Whites Historical Archives 1992 Match Reports Part I

by Armin Mayer

For those fans who were too young to watch the games on TV, the year was 1992, Bill Hill was the coach of the Glamorous Ones, his father was the assistant and part-time linesman and the Whites one their first trophy winning all 20 games in a row.

Here are some highlights as I remember them.

Game 1: St Peter's 5 - 0 win.

Edgar Mayer scored the first goal of the season about ten minutes in and then Alan saw me all by myself just over the half-way line and put me through one on one with the keeper. As the ball rolled into the net, I deemed the second against the arch enemy worthy of a lengthy celebration behind the goal, but when I turned to look around everyone was basically back at the half-way line yelling at me to get back.

Edgar scored the third, after a corner with a deflected shot and we ran out comfortable winners against the side which had knocked us out of the cup the year before.

Game 2: Grads Reds 12 - 6 win

Played on the little pitch behind the amateur's, this game was a goal fest and I'm not sure if Edgar scored six or eight, because we went up to about 8 - 2 and they came back to 8 - 6 and then Edgar let rip again.

When they scored the 1 - 2, I scored straight from the kick-off, letting fly from about 30 metres, the shot swerved, the keeper lost it in the sun and it went in. However, the game is most famous for our twelfth goal scored by Gus (or Jean Pierre Gusman as we called him).

A gifted player, who back then prefered to ponder the gloomier side of life, he was put through in a clear off-side position (about ten metres or more). However,The Reds had appealed so many times previously and often falsely that the ref was clearly fed up and would not blow for this one. So we yelled our heads off for Gus to go on and he duly did. He rounded the keeper with one of the most skillful and elegant moves I have ever seen, but suddenly he was stricken by remorse. He had been clearly off-side. Was this not unfair? So he stopped the ball...on the line.

There was a pause, as everyone tried to work out what was happening.

All the Whites yelled for Gus to kick it in. Their keeper scrambled up and was crawling towards our Gus and finally, reluctantly, he blasted it home, pissing their keeper off immensely as he fell at his feet.

Game 3: Magill Uni 3 - 0 win

Magill had a good side and stopped our flow of play. In the end it was up to Canadian Alan to round their entire defence and put the ball in the net. A gifted midfielder, him and Frank "Zuckerschaetzchen" Klockgether could pretty much take the ball wherever they liked, especially when they got impatient with the strikers.

I'm sure Edgar got a couple, but the moment that sticks most in my mind was when Franky took a penalty and blasted it straight at a passing cloud. I've never seen a penalty taken with so much conviction and into the wrong direction.

Game 4: Norwood 5 - 0 win

Edgar sizzled once again and I managed to deflect Frank's shot over the Norwood keeper. I didn;t see it. I hardly felt it, but what a moment of skill. Struger's second clean sheet in a row. An excellent keeper who was always calm and reassured his defence, also famously tried to chat up two passing ladies at training. He didn't score then, but it was excellent comic relief and he showed us younger blokes the way.

Game 5: Mercedes 4 - 1 win

Newly formed Mercedes impressed with a strong display which did not amount to much thanks to Edgar, Frank, Alan and a committed defence led by Chris, Baresi and Dennis. Funny how no one could take the ball off Dennis. And he would never just kick a ball out. He always flicked it behind his leg with the other foot. The perfect back up to Ray's stong man tactics and Chris the Older and the Younger keeping things water tight.

Game 6: Adelaide High 10 - 1 win

The High started this one with just nine players and still we limped into half-time only leading two one. Edgar had scored a great diving header after I just managed to lunge at a ball that was going out and whisk it back in.

By then the opposition had ten players, but they did fall apart in the second half. After a corner I had the open goal to aim it and luckily put it just over the head of the defender at the post and into the top corner.

A convincing result, but a shaky start in odd conditions.

Cheers,

From Old Man Mayer