The Huntly Press
Wednesday 30th August 1978
Hat Tricks Missed
With the possibility of the referee abandoning the match always present Ngaruawahia United and Unicol met at Ngaruawahia in the last-but-one game of the Northern league 4th division subsidary round. Four large muddy patches down the centre of the pitch, made more impossible by the application of gravel-strewn top-soil during the week, were the embarrasment of the home club, despite last minute attempts by council workers to rectify the mess.
The rest of the pitch was in good condition and the referee counselled both squads that if the centre areas became too bad he would have to call off the match. To the credit of both sides, play was kept clear of the mud with much attacking down the wings.
It could be said that Ngaruawahia’s 6-1 was a tremendous results over a team that had gone 15 months without a loss (excepting their 0-2 loss the previous week to Fraser), but with several key players involved in the Universities soccer tournament in the past week, Unicol was called upon to play some of their 1st division team, and their performance was by no means disgraced by the scoreline, with Unicol having just as good a build-up and scoring potential.
United looked good from the start and were unlucky in the fifth minute when a Malcolm Burt corner was headed in from the edge of the the box by Ken Murray and the chance was lost when the keeper was fouled. A good ball fed by Mike Liddle to John Brown had a goal averted by Unicol when they robbed him at the last moment. Mike Heappey shaved the crossbar with an angled run and reverse shot and Ken Murray’s deflecting header from Burt came close. The next best chance for United came when Heappey’s corner met Liddle who’s carefully placed shot was palmed wide.
Unicol’s first chance came in the 25th minute but was spoilt by a handball when the ball came high from a cross and the accidental handball by Unicol gave them an advantage and the play was stopped by the referee. It was from the resultant free kick by keeper Shaun Finn to winger Jeff McLaughlan who had come deep that was fed on to John Brown in the middle. He drew the defense and set up McLaughlan who placed it cooly wide of the keeper and just inside the left post for the first blood. United came close to increasing their lead in the 31st minute when Brown and McLaughlan had luck against them both in a goal mouth scramble.
However a minute later Mike Liddle followed up his great goal from last week when he ran the ball down the left wing and, 10 metres from the corner flag, struck the ball into the top right corner – a classic looping drive. Jason Cargo had the embarassing situation of the goal posts darting to the right so that his penalty kick hit the left upright and was cleared. The situation in which the penalty was conceeded was when Brown spun sharply on the ball and hit it on the pivot and the ball was stopped by a hand or arm.
Heappey slid home a McLaughlan cross for 3-0 and in the last minute before the halftime whistle Unicol’s Stewart Laurence raked over a long cross for Dennis Lee to head home from just inside the area – an excellent piece of workmanship.
Early in the second spell Steve Williams of United put a screamer from 36 metres out towards the top of the net but the Unicol keeper just manged to tip it over. In the 60th minute a clearance from keeper Finn reached Brown in the circle and he sprinted away from the defense for a 4-1 lead.
Sixty seconds later Unicol had its only other chance for a goal when United did not seem to be able to handle an attack from Unicol where the ball rocketed about in front of the goal and the final shot not too far away from the left upright with Finn well away in goal.
United’s fifth came when Brown was downed in the area and he hit it into the usual bottom corner. This left Brown chasing a hat-trick, and with a good chance of getting. it. The final goal came the length of the field from United with eight touches starting with Burt in defense and building up to McLaughlan’s second goal.
Both Brown and McLaughlan failed in their attempts for hat-tricks but Jeff McLaughlan had the comfort of being named by Radio Waikato as player of the day for the second week in succession. Alan Doman had his usually intelligent defensive game and he and Burt wee given ample opportunity to overlap on attacking roles.
With Fraser downing Tauranga on Saturday and one game to play Ngaruawahia United have 7 points, Unicol and Fraser 5 and Tauranga 3.
Third Division
Having three games left in the championship, Ngaruawahia United travelled to Te Aroha with the surety that they only had to gain two points from these last three matches to take the trophy. Many of the players were extremely nervous and this put some of the lads off their beer the previous night! United netted seven times and had one penalty saved, but three of the goals were disallowed. Staf Magee and Bruce McIntosh carried United to a 2-1 lead at the turn and then McIntosh netted his second and Chris Duffell finished it off with a penalty for a final win of 4-2.
It was a poor scrappy game marred by indesicive refereeing. Jim McCaig showed out as man of the match. With this win, and two games to go. United has the trophy all tied up as they are, at the least, five points clear of their nearest tormentors. Now the lads can he more relaxed in their matches, no doubt wishing to continue their unbeaten streak.
First Division
Leading 2-1 at the turn Ngaruawahia United were beaten 8-2 by Claudelands Rovers at Galloway Park, being unable to resist the onslaught.