SOCCER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 199, 22 August 1929, Page 4

SOCCER

WANGANUI AFFAIRS REPRESENTATIVE FORM. NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By “Abbotsford.”) The final games in the Association Cup will be played on Saturday. The following are the fixtures arranged:— K.P.’s Eastbrooke on Cook’s Gardens; referee, Mr Phizaklea. Thistle v. Athletic, on Victoria Park; referee, Mr Phillips. Junior: Mills v. Eastbrooke on Cook’s Gardens; referee, Mr Stewart. Thistle v. Athletic, on Victoria Park; referee, Mr Langslow. Cup Competition.

The fixtures arranged for Saturday, are the last in the Cup competition and are being eagerly looked forward to by local fans. At present K.P. ’s and Thistle are level at the head of the table and should both teams win a play-off will be necessary # K.P. ’s look to have the easiest task to accomplish but with a team like Eastbrooko one can never be sure. The last occasion the teams met a draw was the result and if K.P.’s mean to win they will have to go all out from the first whistle.

The game between Thistle and Athletic promises to be a willing go with the issue very open. Both teams play nice football and spectators on the hill should be well catered for. Athletic have put it across Thistle twice this season and will be all out to do it again, but the writer thinks that th e blue half-backs will be too strong. However, an exciting finish is assured and in all probability K.P. ’s and Thistle will be left undisputed leaders with a play-off required. Goals In Plenty.

The local Association staged another representative game last Saturday when they entertained Manawatu. The game was noteworthy for the large number of goals scored. There were 15 goals scored and there should have been two more from penalty kicks, beside the nunferous other occasions when gilt-edged chances were missed. As an exhibition of the code, however, the game was the best seen here for many a day, the combined movements of the visitors being pretty to watch; Manawatu emerged victors by the margin of five goals and they were well worth every one of them Every movement seemed to be studied, aimless kicking being conspicuous by its absence. On the other hand the locals seemed to have no plan to follow; the main idea being trust in luck rather than in each other.

The most promising players in the visiting team were the Flock House boys, John and Goodall, and the cen-tre-forward Corkindale. John at cen-tre-half was the best player on view. The defence, however, did not impress one greatly and seemed to be penetrated very easily by the rushes of the home forward line.

It is hard to say what was really wrong with the local team. Martin never had an earthly chance with the shot's that beat him, and his saving of the penalty was a masterly effort. Neilson was the outstanding man in the Wanganui team. Alex Walker went into the team at the last minute owing to Proudfoot not turning out, and while on occasions he did good work he was clearly out of his class in this game. The same can be said of Kidd, who seemed to be playing under difficulties. As a result Jamieson had to play more on the wing and thus the visiting centre forward got more rope than he should have. Dickson was the best man of the home middle line, his placing of th e ball being pretty to watch. The half-backs suffered, however, through the inside forwards lying too far up the field It was on very rare occasions that Knowles or Holland stopped back to give a helping hand.

The forward line was a queer mixture of good and bad, and as a line they never really blended. The playing of Jones at outside left was not a great success, although he was responsible for one or two good crosses. The same applies to Dick. Bobby only started to- play when he changed places with Kidd. Knowles, plying his first big game, was not a success but perhaps the experience gained on Saturday will stand him in good stead later on. Both Heath and Holland shone on occasion as individualists but were both inclined to hang too long to the ball when parting would have brought better results.

Local Management. The management committee held their fortnightly meeting on Monday night, Mr Campbell presiding. Dates for representative matches were set aside as follows: Senior.

v. Flock House on August 31. v. Wellington Marists on September Junior. v. Flock Hous e on August 31. v Taranaki on September 14. Mr Gilroy was appointed manager of the junior team for both games and Mr Ward manager for the senior team against Flock House. K.P. ’s were granted permission to play at New Plymouth on August 31. Proposed Australian Visits. From information gathered by members of the New Zealand Association it appears that the chances of New Zealand agreeing to the proposal from over the Tasman that a Dominion team should pay a visit to the Commonwealth next year are now pretty good, for' Australian Association football has straightened itself out satisfactorily, Last year, when a similar request was made, the association decided that there was not much hope of a successful tour owing to the existence of two bodies, the League and the Association, on the other side, both controlling Soccer, and apparently disputing considerably on certain points. The two j bodies have now reached common ground, to the probable considerable I advancement of the game. The Aus- 1 tralian control actually asked that a New Zealand team should go across this year, but that proposal could not be I considered, for two reasons, first, the [lateness of the season; and, secondly, that the delegates at the annual meetI ing having in mind the then unsatisfactory dual control in Australia, and [Other factors, had turned the idea i down, but, as stated above, conditions I are rather different to-day, and as dis- | triet associations will not, presumably, ibe called upon to provide much in the i way of finance—guarantees, at any ' rate, not being their responsibility—it j is not likely that they will raise any ' strong objection. Not a great deal is