of the Thistle pivot, A. Sutherland. Ives, who, although he has played in the forward line since coming to Christchurch. is really a half-back, will be at left-half.

It is in the two forward lines that the selector has made experiments. In the Probables. G. Walker, usually outsideleft, will be at outside right. The change over is not likely to eradicate Walker’s fault of shooting instead of crossing the ball more often. D. Sutherland will be at inside-left instead of inside-right. He should be just as effective there. Jn the Possibles, Brace will be outside-left instead of inside. Canterbury would certainly benefit from a left-wing “ find.” Good wingers—right or left—have been scarce in Canterbury for years, but the left-wing position has been particularly difficult to fill.

There is every indication that this trial match will be as interesting as any game seen on the park this season.