Association Football.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 207, 18 June 1904, Page 20

Association Football.

The first lound of the senior League contest was bi ought to a close on Saturday. In summing up the doings of the vauous clubs, I find that the Diamonds reign supreme. In other words, they have secured the maximum points. They have penetrated their opponents' defence twenty-four times, while their ohaige has but succumbed thrice. Rovers, Queen's Park, and Pearls have beeui the only teams to score against them. Out of the twenty-four goals seemed fourteen were got at the expense of Petone and Pearls. The closest lesults have been the ones aga,mst Parks and YM.C.A., only a single goal separating victoi s and vanquished. The Saints come second, with ten points. Last year's champions have scored two goals moie than the leadeis, but their charge has fallen eight times The Saints have also secured the same haul as the Diamond's when confronting the Peails and Petone, while six goals were netted against V.M.C.A , whioli team ran the leaders a close race la&t Satuiday. The only defence that has withstood the Saints' attack is the Diamonds' The Parks, who are one point behind the Yellows, finish with fourteen goals to ejght. seven of which were potted against Petone and Y M C.A. The only team the Parks have failed to scoie against is the Saints. The Swifts come out with eight points, secuied at the expense of St. John's, Rovers, Petone, and V.M.C.A. In defence, the Maroons are second, only six goals having been scored against them. But, in attack they have proved themselves but smail fry. Eleven goals have been scored and four of these were piled up against V.M.C A In fact, the attacking vans have shown a decided weakness, for out of a total of one hundred and eleven .goaLs actually scored in the first round, fifty have been secured by Diamonds and St. John's, while seventy-three have been scored against three clubs — Petone, Pearls, and V.M.C.A

Of the foui olubs at the bottom, the Rovers, though one point behind Peails, show a better goal average. The oldei club has had thirteen goals scored against, to eleven for. The games, the Rovers failed to score in were the ones against St. John's and Swifts, the largest score again&t being in the match with the former, and their best victoiy being the game with V.M.C.A. The Peails have, out of ai total of twenty-three, diopped twenty goals to St. John's, Diamonds, and V.M.C A. and, with the exception of Petone, the Pearls have scored the least number of goals. Yet, strange to say, the Peails are the only club, along with Diamonds who have scored in every maitch. The two clubs at the bottom — Y M - C.A. and Petone — show exactly the same number of goals against as the two leading clubs have respectively recorded, viz., fifty. Petone are decided wooden spoomsts. They have failed to secure a single point, and thear goals average is four for to thirty against. The suburban eleven have only scored against Rovers, Pearls, and V.M.C.A. V.M C.A., with four points, have failed to score in four matches, while out of a total of eleven goals netted, nine weie secured against Petone and Pearls. In looking over the records, one finds that out of the twenty-eight games played, only two have ended m honouis even and the Pearl's had a say in both. To compare the four leading clubs with tlhe four at the 1 bottom, I find that, whereas the attack of the former has been penetrated seventy-five times against the latter's thirty-six, in the mattei of defence the leading quartette are more solid. The record shows that the Rovers, Pearls, V.M.C.A.. and Petone have had eighty-six goals piled up against them, to twenty-five netted against Diamonds, St. John's, Queen's Park, and! Swifts. If every dog had' his due, the Dia^monds would not have gone through the first 1 ound without tasting defeat. The V.M.C.A. eleven gave them a fight last Saturday that; they will not forget in a hurry. And it was only indifferent ruling that robbed the younger olub of a victory I have endeavoured as much as possible to leave the referee alone. His task is, and always will be, a thankless one, but wrong decisions so palpably witnessed on Saturday should not be- allowed to pass unnoticed. _ The game outside the matter mentioned was played in a friendly spirit. The first half, which ended in a clean sheet was noted for two pemaJty-kieks missed bv the Blacks. Aided bv the wind, the V.M.'s made things willing in the latter half, but over-anxiety on the part of Millar and Hall lost what aippeared to be two easy chances. The latter ought to have scored, for D. Wilson, after drawing the whole of the Diamonds' defence his way. placed the ball at Hall's feet to a nicety. Mon c should be heai d of the losei s in the second round. In D. Wilson, they possess a foiward 1 of forwards. If the rest of the attacking van will only accept the chances' that Wilson is bound to put m their way, goals should be easily secured. The ex-Ranger player received the greatest support from Hall and Millar. The latter, however, should centre the ball sooner. Hall, once he gets acquainted with his fellow foi wards, ought to prove a valuable acquisition. He hails from Nottingham, where he has figuied in very fair company. Of the Y M.C.A defence, Airey was easily fiist. O'Comiell, though far from artistic, put in a good aftei noon's work. Foi the winners, Cunningham stood out head and shoulders. This lad, as a centre-forward, bids fair to exceed, at no veiy remote date, my expectations of him. He is gradually mastering his one weakness — shooting. Still, he is weak in front of the goal, and if Cunningham will but take advice from one who admiies him in every other point he will give every attention to this one thins strictly necessary in a capable cent re-f onva rd .