NUAFC 1968-2018

1976
sports store owner, Ngaruawahia United
were looking forward to using the
German product in their 1st Division
match against Tokoroa on Saturday. Mr
Hans Czichy donated two of these balls
to the club after returning from a
holiday in Germany. United drew 1-1
With Teachers/Varsity
Waikato 3rd Division
The ground was in reasonable
condition despite the rain and previous
matches played on it by other United
teams in the morning and early
afternoon. The curtain-raiser was
between United and Teachers-Varsity of
the 3rd Division. In this match neither
side looked dangerous.
The match came alive when
Teachers worked a ground ball across
the goal and caught the keeper going the
wrong way, to give Teachers a 1-0
advantage. Tony Armstrong of United
equalised shortly afterwards and then
United applied the pressure, but could
not score any more than one match
point.
United Draw 3-3 with Tokoroa
Waikato 1st Division
In the 1st Division game
Tokoroa was looking for its first match
points for the season, and got away to an
early 2-0 lead with two opportunist
goals. United keeper Murray Liddle
dropped the ball while attempting a
thrown clearance and it was stabbed in
by an alert Tokoroa half-back. Shortly
after a right-wing cross from Tokoroa
bounced off the top of the crossbar and
was well headed in.
It looked at this stage as if
Tokoroa were going to walk away with
the game, however United’s outside left,
Jeff McLaughlin, raced onto a lobbed
through ball and scored in a move
identical to the goal scored by Stoke in
Southampton’s F.A. Cup win.
United came equal in the first
half when Les Geraghty chipped a free
kick over a wall for Charlie Gorman to
send the keeper the wrong way and
score the equalizer.
Tokoroa drew away in the
second half when they netted from a
free kick, and it looked as though time
was running out for United. Pressure
from the home team was taking its toll
on Tokoroa, and United were creating
more chances than they deserved to miss
before substitute Tony Armstrong
screwed a left-foot shot over the defence
into the top left corner to finish the
scoring at 3-3.
Tokoroa were unlucky not to
net a 10-metre screamer that keeper
Liddle did well to hold, late in the game.
The Huntly Press - Wednesday,
May 12th 1976
Past v Present
The Ngaruawahia High School
1st 11 met an ex-pupils team of Waikato
first division players on Thursday
36
afternoon and scored one in each half
through Alistair Bell and Kerry
Barakat to take their senior opponents 2
-0.
First Division players from
Cameron and Ngaruawahia clubs were
able to attend the afternoon function and
were well represented.
Third former Alistair Bell and
first 11 player Lindsay Runciman were
leant to the ex-pupils and played well.
The team as a unit has yet to
play as a well-knit team, but this will no
doubt come after several more matches.
Waikato 3rd Division
Trailing Marist by two points,
United were determined to move up to
the ladder-leaders and were prepared to
do so at Galloway Park. However they
found the ground had unsatisfactory
markings, thereby forcing the referee to
call off the game as an official fixture.
However the game was played
as a friendly fixture and Marist ended
the game with a 4-3 win.
Waikato 1st Division
Hungry for their first two point
game, United attacked Teachers/Varsity
from the onset at the Varsity ground,
playing downhill in the first half.
Winger Jeff McLaughlin moved infield
on attack in the opening minutes and
powered a ball through a defensive line
and past an unsighted keeper to open the
score for Ngaruawahia.
Opposite winger for United
Mike Liddle drove in the second from
out on the wing and then striker Charles
Gorman made it three from the middle.
United donated a goal to
Teachers when they delivered a weak
goal-kick to a thankful striker lurking on
the edge of the penalty area. He obliged
with the return.
For the second 45 minutes
Ngaruawahia were defensive for much
of the time. Teachers second, and last,
goal came when a spinning shot screwed
past the United defence and spun in past
the groping fingers of Murray Liddle.
United weathered the fierce
onslaught of Varsity, who put together
some good moves, having the centre of
the paddock to themselves, but United
saw it through for the points. The match
was fast and clean, with some good play
by both teams.
The Huntly Press - Wednesday,
May 19th 1976
Ngaruawahia Comes From
Behind
Waikato 3rd Division
Confident of a win over
Wanderers at home, Ngaruawahia
United found themselves 0-1 down after
3 minutes. Playing their worst football
this year, United managed to put away
sufficient goals for the win. Ronnie
Clark and Jim McCaig each goaled for
United with Tony Armstrong heading
in two crosses, both from Ronnie
Clark. Tony’s first goal was headed in
from 12 inches off the ground; any
lower and his team-mates would have
had to dig him out!
The 4-1 win keeps United in
the chase for the leadership having lost
ignominiously to Huntly No. 2 and a
draw with Teachers.
The Huntly Press - Wednesday, May
15th 1976
Fraser Wins 2-1 at
Ngaruawahia
Waikato 1st Division
Looking every man a winner,
Fraser was all attack against United and
netted early in the first half. United
looked disjointed and badly lacked
striker ability in the front.
Philip Bullivant locked on to a
weak back-pass from Fraser and netted
to equalise for a 1-1 first-half score.
Sandy MacDonald had a glorious
opportunity to put United into the lead
when he sent the keeper the wrong way
and put the penalty wide. Shortly after
United conceded a penalty at their end.
Fraser rocketed the ball in. Keeper
Murray Liddle got his arm to it and
deflected it up onto the underside of the
crossbar and out, but the penalty-taker,
following through, put it away for
Fraser’s 2-1 win.
Good home crowds have been
a feature this year and the players are
appreciative of the increased interest in
Soccer in Ngaruawahia.
This Saturday both teams are
away with the firsts playing Wanderers
at Porritt Stadium and the thirds playing
Fraser at Hamilton.
Ngaruawahia Soccer
The Huntly Press - Wednesday,
May 22nd 1976
A steadier defence was
apparent in the Ngaruawahia ranks
when they met Hamilton Wanderers in a
Waikato first division match. Reserve
team centre-back, Ian Todd, played his
first 1976 game for the seniors and
contri­buted much to the cohesiveness
of the back four.
The ball was hard to judge in
flight in the windy conditions but Mark
Snowden gave Noaruawahia the game
with his 15-metre shot from a right-wing
cross.
Third Division
After trailing Fraser 0-2 at
halftime Ngaruawahia staged a good
second half recovery to win 4-2.
Goal scorers for Ngaruawahia
were Ronnie Clark (2), Steve
McLaughlin and Tony Armstrong.
The Huntly Press - Wednesday,
June 2nd 1976
Charlie Uses his Head
Waikato 1st Division
Leading Cameron by one
match point, United were determined to