SOCCER SIDELIGHTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1048, 12 August 1930, Page 13

SOCCER SIDELIGHTS

PASSING NOTES

(Bv

PERSEUS.)

Form at a Glance. —The winding-up games in the senior championships are disclosing an extraordinary inconsistency of form and if the coupon system were running here competitors would find it hard to hit the mark. Last Saturday week Onehunga defeated Ponsonby by four goals to nil, and on Saturday the Ponies inflicted the first defeat on Young Men by three goals to two, while Thistle defeats Onehunga by B—28 —2 at Onehunga. On the previous Saturday Corinthians draw' with Trams, four all, but lost 2—o to Manurewa on Saturday, while Trams bolted away from Celts with the record tally of nine goals to one. It is all very puzzling and shows what a flukey state Soccer has got into here. The Last Two Laps. —With the exception of the held-over match between Thistle and Trams, there are two more games to be played by each club before the curtain is rung down on another season’s senior championship. Y.M.C.A. had only to win on Saturday to settle the occupancy of the top rung, but the mudlarking Ponies, and Y.M.’s feeble finishing effort, found them pipped on the post, and with Thistle and Trams yet to meet the Young Men may find the cup of victory dashed from their lips, as by winning their next three games the Trammies have a chance of drawing ahead or level, and interest in the destination of the championship trophies is not yet over. Trams have to meet Y.M.. Onehunga and Thistle, and after the transporters’ wonderful recovery of form last Saturday, three further victories would not seem unlikely.

Some Prolific Scoring. —Tall scoring is not usually associated with waterlogged grounds, when ball control and swift, accurant shooting is very difficult, but Saturday last was an outstanding exception. Ten goals were scored at both Onehunga and Walker Park, five at Blandford Park, and in the senior B game at the Shore the New Accordians soaked it into Technical Old Boys to the tune of ten goals to one. At the Manukau ground McLeay, of Thistle, notched seven out of eight goals, and this must constitute a record for senior Soccer in Auckland. It was pleasing to find Trams right back to top form. Bell has lost his appendix, but not his knack of performing the hat trick, and Spencer also helped himself to three of the best against the undermanned Celts. * * *

Promotion and Relegation.— The matter of up-and-downs between the senior and the senior B grades is now becoming an interesting problem, which will make the championship series intriguing right to the last game, and as there is some variation in the tables published the following, which have been checked with the official records, may be regarded as authentic and up-to-cTate:— SENIOR GRADE Goals

Goal Averages. —ln the event of teams finishing level on points, the placings are determined by goal average. and this is found by dividing the goals “for” into the goals “against.’ the club with the highest quotient taking priority on the ladder. Thus Corinthians’ goal average now is 0.52, while that of Manurewa is 0.48, so Corinth leads over 'Re\i*a. Had ’Rewa j scored another goal on Saturday the j averages would have been 0.51 to ; ’Rewa and 0.50 to Corinth; so that every goal counts these days, and one goal may mean the difference between senior or 15 grading for next season. The Blandford Park Position.—Recently a deputation from the Soccer Old Boys’ Association, consisting of the president, Dr. Neil McDougall, and the secretary, Mr. Robert Takle, waited on the Control Board to express the misgivings felt by the Soccer Old Boys about Blandford Park. They realised the wonderful asset to the code, a headquarters in the heart of the City should be, and also the urgent necessity of saving Blandford Park for Soccer for all time. The Old Boys were anxious to do all they could to place the park in suich a position that any danger of losing it would be averted, but they felt the present position was not satisfactory, and it might be a good plan if the Control Board would take the Old Boys' Association into its confidence, and meet for a thorough consideration of the situation with a full discussion on the best way cf helping mattex's. The Need for Action.—The reply of the Control Board to the deputation has not been considered entirely satisfactory, and the Old Boys may have some definite plan to submit before the season ends. The formation of the park from a wild gully and rubbish dump was accomplished by the raising of debentures among Soccer enthusiasts, and a long lease warf secured with the option of purchase on very advantageous terms for a stadium in the making, with a great prospective value as Auckland grows. The Stadium Company secured a summer lease and spent a lot of money on the terracing, cycle track, etc., but the welfare of Soccer and cycling have not always run on parallel lines, and Soccer interests have usually suffered. Last year the drainage worked admirably, but the alterations for broadsiding left the Soccer area in a very different state from last year, and judging by last Saturday the drains are more theoretical than practical. A Trust Board Wanted. —Some time ago a resolution was carried by the club delegates recommending that the Soccer headquarters be placed under the control of an independent Trust Board on which the debenture holders, clubs, and A.F.A. should be represented. This body of trustees would have complete control of Blandford Park, make sure that it was not ailow’ed to slip away from Soccer control, see that it was kept in proper order, and make certain that sub-lessees carried out their obligations in full in future. Like most resolutions of club delegates, this one was treated merely as a pious expression of opinion and nothing more. The position since has gone from bad to worse, until there is no urgent need for action unless the Soccer code is again to migrate to the backbloeks of Bayswater, or be at the mercy of local public bodies for spaces to carry on the code.

P. W. I,. D. F. A. Pts r.M.C.A. . . 12 1 43 18 20 Trams .... 11 7 1 38 26 15 Ponsonby . . 12 6 4 33 24 14 Celtic .... 12 6 1 24 31 13 Thistle . . . 11 5 6 31 23 10 Onehunga . . 12 3 7 27 36 8 Corinthians . 12 3 8 1 22 43 7 Manurewa . . 12 3 8 1 16 33 7 SENIOR B GRADE Goals P. W. L. r>. F. A. Pts North Shore . 12 11 l 57 9 23 Philomel . 13 11 1 l 55 23 New Lvnn-Bon Accord . . . 13 9 1 3 57 21 21 Belmont. . . 13 8 18 19 Rangers . . . 12 5 2 30 25 12 Tamaki . . . 13 4 6 35 36 11 Metro-College 13 4 9 37 8 Newmarket . 12 1 10 1 9 Northcote . . 12 1 10 1 14 48 Tech. O.B. • 13 1 11 1 15 68 3