REP. SOCCER

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 372, 5 June 1928, Page 16

REP. SOCCER

A WIN AND A LOSS TO AUCKLAND WAIKATO’S GOOD FIGHT Ideal winter holiday weather and two fully representative Soccer matches drew the largest crowd of the season to Blandford Park yesterday. The Auckland reps were all out to win against Waikato by two goals to nil, and the Royal Navy proved too strong for Auckland B by four goals to one after a god game. The ground was in ideal order for the first representative games of the season, and the condition of the turf was an eloquent tribute to the good work done last winter. Blandford Park gives every promise now of being the best winter sports arena, and the record attendance yesterday must have been very gratifying to the enthusiastic officials of both provincial associations. The naval game drew a large gathering of men o’ warsmen, and the victory of their representatives, who were making their last appearance for some months, was a very popular win with the crowd. THE NAVY’S SUPERIORITY Woolley and Bell replaced Jay and Terry in the Auckland B, while Navy fielded the strongest eleven available, and showed itself superior in every department of the game. Play throughout was lively and skilful, with the ball on the move from the start to the finish, when the Service showed stronger staying power than the junior reps.

Auckland held its own in the first spell after scoring first, and the teams turned round with the game all square at one goal each. Auckland missed some chances early in the second spell, and then the Fleet gained the upper hand and hemmed the blue and white brigade in its own territory toward the finish. SOME PROMISING PLAYERS Conspicuous in the naval ranks was Reid at centre-half, who has been assisting the Tramways team toward making a good recovery. In the pivotal position he was outstanding in both defence and attack, and when not busy harrying the Auckland forwards was on the alert to open up hostile attacks, feeding his forward line steadily. Gilmour was also effective until he went lame again from the effects of his injury in the Shore-Thistle, game. In the forward line Milne and Rivers formed an effective right flank from which most of the goals came, but Richmond with his Rugby dash was a lively left winger, with a tendency to carry the ball too far down before squaring, while his partner, Archer, proved a handy man with his head when near goal. Honton was weak at centre, where a more deadly marksman would have registered several more hits. Eacock gave a great display in goal with some cool and clever saves under hot pressure. AUCKLAND’S POOR DISPLAY The play of the budding representatives was very disappointing and mostly below their usual club form. One outstanding exception was the Manukau colt, Whimster, who confirmed the form previously shown with his speedy dribbling and perfect centreing, proving himself a qualified successor when Bob Innes’s place becomes vacant. Grant worked hard making openings for Goodman, but both found Gilmour and Reid solid obstacles in their path. The B defence was also.below expectations and demonstrated the noticeable shortage of god halves and fullbacks this season, and the Auckland selector may be inclined to look outside the town clubs to strengthen the reps defence. THE BIG GAME The teams for the major matcSi lined out as selected, and both elevens looked very smart and fit as they lined up to exchange courtesy cheers. There was a strong leaven of country visitors among the big crowd, who were very pleased with "Waikato’s gallant showing. But the game fell below the standard usually expected in senior representative Soccer, and the Auckland team gave the impression that it is not yet up to concert pitch or in condition to stand the strain of two har<\ games in three days. COMBINATION LACKING The most marked feature of Auckland’s play was the absence of cqhesive team work. At no stage was there much evidence of any combination or understanding between the players, and they played more as a collection of individuals than a representative team. On the form shown, or rather lacking, the English trophy would not remain long in the North against a major Southern province. This was to some extent due to the good spoiling work of the Waikato defenders, who worried the Auckland forwards without ceasing, while the Waikato van lay well up on the Auckland backs and bustled them vigorously for the ball. AUCKLAND’S NARROW VICTORY It was only after half an hour’s even play of a lively but somewhat straggling sort that the Auckland forwards gave a glimpse of good team work, when Innes broke away with a typical dash down the line, and squared to Chalmers, who drove through to Spencer. He *had McKinstry right on top of him, but the centre cleverly deflected the ball past Schonau into the net, without attempting to trap or shoot, and Auckland crossed over a goal to the good. In the second spell Waikato again held its own, and was unlucky on occasions in not equalising, Auckland also missing opportunities by lack of thrust in front of goal until the dying moments, when a breakaway saw Spencer nip in and net his second goal. DISAPPOINTING FORM The greatest disappointment of the game was the failure of the public idol, Kay, to reproduce his brilliant form of Saturday, and in spite of the generous response to the urge of t,he crowd to “give it to Kay!” the Scottish express found an inevitable obstacle in his track in the person of McKinstry, the Waikato captain, or W. Moon, a former club mate of Kay, who celebrated their meeting again by refusing to leave his side. As a result of this assiduous shadowing the Thistle crack found himself either robbed of the ball, bumped off it, or forced into touch, and Innes on the opposite wing had much freedom, which he availed himself of to the full. But the Ponsonby rep and Chalmers did not fit in together well, and Mooney was not up to rep. form. Spencer notched two neat goals, but in field _play was . naturally