The Huntly Press
Wednesday 29th March 1978
Third Division Soccer Tournament at Ngaruawahia
Eight Waikato teams gather at Centennial Park on Sunday April 2, for the first round of games in the Ngaruawahia-Affco United ronnie Johnson memorial trophy tournament.
Cambridge, Fraser, Hillcrest, Morrinsville, Ngaruawahia, Te Aroha, Tokoroa and Unicol will be providing a feast of games to sort out the top four for the semi-finals on April 9.
Twelve games in two groups will commence at 9.30 am and conclude at about 5.00pm. The two top teams in each group will advance to the following weekend.
The entrants are based on whether or not the teams played the 1977 season in the Waikato 3rd division competition. Games are of 65 minutes duration with 10 minutes between matches, played on two pitches.
ALL SET FOR NORTHERN LEAGUE MATCHES
With a successful run in the Cambridge pre-season tournament behind them and several pre-season friendlies played to sort out weak spots, NgaruawahiaAffco United are all set for their foray into the newly formed Southern section of the Northern League.
Under the influence of Dave Hall, the squad already look a lot better than their 1977 image. Defender Eddie Carrigan has shown early form in his skilfull ball control in tight situations with goalkeeper Sean Finn a proud addition to the team. Sean represented Waikato last season in goal. Mike Liddle is still looking good, and is showing some more mature aggression that will serve the team well in mid-field. A couple of schoolboys who are being closely watched for a senior berth are Dean Haggie and Glen Solomon – excellent ball distibutors. Jason Cargo, who had several games for the Northern League last year is currently the backbone of the 1st division team (Reserves) and will, in all probability, become a regular for the seniors. Ken Murray, who excels in a defensive sweeper role shows added confidence in the overlapping fullback role and becoming a striker.
United travel south to Turangi for their first match on Saturday. Other teams in the southern section are Rotorua, Ngongotaha, Taupo, Tauranga, Fraser and Unicol.