Soccer XI Has Its Problems

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31118, 22 July 1966, Page 13

Soccer XI Has Its Problems

Canterbury will play its fourth representative soccer match of the season, against Otago at Dunedin tomorrow, with a team hardly recognisable from that which played in the previous three games.

Although al! the players are tried and tested, as a team it is of unknown quantity

Only four players, O. Nuttridge (goal), A. Hawthorn (left-back), A. Gowans (righthalf) and R. Taylor (insideleft)—have retained their positions. The only other regular in the team is T. Conley, who has been moved from insideforward to left-half, while C. Hicks, who played against South Canterbury, leads the attack as he did on that occasion.

One of the 13 players

named, W. Yates, who has been bracketed at inside-right with J. Gibson, has been recalled to the side for the first time since 1961 and has not played with the squad this season.

Gibson, K. France and F. Nicol will be playing their first games for Canterbury, and G. Donaldson and W. Logan return after long absences.

All these changes—more, probably, than Canterbury has previously made from one match to another in the last dozen years—leaves a big question mark over the ability of the players to settle down as a team.

At least one unsatisfactory factor that was prevalent in the team beaten by Wellington, is still there: the pairing of two normally attacking wing-halves, this time Gowans and Conley. Against Wellington, it was Gowans and T. Haydon and a major fault in that team was

the disruption to Canterbury’s normally safe defensive barrier caused by having at least one player—Gowans on that occasion—forced to adopt a role foreign to him. Tomorrow, either Gowans or Conley will have to curb his normal attacking instincts to ensure Donaldson gets the cover and help he will need to deaden the dangerous Otago inside-forwards. France’s experience will be of tremendous value, while Donaldson and Hawthorn know each other's game backwards. However, the slightest weakness in defence will be exploited by Otago, and either Gowans or Conley must know from the start the roles they will have to adopt. The wing positions have been a hardy Canterbury problem for some time and Logan and Nichol have this opportunity to make them their own for the rest of the season. Logan has the ball control

to split a defence, Nichol the speed and aggression to burst a way through, together they could make more opportunities for their inside-forwards than any other pairing has been able to do this season.

Hicks has not enjoyed the same success as when he cracked home six goals against Rangers earlier in the season, but if he remembers he took these chances in his stride and again uses his powerful shot from all angles, he could be the answer to Canterbury’s lack of forward power.

Taylor, Gibson and Yates are equally strong in shot, Gibson and Taylor possibly being more adept in laying on chances for their other colleagues. There is the potential for Canterbury to develop a strong, winning combination. But it will remain to be seen whether the players have been given enough time to do so.