STATE LEAGUE : TITLE TO TRICOLORE

After a four year absence the East Fremantle-Tricolore name once more sits atop the heap of the First Division competition. The last time the port team won the premiership was in 1965 - their third successive premiership. That run was ended by Cracovia and then followed three consecutive titles to Azzurri.

Azzurri started the 1970 season determined to make it four and it appeared that they would accomplish this feet. Suddenly from out of the blue, Azzurri lost to Subiaco City struggling at the bottom of the league ladder. Then, any chance they might have had of snatching the title away from Tricolore vanished when they tumbled to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Windmills. In the first encounter between these two, Windmills had been soundly thrastled 5-0. These two unexpected losses cost Azzurri the premiership. This is shown by the final points situation, with Tricolore taking the title by three points.

Tricolore began the season struggling to fir1d form and to try to forget their poor performance in the night competition. They lost points against Cracovia 2-1 in the second match of the season. But this was to be their only loss apart from when they clashed with Azzurri in their first league encounter of the year. That match turned out to be one of the memorable matches of the year, especially for Azzurri, who turned on a power display to win 4-0. At one stage, Azzurri held a three-point lead on the ladder and the only hope Tricolore had of pinning back their arch rivals was by beating them on the return engagement and then relying on other teams to finish the job.

Tricolore managed to fulfil the first part of the task by beeting Azzurri 1-0 at Wauhop Park. This was a strongly contested affair in which it took a penalty by Tricolore to breek the deadlock. Many contend that referee Dave Ferguson's decision to award a penalty for a hand ball against Azzurri defender Bruno Marocchi was unjustified. They say the ball hit Marocchi's chest, not his arm.

Regardless of such opinions Tricolore captain-coach Graham Oughton took the spot kick which he lofted softly into the top right hand corner of the goal. Caught by surprise, the reliable Owen Nuttridge tried to palm the shot over the bar, but the lack of power placed in the shot by Oughton allowed the ball to drop back into the net. Even Oughton put his hands to his head as he realised how fortunate his poor penalty shot was and how lucky it was to score the vital goal.

But there was nothing lucky in the rest of Tricolore's team as they blasted almost every team that opposed them. Only Perth City were able to take any further points from them in their run to the tape. It was a team that possessed strength on the side-lines as well as on the field. If a player lost form or suffered an injury, then another player was ready to take his place without detriment to the team's strength.

In Jim Quinn, Tricolore has a midfield player equal to any that has appeared in W.A. Little Tommy Barber is a grafter and unstoppable dynamo, Who provides the State's top goal scorer Bobby Hynd with valuable support, as does the former Victorian Peter Osborne. In goal, Pipo Crifo conceded only 21 goals - a performance second only to Nuttridge, who allowed seventeen goals past him. In defence, such players as Hugh Miller, Eric Edmonds, Gary Taylor and Alan Thompson were hard to beat, while Ben Price, formerly of South Perth, turned out to be a great find in the midfield.

A number of teams will remember the Tricolore 1970 vintage. Cottesloe suffered a morale-sapping 8-0 loss on their own ground, while Kiev and Windmills felt their power in 5-1 losses. Cracovia crashed 6-0 at Wauhop Park which avenged Tricolore's early season loss, while Olympic was humbled to the tune of 7-0. To assure their premiership Tricolore cruised to a 6-0 victory over Subiaco City in their final league match of the season.

If the D'Orsogna Cup is the glamour tournament, then the premiership is the most important. The first division premiership is acquired over a long period of time, requiring staying power and an overall excellence. Tricolore had this and, with the urging, cajoling and direction of coach Graham Oughton, the side was in the limelight - an area that had seen little of them in the past three seasons.

Unfortunately, the stop-start method of the league season meant that the 1970 premiership passed into history without the usual fanfare. And here lies a lesson that the season must be planned and kept to a strict schedule despite outside interference such as State matches. When the fixtures are set, the potential premiership contenders should be drawn to meet each other closer to the end of the season and not bunched together in the middle of the season as was the case in 1970. An interrupted tournament has led to a drastic waning of interest. People want their soccer constant and their interest kept up. A break in competition breaks their concentratioh and their interest.

There is a need for more clubs to contest for the State's top honours than just the usual three clubs - Tricolore, Azzurri and Cracovia. Windmill's season will probably go down as their most remarkable. The Ampol Night Series saw a team capable of retaining the title they had won the year before, but were eliminated in the preliminary final after a lapse in the last ten minutes of the first encounter. They were expected to contest the premiership, but by mid-season one was wondering whether they could avoid relegation. After nine matches, Windmills had five points. They were a side full of talent and promise, but nothing seemed to go right for them.

However, their fortunes changed and they relentlessly marched up the table to fourth place, beating Azzurri and drawing with Cracovia on the way. It was a tremendous triumph for John O'Connell, who took over from the illustrious Dick Jones as coach. He was without credentials and had the added burden of being a brilliant player. He began the season trying to play every position in an effort to lift his side, but gradually settled down in the midfield in a more defensive role than usual. As a goal-getter he was still a danger when least expected. Such was Windmills revival, that once again defender Theo Paap took off the Carbonell Cup for the fairest and best player in the competition.

The fourth placing in the top four was a battle between four clubs for much of the season. Though it finally went to Windmills, Perth City, Kiev and Olympic held that position in turn. But none was able to make the spot theirs permanently because they failed to make a significant break. Olympic was never equal to the task when the pressure went on. A few more players like Frank Cutts could have seen a more successful team. Once again the Macedonian side was struck with problems as they failed to consolidate their coaching position.

Kiev, a new, young side suffered from what all experimental teams suffer - inconsistency. When it seemed that they had gained a fluency of play, they lost it and therefore wasted valuable points. Their fifth placing was a commendable effort. They beat Cracovia and gave both Azzurri and Tricolore hard matches on their own ground at Inglewood and beat Windmills.

Perth City took sixth place - a fine effort in their first year back in first division. They took points off Cracovia and Tricolore. Swan Valley made a late run after relegation looked a possibility. They owe a considerable amount to the goal-scoring potential of Len Dundo, who got half their goals. This has been their biggest downfall because they have so few goal scorers.

Cottesloe, now known as S.M.A. Cottestoe, once again struggled to avoid relegation. It was a constant battle with Subiaco City, with the latter going down. The advent of new players once again came to the rescue of Cottesloe. Youth has always been part of the Cottesloe game. This time overseas youngsters helped and the name of John Davidson, a Scottish youth international, is destined to become one of W.A's. stars. Another newcomer, Ray Ilott also possessed above average talent, and with the prospect of more to come, S.M.A. Cottesloe could become a contender for State honours, instead of fighting to avoid relegation.

Subiaco finished in the relegation seat. They came into the first divisionin 1969 never fully equipped for the battle. That year, they managed to avoid relegation at the expense of Swan Athletic, but it was a false hope that allowed them to fight again. Relegation also means that promotion must go to a team from the second division and 1970 saw Bayswater United gain one of the most convincing victories in the second division competition history. They won by nine points, which speaks for itself. Swan Athletic made a valliant effort but they had lost too many points early, while Croatia-North Perth finished third with 20 points.

ASSOCIATION CUP : AZZURRI'S FOURTH WIN

No other competition generates the interest that the D'Orsogna knockout competition does. The premiership is the season's most important competition, but there is nothing like the cut-throat win or lose excitment of a knockout competition for holding the spectators' appeal. This year was no exception. Azzurri ran out winners over Cracovia, but only after both sides were required to take a series of five penalties each to break a 2-2 deadlock after two periods of extra time. Azzurri scored from all five penalties, but Cracovia missed on their fourth attempt as goalkeeper Peter Mitchell's shot glanced off the post and out of play. Referee Dave Ferguson signalled the end of the game.

For Cracovia, it was a bitter pill to swallow after having controlled most of the match and wasted many chances to established a commanding lead by half-time. This was their fifth final in six years, but they won the trophy only once, in 1967 when they beat Tricolore 5-3. Azzurri entered the final without strikers John Van Oosten and Nino Segon and their makeshift forward line proved inadequate on the occasion, Cracovia, who had been forced to extra time on two of their encounters on the way to the final, started as though they had the match won. Shot after shot from a stream of moves went goalwards but were ineffectually directed. At times, Cracovia had the goal at their mercy, but failed to connect with hastily aimed shots.

In the second-half, Azzurrl proved more adventuresome, and though spasmodic, launched some testing probes. Their first break came from a rare mistake by Paul Hajnisz, who mistimed a clearance shot from a bouncing ball almost on the half-way line. In a flash, striker Boris Zanetta, with deceptive sPeed, planted the ball low past goalkeeper Mitchell in the 57th minute. It took Cracovia 20 minutes of concerted pressure to produce an equaliser . The goal came from a free kick - a blockbuster that Hajnisz crashed 25 yards past the Azzurri defensive wall with goalkeeper Milan Milanovich completely unsighted.

Extra time proved a punishing period of play in the wet heavy conditions and it seemed just a matter of who could score the first goal for the winner to be known. Cracovia looked the winners after Polish international Zyggie Olschok whipped a curling corner through Milanovich's hands in the 124th minute. But with only seconds of extra time left, Azzurri winger Dave O'Callaghan sent a high floating corner across the Cracovia goalmouth to where the giant Alan Cooney was waiting. A rare aerial mistake by Mitchell failed to cover the shot and Conney headed for the equaliser. A further period of extra time was ordered without a break in the score.

Azzurri recorded a win, but the loser was the game itself because no side deserves to lose a final in such a manner, especially Cracovia on this occasion. A replay should have been called. This would have been a great opportunity to boost the games image after such a titanic struggle. It was Azzurri's fourth success in the tournament since it started in 1960 and the first time that an extra period was needed to find a result.

The competition was interesting from the start. Four country teams competed and, for the first time, two clubs won through to the second round. Albany beat the third division club Tuart Hill 6-5 and Geraldton defeated the promising Gosnells 3-2. Collie and Eastern Goldfields were less fortunate as they clashed with first division teams Kiev and Windmills respectively losing 0-2 and 1-4.

In the second round, Croatia-North Perth travelled to Albany and after holding a 4-1 lead had to survive a fightback by Albany to win 4-3. Geraldton had the unenviable task of clashing with Tricolore and were crushed 6-0. However, it was break-through for country soccer. Cracovia had what appeared an easy passage, but they found their opposition tough from start to finish and came close to losing three times before making the final. Only extra time and last minute goals kept them in the tournament.

Cracovia's first encounter was with relegation-prone Subiaco City. With only three minutes left, Subiaco City held a 6-5 lead and Cracovia looked hopelessly beaten until Tommy Hughes scored the equaliser. It was experience and two goals by Dieter Golli that saw them through to the second round with an 8-6 win. Against Perth City, Cracovia was forced into another desperate fight, winning 4-3. They got two quick goals in the latter stages of the second-half to give them the lead even though they had been reduced to ten men. With only minute remaining, Perth City received a penalty to tie the score, unaccountably Gerry Crolla, normally a good penalty taker, hit the ball into the left-hand post. Stirling City was easier meat, though this third division premiership side gave Cracovia 30 minutes of tough play. In the end, Cracovia waltzed to a casual 4-2 victory.

Then came their toughest encounter - with a fast-improving S.M.A. Cottesloe. Morale in the S.M.A. Cottesloe Camp was high after they had been taken to a surburban hotel for a light lunch before the semi-final encounter. While their standard was lower than expected and Cracovia appeared to have their measure, S.M.A. Cottesloe's bustling tactics kept Cracovia off their stride. With less than 30 seconds of regulation time left, S.M.A. Cottesloe held a 2-1 lead. Suddenly Dieter Golli took the ball from the half-way line and ran down the wing with at least three S.M.A. Cottesloe defenders allowing him to run. Not one thought of bringing him down or pushing him over the line. Consequently Golli made the goal line and cut the ball back into the path of the charging Zyggie Olschok. Without a wasted moment, he cracked a first-time shot under the falling body of goalkeeper Tony Eikhoudt past the near post. A tremendous goal that brought applause and roars even from S.M.A. Cottesloe supporters. Extra time was all Cracovia needed and in the 105th minute substitute Tony Wolczecki covered himself in glory with a goal headed from a perfect cross by Tommy Hughes. Cracovia was through to their fifth final.

Azzurri's passage was not easy either, though they started in simple fashion by knocking out Fremantle-Dalmatinacs with a 4-0 win. Windmills in the second round came close to eliminating them, but a late second-half Peter Holt goal gave Azzurri a 2-1 win. Then came what many people regarded as the final - the clash against East Fremantle-Tricolore. Azzurri was in this match for the first 20 minutes, when Peter Holt alone should have had three easy goals. These misses put heart into Tricoiore and demoralised Azzurri. By half-time a balance had been established, even though Azzurri led 1-0 from a neatly-deflected shot by winger Dave O'Callaghan in the 15th min.

The second half saw Tricolore completely dominate a desperately scrambling Azzurri side that somehow allowed only one goal past them. In the first minute of the second half Hynd crashed a shot into the cross bar. Then in the 53th minute Azzurri defender Alan Conney was dragged to the sidelines trying to clear a high bouncing ball. He failed and allowed Hynd to collect the ball, turn quickly and square pass to Tommy Barber, who slammed in a low shot on the run from outside the penalty area. That was the end of Tricolore's run, despite their possession and territorial advantage with only two minutes of the game left, a disastrous misunderstanding between Mike Ireson and goalkeeper Pip Crifo allowed O'Callaghan to gain possession of the ball and score the winning goal. Azzurri's next opponent was second division Medina and this match became a formality with Azzurri running out 4-1 victors to qualify for the final.

The first round of the competition provided no surprises but the second division premiers Bayswater United proved a disappointment as they were eliminated by Olympic 4-3. In this match that bubbly effervesence character Frank Cutts scored four goals to give his side a 4-1 lead at half time. Reduced to ten men after Bob Varlow was sent from the fields, Olympic defended stoutly, but conceded two more goals. Bayswater United finally began to move well in the second-half, but it was heartbreaking to see many moves destroyed by forwards missing the simplest of goals.

NIGHT SERIES : AZZURRI'S THIRD SUCCESS

To win the Ampol night competition is to start the year on the right foot and at the same time put other teams on their guard as to the danger they face in the forthcoming season. In Azzurri's case, victory in the 1970 Ampol Cup just added to the ever-increasing string of successes and there never is any need to underline the danger they pose to the opposition. Since 1962, Azzurri has qualified for the final of the series seven times, but had won the title only twice. Any doubts as to Azzurri's right to their third title last year was well and truly buried as they crushed Cracovia 7-3 in merciless fashion.

Azzurri's passage through to the final was to prove a forerunner of their other competitions for the 1970 season as luck rode on their shoulder. Their survival in the preliminary final against Windmills was one of those unexplained phenomenon, but a reinforcement of the old saying that a match is not finished until the final whistle. Windmills held an iron 2-0 grip over Azzurri until the final ten minutes when suddenly the blue and whites snatched two goals - one suspiciously looking like offside - to force a draw and a replay. The second encounter was a different story as they beat Windmills 3-1 with young Bruno Marocchi, the star of the match, overshadowing the brilliant John O'Connell. The individual flair of O'Connell, created havoc in the Azzurri defence in the first match, but was not sighted in the replay, despite the continual searching for him by his team-mates.

Cracovia's passage to the grand final was as easy as if the opposition had not been there. It was no surprise that Cracovia, with their new Polish stars, were installed odds-on favourites to take off the cup. In fact, this betting looked like coming off when Cracovia took the lead with a well-angled shot from inside-forward Stan Adamcyzk, who receiving an immaculate through free kick from Paul Sobek in the 17th minute.

Three minutes later, striker Nino Segon cut short the joy of Cracovia supporters with a successful penalty to put Azzurri on equal terms. Eight minutes later, Cracovia's hopes dimmed as Segon crashed in a point blank shot which goalkeeper Peter Mitchell had no hope of stopping. Almost immediately midfielder Gus Formato sped upfield and connected with a flying header past the dumbfounded Cracovia defence and it was all over, bar four more goals and the shouting.

In the second-half, Formato headed successfully again in the 68th minute and two minutes later Dave Brady added to Cracovia's miseries. Brady got another, and this was followed by a John Van Oosten goal. Then, when goals make no difference, Cracovia got two more to give a little respectivity to the result, with Paul Hajnisz and Sobek netting. Luck may have followed Azzurri, but in the final it was all power without mercy.

What of the other clubs in the competition? East Fremantle-Tricolore was one of the pre-tournament favourites, but they didn't even make the semi-finals and many people questioned their prospects for the winter season after their 4-1 lacing by Olympic in the preliminary rounds. Olympic again looked a fast, interesting night series side, but never reached their full potential, while Kiev failed to shake their opposition with their new young experimental side under coach Frank Schaper. Promise of better things to come was their message.

Cottesloe shocked the competition by beating Azzurri by the odd goal, but stumbled against Swan Valley by losing 1-0 and so missing a place in the semi-finals. Swan Valley was once again tough and uncompromising. They gave Azzurri a run for their money before losing 1-2, but never really looked a semi-final prospect.

One of the best players to grace the fields of W.A. soccer is John O'Connell and, in the 1970 Ampol night series, he was the outstanding player. Another star was Bruno Marocchi and 1970 proved a fine season for him in a defensive role. A new star hit the headlines in Alan Cooney and predictions that he would be a player to watch proved correct as he became a tower of strength for his club and W.A. in many matches.

Names such as Van Oosten, Segon, Peter Holt hit the headlines as did Swan Valley's Len Dundo, Cottesloe's Denis Yeomans, Ron Bell and Tony Eikhoudt. Kiev's Alex Senjushenko was a calm, solid player for both club and State, while Ken McKenzie and Jara Klimak came under notice. Tommy Hughes and Frank Cutts for Olympic, Roger Dale, Peter Gray, Richard Kusimski and Paul Sobek gave Cracovia good value in starting the 1970 season.

TOP FOUR PLAY-OFFS : ANOTHER TRICOLORE TITLE

East Fremantle-Tricolore retained their Top Four title, which they won last year by beating Azzurri, by beating the same club 2-1 after extra time in the final of the newly-instituted Top Teams Cup. For Tricolore it was revenge over Azzurri for their loss in the D'Orsogna Cup and solid support for their premiership win. Tricolore beat Swan Athletic 3-1, Bayswater United 6-1 and Cracovia 2-0 before meeting their arch rivals Azzurri in the final. Tricolore's travels through the three rounds was a leisurely affair, with only Cracovia providing stiff opposition.

Azzurri, however, had to produce two golden goals, through Nino Segon and Bruno Marocchi, to beat Kiev 2-1 in the final ten minutes of the second round. Until these moments Kiev looked set for the biggest upset of the tournament. In the first round Azzurri easily beat Croatia-North Perth 4-1, while they thrashed the hapless Gosnells 9-1 in the semi-final in a power display not often seen in W.A. Gosnells provided an upset in the tournament when they beat Perth City 3-1 and another third division club Tuart Hill also created a sensation when they defeated Windmills 2-1.

The final played at the Inglewood Oval, while not reaching a high standard, gave the moderate crowd value for money as it went into extra time. Both defences held an iron grip over the respective forward lines and a tactical battle developed in midfield where two of the State's best players, Jim Quinn (Tricolore) and Brian Newell (Azzurri) clashed. It was no surprise when the game ended in a 0-0 draw. However, in the 93rd minutes substitute Gus Formato touched the ball for the first time. It was a low and hard shot from the edge of the penalty and it gave Tricolore goalkeeper Pipo Crifo no chance of getting down to as it flashed into the net.

Azzurri's unbounded joy was cut short in the 107th minute as Bobby Hynd headed the equaliser under tremendous pressure from the defence. Two minutes later, Tricolore was triumphant as Hynd ended a memorable season by scoring easily after beating an attempted offside ploy by the Azzurri defence. This tactic was operated far too slowly and Azzurri goalkeeper Milan Milanovich was left helpless, almost on his line, allowing Hynd to pick his spot for his final goal of the season. However, Tricolore had the game won before it started.

In the semi-final, Azzurri unwittingly played Lou Andrioff, who the week before had got his third caution for the season so automatically qualifying him for a one playing date suspension. Andrioff was ineligible to play against Gosnells in the semi-final and Azzurri forfeited their 9-1 victory to Gosnells, who were awarded second place in the competition. Gosnells could have requested a final match against Tricolore. But sensibly Gosnells officials left it to the discretion of the W.A.S.F. council, who ruled that Tricolore's title stand, Gosnells fill second place, while Azzurri was dropped to third place and fined $50 for playing an ineligible player.

GOLD MEDAL : THEO PAAP DOES IT AGAIN!

"For the forth time the Carbonell Cup for the fairest and best player in W.A. soccer was awarded to Theo Paap." This announcement by Mr. Goldsmith at the trophy presentation might create a record for Paap that is unlikely to be surpassed, unless Paap himself wins this coverted award again. Paap won the trophy in 1964, 1967 (in conjunction with Mike Ireson) and in 1968. The award this year continued to favour defenders over strikers, the latter having been successful only three times.

However, points were hard to come by in 1970, as the total of ten points to Paap indicates. He was closely followed by Kiev's midfield player Archie Van Dongen on nine points, with Tricolore's deadly striker Bobby Hynd, Subiaco City's utility player Larry Banks and Perth City's acrobatic goalkeeper Lou Melis a further point away on eight.

An interrupted first division competition robbed the Carbonell Cup of much of its glamour and the poll of the referees awards were taken with one match of the competition remaining. The only Azzurri player close enough to have taken the award was Brian Newell and he could not have reached Paap's total even if he had polled the top vote (two votes). The fairest and best player of the second division was Swan Athletic's Colin Love, a striker who is tipped to make a big impact on the W.A. soccer scene in 1971. The third division award was won by Ian Bower of Maccabi, giving him his forth award since 1966.

LEADING GOALSCORER : BOBBY HYND

It has been a number of years since a player has scored more than 30 goals in the first division. The last occasion was when East Fremantle-Tricolore's Johnny Mclnroy notched 35 goals in 1965. In 1970 another Tricolore striker registered more than 30 goals, when Bobby Hynd beat goalkeepers on 33 occasions. Hynd began the season in blazing fashion leading all to hope that he might pass Mclnroy's record 48 goals; recorded in 1963.

He scored 18 goals in the first seven matches, notching four goals on three occasions. At the half-way mark the tally remained the same and his rate then eased off, but then gradually picked up towards the latter part of the season. In those first seven matches, Hynd averaged 2.571 goals per match and would have needed to raise his rate a little to have passed Mclnroy's record. A formidable feat and one that indicates the record may stand for many years to come.

The goal-scoring race this year was a one horse race with Hynd's nearest rival being Azzurri striker John Oosten, who scored 22 goals. Then followed Windmills Bob Lee with 15 and Swan Valley's Len Dundo who scored 14 goals, half of his teams tally for 1970. Bev Allan was again among the goals, scoring 26 goals in the second division competition, edging out Colin Love who scored 24. Gosnells' Colin Abbott found the net 28 times in the third division competition, recording two more goals than Fremantle Dalmatinacs' Jim Miller.