1982 New Zealand National Soccer League
Encyclopedia
The 1982 New Zealand National Soccer League was the thirteenth season of a nationwide round-robin
club competition in New Zealand
football. Mount Wellington comfortably won the league for a fifth time, finishing seven points clear of second-placed Hanimex North Shore United
. This was the last season in which a win scored two points; from 1983 wins were worth three points.
, Napier City Rovers
, and Invercargill Thistle
respectively).
, though these five team finished in a different order. The league overall was marked by a high proportion of drawn games (39 out of 132 fixtures), and was severely disrupted by New Zealand's participation in the 1982 FIFA World Cup
in Spain.
Mount Wellington comfortably finished top, remaining undefeated at home and only losing one away game. The Mount's Keith Nelson
was the league's top scorer with 15 goals, the fourth time he had achieved that feat. Seven points back were Hanimex North Shore United
who had remarkably different home and away records. They won 10 of their 11 home games, but only won one on the road, drawing seven. Dunedin City
held on to third place from Gisborne City
. The Dunedinites' season was marked with a large number of low-scoring games, over half of their matches finishing either 1–0 or 1–1. As in the 1981 season, Gisborne were badly affected by the World Cup, which left it with a severe backlog of games. Despite this they still managed to finish fourth.
1981 Champions Wellington Diamond United were let down by their poor away form. Only one away win meant the could finish no higher than fifth. The team lacked striking power which further hampered their chances. Miramar Rangers
started the season slowly, but improved in form as the season progressed to finish two places higher than in their debut season of 1981. Christchurch United
's season was marked by a plethora of draws. It managed to recover from the danger of relegation mid-season through a nine match unbeaten run at the end of the campaign. Napier City Rovers
' first match in the top flight saw them docked a point for fielding an unregistered player — the 1–1 result (against Manurewa
) was subsequently amended to a 1–0 win to the Aucklanders. This was the first time such a point deduction had been made in the league's history. Despite this, Napier had a satisfactory debut season, only losing one home game and scoring more goals than several higher-finishing teams.
Manurewa
was, like Gisborne, badly affected by the New Zealand World Cup campaign, and its backlog of matches left it struggling to avoid relegation. A run of four straight wins aided its cause, and even a late-season slump was not enough to see it go down. After several seasons in the lower reaches of the table Hamilton's luck finally ran out and they were consigned to the drop along with league newcomers East Coast Bays
and Invercargill Thistle
. Bays' season started with five straight losses, and despite a brief rally after that they soon slipped back down with a run of poor results. The final position went to the league's southernmost ever participant. Thistle's season started and ended with good results, but between these was a dreadful succession of results gaining the club just six points in 19 fixtures.
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. Mount Wellington comfortably won the league for a fifth time, finishing seven points clear of second-placed Hanimex 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:...
. This was the last season in which a win scored two points; from 1983 wins were worth three points.
Promotion and relegation
Promotion was automatic, with the three lowest placed sides in the 1981 league (Takapuna City, Woolston WMC, and Rangers) replaced by the winners of the northern, central, and southern leagues (East Coast BaysEast Coast Bays (soccer)
East Coast Bays AFC is a professional football club in Northcross, North Shore City, New Zealand. They currently compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Premier....
, Napier City Rovers
Napier City Rovers
Napier City Rovers are an association football team based in Napier, New Zealand. They are currently competing in the Central Premier League.-Club history:The team was founded in 1973 via a merger of Napier Rovers and Napier City....
, and Invercargill Thistle
Invercargill Thistle
Invercargill Thistle is a former New Zealand football club based in the South Island city of Invercargill. The team was founded in 1936 and continued as a separate team until 1969, when it became part of the short-lived Invercargill United team. It operated again as an independent team from 1974 to...
respectively).
Team performance
The league's top five positions were filled by the same teams which had finished in the top five in the 1981 league1981 New Zealand National Soccer League
The 1981 New Zealand National Soccer League was the twelfth season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Wellington Diamond United won the league for a second time, having previously been champions in 1976...
, though these five team finished in a different order. The league overall was marked by a high proportion of drawn games (39 out of 132 fixtures), and was severely disrupted by New Zealand's participation in the 1982 FIFA World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
in Spain.
Mount Wellington comfortably finished top, remaining undefeated at home and only losing one away game. The Mount's Keith Nelson
Keith Nelson (footballer)
Keith Nelson is a former association football player who represented New Zealand at international level.Nelson made his full All Whites debut in a 3-0 win over New Caledonia on March 5, 1977 and ended his international playing career with 20 A-international caps and 16 goals to his credit,...
was the league's top scorer with 15 goals, the fourth time he had achieved that feat. Seven points back were Hanimex 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:...
who had remarkably different home and away records. They won 10 of their 11 home games, but only won one on the road, drawing seven. Dunedin City
Dunedin City
Dunedin City is a former New Zealand football club based in the South Island city of Dunedin. The team won the Chatham Cup in 1981, and was a member of the National League in 1977 and 1979-87, before withdrawing from the league for financial reasons...
held on to third place from 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....
. The Dunedinites' season was marked with a large number of low-scoring games, over half of their matches finishing either 1–0 or 1–1. As in the 1981 season, Gisborne were badly affected by the World Cup, which left it with a severe backlog of games. Despite this they still managed to finish fourth.
1981 Champions Wellington Diamond United were let down by their poor away form. Only one away win meant the could finish no higher than fifth. The team lacked striking power which further hampered their chances. Miramar Rangers
Miramar Rangers
Miramar Rangers AFC is a semi-professional New Zealand association football club in the Wellington suburb of Miramar. They are current holders of the Chatham Cup, the fourth time they have won the trophy...
started the season slowly, but improved in form as the season progressed to finish two places higher than in their debut season of 1981. 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 season was marked by a plethora of draws. It managed to recover from the danger of relegation mid-season through a nine match unbeaten run at the end of the campaign. Napier City Rovers
Napier City Rovers
Napier City Rovers are an association football team based in Napier, New Zealand. They are currently competing in the Central Premier League.-Club history:The team was founded in 1973 via a merger of Napier Rovers and Napier City....
' first match in the top flight saw them docked a point for fielding an unregistered player — the 1–1 result (against Manurewa
Manurewa (soccer)
Manurewa AFC is a semi-professional football club in Manurewa, Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1-History:...
) was subsequently amended to a 1–0 win to the Aucklanders. This was the first time such a point deduction had been made in the league's history. Despite this, Napier had a satisfactory debut season, only losing one home game and scoring more goals than several higher-finishing teams.
Manurewa
Manurewa (soccer)
Manurewa AFC is a semi-professional football club in Manurewa, Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1-History:...
was, like Gisborne, badly affected by the New Zealand World Cup campaign, and its backlog of matches left it struggling to avoid relegation. A run of four straight wins aided its cause, and even a late-season slump was not enough to see it go down. After several seasons in the lower reaches of the table Hamilton's luck finally ran out and they were consigned to the drop along with league newcomers East Coast Bays
East Coast Bays (soccer)
East Coast Bays AFC is a professional football club in Northcross, North Shore City, New Zealand. They currently compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Premier....
and Invercargill Thistle
Invercargill Thistle
Invercargill Thistle is a former New Zealand football club based in the South Island city of Invercargill. The team was founded in 1936 and continued as a separate team until 1969, when it became part of the short-lived Invercargill United team. It operated again as an independent team from 1974 to...
. Bays' season started with five straight losses, and despite a brief rally after that they soon slipped back down with a run of poor results. The final position went to the league's southernmost ever participant. Thistle's season started and ended with good results, but between these was a dreadful succession of results gaining the club just six points in 19 fixtures.
League table
Records and statistics
Top Scorer- Keith NelsonKeith Nelson (footballer)Keith Nelson is a former association football player who represented New Zealand at international level.Nelson made his full All Whites debut in a 3-0 win over New Caledonia on March 5, 1977 and ended his international playing career with 20 A-international caps and 16 goals to his credit,...
(Mount Wellington) – 15 goals
Sources
- Hilton, T. (1991) An association with soccer. Auckland: The New Zealand Football Association. ISBN 0-473-01291-X.