United well beaten in soccer

Press, 23 April 1979, Page 30

United well beaten in soccer

Special corres. Auckland A late goal from Johann Verweij was Trans Tours United’s only crumb of consolation from the Rothmans Soccer League visit to Mount Wellington’s new ground in Auckland yesterday.

Verweij’s 89th minute effort made the score 4-1 in the Mount’s favour on a Bill McKinlay Park that Brian Hardman’s team will want to forget. Without Bobby Almond in the defence United never looked like contesting the points except possibly in the first 20 minutes before the Mount settled down. Once its midfield of Bill de Graaf. Bill McClure and Warren Fleet bad clamped iron hand on play between the two penalty areas, Peter Moot had a busy afternoon and goals for the Aucklanders were just a matter of time.

The Mount’s New Zealand skipper, Brian Turner, doubtful because of an ankle injury, played with the help of a pain-killing injection and had one of his best matches. He helped the wing, Clive Campbell, to put the Mount ahead after 30 minutes and eight minutes later, turned on a through ball and cracked the second past Moot,

I At half-time with Its 2-'. (lead the Mount looked a certainty for both points. Graham Griffiths managed to keep some sort of hold on Keith Nelson, the Mount's signing from Hamilton. but only at the expense of holes elsewhere. Steve Sumner, although he scraped the bar with a sec-ond-half shot, had to spend much of his time on defence as the Auckland players knitted move after move together. Midway through the second half the Mount was surging forward with confidence and the midfielder, de Graaf, grabbed the third goal after good work from Turner at a corner. Frank McKay, Richard Mulligan and lan Marshall looked only a shadow of the usual Christchurch attack, as they fought — often vainly — for the long passes pumped down the throat of the Mount’s defenders, and a fourth goal from the Mount was always imminent. The defender, Tony Sibley, got it. He slammed home a half volley after a half clearance. This eased the pressure on Griffiths and Trevor Reece, and Mulligan featured twice in the late counter-attacks that led to Verweij’s one crumb of comfort before the final whistle.