NUAFC 1968-2018

2017
“I said I did, and went down and played with the likes of
Arthur Leong, found my ankle was okay, and stayed.
“Because Harold got me playing football again, I vowed I
would never play for any other club in New Zealand, and never have
done – apart from going on loan to Waikato Unicol Over 30s for a
Fijian tournament in 1989. I don’t mind going on loan.”
In an on-again, off-again playing career in which he retired
three times, Coulshed also had spells at Hakoah (Sydney City) in
Australia.
He is arguably best remembered as a player for scoring
the late winner in Hamilton’s thrilling 32 home win against a strong
North Shore team in the Chatham Cup in 1975.
“Oh no, not Coulshed,” they groaned in unison in the
grandstand when Coulshed was subbed on in the 88th minute. But
with his very first touch he lobbed a header in a gentle parabolic arc
over the keeper and into the net. How they cheered then.
However for Coulshed that milestone was also something
of a millstone.
“Everyone remembers that one, but people don’t seem to
realise I scored a lot of good goals before and after.”
Jeff saw taking the coaching reins at Hamilton in 1979 as a
golden opportunity when other potential contenders were happier
to dive for cover.
“I was very fortunate – I started my coaching career at the
top level. There were coaches who saw the jump as too much, but
you don’t turn things like that down.
“I hadn’t wanted to go into coaching, I was still playing at
the time. The job was open for Ray Veall (Gisborne) but he couldn’t
get over to Hamilton.”
Coulshed was not only instantly successful but proved to
be a breed apart from the archetypical coach of the era, preferring
to watch from the grandstand at Muir
Park rather than the dugout.
“I preferred elevation. You can see so much more
from the stand.”
Coulshed, a pullover-and-jeans guy, was also
derisory of the 70s coaching garb.
“The uniform for coaches of the day was a long
leather coat. As soon as you became a senior coach you got
one of those trenchcoats. The more senior you were as a
coach, the longer your coat was.”
Having made it as a senior – if coatless – coach,
Coulshed then found women’s football to be a lifesaver.
“It meant I was able to coach at senior level and still
play. If I wanted to coach the same level in men’s football, I
couldn’t play.”
Jeff was first introduced to female football in 1975
when Hamilton AFC decided to have a women’s team,
comprised of the wives of all the men’s players.
“Even May Parker (wife of the rather senior Arthur
Parker) played. There was no league. I was nominated by the
wives to do it, and I ran it on friendlies.”
One of the great vignettes of Jeff’s foray into
women’s coaching was his decision one Sunday to play a
game against the young trees planted at Innes Common, as a
novel exercise in teaching the girls to get their heads up.
If nothing else, it produced another classic Coulshedism.
“The trees won 4-0,” Jeff reported.
But by the time of the 1988 National Women’s
Tournament in Invercargill, Coulshed previewed the event by
saying he was taking the best-ever Waikato team south, and
wanted to win the tournament.
467