NUAFC 1968-2018

1978
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 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 defence and set up
McLaughlan who placed it coolly 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 embarrassing 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 conceded 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 defence 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 Dornan had his usually
80
intelligent defensive game and he and Burt were 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 Duffull
finished it off with a penalty for a final win of 4-2.
It was a poor scrappy game marred by indecisive
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.
The Huntly Press
Wednesday 6th September 1978
Northern League
Gorman’s Goal-Scoring Spree Seals Subsidiary
Charlie Gorman’s first-half hat-trick against
Tauranga City on Saturday put the seal on the Northern
League 4th division subsidiary contest for Ngaruawahia
Affco United.
Perfect ground and wea­ther conditions at Tauranga
provided the ideal setting for fast, flowing football and
United took advantage of this from the start to pressure the
home sides defence.
In the fifth minute a good through ball from John
Brown was picked up on the left by Charlie Gorman who’s
left-foot shot rocketed past the goalie into the net.
Within minutes Charlie added another when he rose
above the Tauranga goalie to head home the ball from a wellplaced
Alan Dornan corner. Charlie’s third goal was nearly
a repetition of the first; once again his newly-discovered left
foot leaving the goalie on chance to make the half time score
3-0 to Ngaruawahia.
United could only manage two goals in the second
half, both from their resident Scots overstayer John
Brown. Brown’s close ball-control and dribbling ability
proved troublesome to the Tauranga defence and he used it to
best advantage, scoring both goals from tight situations.
United’s coach was pleased with the win and
although he attributed the success to an all-round team effort,
thought that Charlie Gorman and midfielder Jason Cargo
were two players to stand-out.
Next week, United play a friendly match against
Wanderers as a prelude to both teams participation in the
Tokoroa tournament the following week.
Danny Denied Hat-Trick
Ngaruawahia-Affco United has just the required 11
men to field against Fraser’s 1st division team at
Ngaruawahia, having “lent” players to the Northern League
and third division teams playing away. This left United in a
weakened position, as were all the other senior teams that
day.
United kicked the game off, and thirty seconds later
Neil Gorman had placed the ball in the net when Fraser
failed to clear from a defensive position. The ball had been