Soccer: Spectre of Billy haunts Central

By BOB PEARCE

The ghost of seasons past came back to haunt the Central soccer team yesterday in their time of trial.

Billy Harris, who coached them to a Chatham Cup win, came back as a player for University-Mt Wellington and scored the game-breaker in a 2-0 win for the league leaders.

The defeat was Central's eighth in a row in the Ansett National League and it sees them anchored in bottom place, one point behind neighbours Metro, who were thrashed 1-9 by Waitakere.

With four rounds to go, University-Mt Wellington have 30 points and a two-point lead over Napier, who have played one more game.

Waitakere and Manawatu are level on 25 points, and Dunedin, on 21, are just outside the top four who will play off for the title.

Central meet Miramar, Christchurch, Manawatu and Waitakere in their remaining games, knowing that, however badly Metro play, they must pick up points themselves to avoid the ignominy of a promotion-relegation battle.

Against University-Mt Wellington they looked far better than last-place strugglers. They more than held their own in the first half and Daniel Koprivcic and Miro Major both had good chances to score.

Mark Elrick worked tirelessly to set up his team-mates, but the finishing for yet another week was not there.

In the second spell, University-Mt Wellington gradually began to take control, with Paul Bunbury and Graham Pearce dominating the midfield.

In the 64th minute, Bunbury had a shot well saved by Ross Nicholson and Harris coolly stroked home the rebound. Bunbury himself completed the scoring in the closing seconds from close range.

The Metro-Waitakere game was to have been played on Friday evening, but the referees objected to Metro's lights at Albie Turner Field. Maybe Metro would have been better in the dark A rampant Waitakere led 6-0 at halftime, with goals to Darren Fellowes (2), Nik Viljoen, Ryan Dawkins, Hoani Edwards and Jamie McKenna (penalty).

Second-half penalties to McKenna and Nicki Farac and a goal to Tim Stevens completed Waitakere's scoring.

Nigel Curteis scored an 87th-minute consolation for Metro.