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STATE TEAM
Western Australia vs Queens Park Rangers
West Australian soccer played hosts to some of the most distinguished names in soccer during 1983, names that would fall off the tongues of soccer fans the world over. On Wednesday, 18th May, under the lights of the Velodrome, the famous blue and white hooped shirts of Queens Park Rangers were to be seen, and in these were some of the most costly players in the world.
They arrived in Perth shortly after clinching the English Second Division Championship, after having been F.A. Cup Finalists the previous year. They were led by Allan Harris, who had been a star at Chelsea in his playing days. They were, naturally, supremely confident, and although expressing some disquiet at the size of the Velodrome on the night of the game, before a capacity crowd, they proceeded to play as if the playing area was the largest pitch in existence. An old maxim used to be, a good soccer player is one who can make space, there was not one Queens Park Ranger player who would not have come into this category.
Their soccer was professional, it was a blend of skill and speed such as we rarely see in the flesh here in Australia. That our State team was beaten by six goals to one was no bad reflection on them, in the mood that Q.P.R. were in few teams in the world would have been able to stop them. The Rangers goals came at fairly regular intervals and were scored by Neil, Midlewhite, Stainrod, Fareday, Sealy and one own goal. Paul Tombides replied with W.A.'s lone goal from a superbly taken free kick. The game had many attributes and one was the fact that it was promoted by all the main affiliates of the Soccer Federation. If this is an example of co-operation, let us do it again!
Western Australia vs Australia
Australia successfully defended the Merlion Cup in Singapore in December when they beat the Singapore team by four goals to two. Their victory would have dispelled some of their dismay at being beaten by Western Australia in late November. The State team were superb in their two-one victory, and national coach Scheinflug had only praise for the local side after the game.
W.A. took the lead when Steve McCaffrey headed home from a Jeff Lewis cross. This gave the State team confidence and at this stage they looked the better side of the two, and deservedly went off at half time leading by the McCaffrey goal.
Scheinflug must have had a few words during the interval because the Socceroos played with more determination when they came back out onto the field, and pressure put on to Giudici saw him stranded as the ball rolled into the net and was claimed by Kosmina. But the State team were not to be denied and they capped an outstanding display when they scored the winning goal through Ronnie Campbell.
TEAM: Glenn Giudici, F.Clark, Matt Pearson, E.Williams, Ricky Davies, Ronnie Campbell, Frank Faraone, Rene DeKoning, S.Green, F.McKay, Steve Tombides, Dave Kamasz, Paul Tombides, Norrie Sutton, Jeff Lewis and S.McCaffrey
Western Australia vs the Australian Institute of Sport
Jimmy Shoulder brought his Institute team to Perth in February and they played the State Under-19 team, who defeated them fairly conclusively by four goals to one. The team from the Institute were generally a younger age group than the State side and this was evident as the game went on.
The bigger more mature local team began to dominate the play more and more. But, nevertheless, it was a very entertaining game with some very good soccer for those who decided to turn out and watch. DeKoning, Mathews, Todd and McAllister scored for W.A. and the Institute, who had W.A.'s Tony Franken in their goal, had a consolation goal scored by Frank Farina.
TEAM: Glen Giudici, Jimmy Davis, Rohan Matthews, Paul Turner, Chris Todd, Steve Hazebroek, Blair McAllister, Rene DeKoning, Peter Connell, Andrew Thorburn, Frank Faraone, Michael Roki, Lou Collova, David Hett, Brian Sweeney and Lee Claxton
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This page was last updated on the 24th February 2006