1974 New Zealand National Soccer League
Encyclopedia
The 1974 New Zealand National Soccer League was the fifth season of a nationwide round-robin
club competition in New Zealand
football.
finished last in the 1973 league and so contested a round-robin home and away play-off series with the winners of the northern, central, and southern leagues (North Shore United
, Waterside, and Christchurch Rangers respectively). With the exception of Shore's two big wins over the Wharfies of Wellington the matches were evenly contested, and it was those two performances which finally told. With three wins, two draws and a loss, North Shore United
pipped Caversham by one point to enter the NZNSL for the first time.
. They achieved this with a performance that was as convincing as their great rival Christchurch United
's triumph the previous season. They finished the table seven points ahead of the pack, a figure achieved without losing a match away from home, and only losing one match in all their 18 fixtures, that to Eastern Suburbs
. Ironically, the season's biggest win came to bottom-placed Wellington Diamond United, an 8-0 thrashing of the same Eastern Suburbs side on the following weekend.
As with the previous season, the big gap between first and the rest was accompanied by a major tussle to finish in second. Christchurch United narrowly managed to gain second place, one point ahead of neighbours New Brighton and Stop Out
, both of whom finally put their past seasons' lacklustre form behind them. United started poorly and had only nine points halfway through the season, before going on a ten-match unbeaten run. A new coach (Alan Vest
) changed New Brighton's fortunes, and the side produced an excellent home record with seven wins from nine starts. Stop Out also had a change in fortune, and could have finished runners-up if they had not lost their last game of the season.
Blockhouse Bay and newcomers North Shore United
comfortably filled the middle two spots in the table, and seventh-placed Wellington City were also comfortably clear of the relegation zone. City set one unwanted record during the season, becoming the first side to concede 100 goals in its national league career. Gisborne City
were in danger of dropping out of the league after a poor start to the season, but a change of coach was accompanied by a change of fortune, with four wins from their last nine matches. Eastern Suburbs had their worst season to this point, and the 1971 champions were in serious danger of relegation. A poor goal-scoring return coupled with the leakiest defence in the league left them only one place above the drop. The wooden spoon, though, went to Wellington Diamond United, who — despite the big win over Eastern Suburbs — never looked like surviving. That win accounted for over a third of their season's goals, and they finished the season without a single away win.
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
club competition in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
football.
Promotion and relegation
CavershamCaversham (soccer)
Caversham is an illustrious association Football club in Dunedin, New Zealand. They are competing in the ODT FootballSouth Premier League.They are named for the suburb of Caversham to the southwest of Dunedin's city centre, best known for its former international sports venue Carisbrook...
finished last in the 1973 league and so contested a round-robin home and away play-off series with the winners of the northern, central, and southern leagues (North Shore United
North Shore United
North Shore United is a semi-professional football club based in North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.Their home ground, Allen Hill Stadium, is located in the suburb of Devonport.-History:...
, Waterside, and Christchurch Rangers respectively). With the exception of Shore's two big wins over the Wharfies of Wellington the matches were evenly contested, and it was those two performances which finally told. With three wins, two draws and a loss, North Shore United
North Shore United
North Shore United is a semi-professional football club based in North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.Their home ground, Allen Hill Stadium, is located in the suburb of Devonport.-History:...
pipped Caversham by one point to enter the NZNSL for the first time.
Team performance
Mount Wellington became the first team to win the league for a second time, having previously won in 19721972 New Zealand National Soccer League
The 1972 New Zealand National Soccer League was the third season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football.-Promotion and relegation:...
. They achieved this with a performance that was as convincing as their great rival Christchurch United
Christchurch United
Christchurch United is a semi-professional association football club in Christchurch, New Zealand. They compete in the Robbie's Premier Football League.-Club history:...
's triumph the previous season. They finished the table seven points ahead of the pack, a figure achieved without losing a match away from home, and only losing one match in all their 18 fixtures, that to Eastern Suburbs
Eastern Suburbs AFC
Eastern Suburbs is a semi-professional association football club in Kohimarama, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1.-Club history:...
. Ironically, the season's biggest win came to bottom-placed Wellington Diamond United, an 8-0 thrashing of the same Eastern Suburbs side on the following weekend.
As with the previous season, the big gap between first and the rest was accompanied by a major tussle to finish in second. Christchurch United narrowly managed to gain second place, one point ahead of neighbours New Brighton and Stop Out
Stop Out
Stop Out is an association football club in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. They are based at Hutt Park, Gracefield in Lower Hutt.The Stop Out organisation was founded in 1919 with the aim of providing recreation to Te Aro Flat children associated with the wellington city missionso as to prevent them...
, both of whom finally put their past seasons' lacklustre form behind them. United started poorly and had only nine points halfway through the season, before going on a ten-match unbeaten run. A new coach (Alan Vest
Alan Vest
Alan Vest is a New Zealand football manager who also represented New Zealand as a player in the 1970s.-Biography:Vest had a notable playing career, scoring on his full international debut for the All Whites in a 4-1 win over New Caledonia on 17 September 1972 and ended his international playing...
) changed New Brighton's fortunes, and the side produced an excellent home record with seven wins from nine starts. Stop Out also had a change in fortune, and could have finished runners-up if they had not lost their last game of the season.
Blockhouse Bay and newcomers North Shore United
North Shore United
North Shore United is a semi-professional football club based in North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.Their home ground, Allen Hill Stadium, is located in the suburb of Devonport.-History:...
comfortably filled the middle two spots in the table, and seventh-placed Wellington City were also comfortably clear of the relegation zone. City set one unwanted record during the season, becoming the first side to concede 100 goals in its national league career. Gisborne City
Gisborne City
Gisborne City FC is a soccer club in Gisborne, New Zealand who play in the eastern league 1st division. Their home ground is Childers Road. They have won the National League, Air New Zealand cup, and the Chatham Cup....
were in danger of dropping out of the league after a poor start to the season, but a change of coach was accompanied by a change of fortune, with four wins from their last nine matches. Eastern Suburbs had their worst season to this point, and the 1971 champions were in serious danger of relegation. A poor goal-scoring return coupled with the leakiest defence in the league left them only one place above the drop. The wooden spoon, though, went to Wellington Diamond United, who — despite the big win over Eastern Suburbs — never looked like surviving. That win accounted for over a third of their season's goals, and they finished the season without a single away win.