1983 Report

NEWCASTLE UNITED IN ‘83

BY KEN KAISER

SOURCE: 1984 Northern New South Wales Soccer Federation Limited Yearbook.

There is a certain a mount of satisfaction to be gained from looking back on the 1983 season knowing that it was the most successful in the club’s history.
That satisfaction stems partly from having worked with such a fine body of players and witnessing the commitment they displayed in what, by any standards, was a most difficult season.
By staying in contention for the championship right to the final stages and eventually finishing fifth, with the best goal difference recorded in the NSL for 1983, the United squad displayed a tremendous amount of dedication.
Few people outside the playing squad and club committee would be aware of just how difficult it is to perform consistently well in the NSL. Travelling conditions, playing surfaces, indifferent refereeing and a multiplicity of unseen problems mean that even the most careful planning can come unstuck.
Every coach in the NSL can budget on losing a few points for any or all of the above reasons. That’s why it is important to ensure that everything on the home front goes as smoothly as possible. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and in 1983 it meant that we didn’t do as well as we probably could have.
The financial and administrative traumas the club experienced early in the year were very unsettling for the players and posed a tremendous morale problem. It took a great deal of character and the players resolve to organise an end-of-season trip to carry them through the disappointment of having their contracts reduced.
The uncertainty about the club’s future severely interrupted our pre-season preparation and it was a miracle we kicked-off the season as well prepared as we were.
Once again, when it came to training facilities, we found we were the ‘gypsies’ of Northern soccer. What a difference it will make to have a suitable, training ground. In ‘83 we started on a hockey field at Speers Point after doing most of the pre-season fitness work at Bar Beach.
From Speers Point we graduated to one of the outer grounds at Adamstown. On some nights we had the use of Alder Park and on others, the Tech College ground.
In May, we moved to Macquarie Field, alternating with other grounds until July when we could use the Lake Macquarie facility on a regular basis. The lack of a permanent training ground meant that most of our early work was done without the luxury of such basic items as goalposts! My personal thanks to those clubs and individuals who helped out with training grounds. Those people would be aware of how hard it is to compete at the top level without the rudimentary facilities.
Perhaps the low point of the year occurred on October 8 – the day before our all-important home clash with St. George. A win for us over Saints, followed by a similar result against Sydney City the following week would have put us in the box seat for the title. In effect, the game had all the bearings of a knock-out semi-final.
At the end of our final training session on the Saturday, the players were informed by the club directors that due to the takeover of Tooth and Co by CUB, it appeared that certain sponsorship money would not be forthcoming. This meant that the club would be unable to honour the players’ contracts. On top of all the other disappointments, this was devastating news for the squad and particularly for those players relying on signing-on payments to meet financial commitments.
Fortunately, the matter was put right later but not before we had lost 2-1 to St. George, leaving me wondering what might have been if the team had not been exposed to such disastrous news at such a crucial time. Hardly the ideal preparation for one of the most important games in the club’s history. You can imagine how proud I felt of our boys when they came out the following week and beat Sydney City. That result not only broke the Sydney City jinx, but suggested that at last we had the basis of a squad capable of bringing a major trophy to Newcastle.
Our tremendous defensive record (26 goals against) has been cited as the basis of our success and I agree that our back four, led by Player-of-the-Year Peter Burke, had a tremendous season. But without giving anything away, I can say that our defensive pattern started with our two front men, Dave Lowe and Bob Mountford, and involved putting opponents under pressure in key areas. So the whole team can take credit for our fine goals-against record as it can for the 45 goals (11/2 per game) we scored.
I felt the influence of senior players in the three important areas helped provide authority and balance to our performance. Most of the younger members of the side will agree that the leadership qualities of Peter Burke, Craig Mason and Bob Mountford in defence, midfield and the forward line had a very profound effect on our effort.
I’ve never doubted Craig Mason’s leadership qualities and as club captain he has the ability, personality and commitment to inspire those around him. His workrate, attitude and often-ignored skill are lessons to any aspiring youngsters.
Can Newcastle improve on the ‘83 effort? That’s a tough question because it depends so greatly on the club’s ability to retain key players plus plug one or two obvious deficiencies. I would love to see the squad go into ‘84 with roughly the same first squad plus a top class striker to tuck away those chances. Then you’d be talking about a potential championship-winning team. The average age of our ‘83 squad was a mere 23 years, our defence was almost a completely new unit and we played some very young players in key areas. So, there is obviously room for improvement.
For the future, I’d like to see the NSL aiming for a shorter season. Ten months in a training-playing format is far too long for semi-professionals. We’re too tied to the British tradition when we should be paying heed to the US idea of getting through a season in 15 intensive, high-performance weeks. Most sport medics agree that the extended season means long-term injuries do not get a chance to heal, players (particularly part-timers) are not capable of maintaining enthusiasm and form and consequently, playing standards are hard to maintain.
Like most NSL coaches, I’d be untruthful if I said I wasn’t frustrated by the standard of refereeing in ‘83. In preparing a team, it is hard to budget for such astonishing events as having a player like Joe Senkalski sent off in the first 90 seconds of a match! And then end up losing that match on a twice-taken penalty.
Ironically, Newcastle had one of the best attacking records in the league but, in 30 matches, had just one penalty awarded in its favour. It’s statistics such as those that help explain why a side with the best goal difference should finish fifth instead of (as one would expect in almost any other league) first or second.
In a more positive vein, I must thank all those people who worked to make my task, and that of the players, easier. Most of these people share the common belief that the senior team represents the club’s shop window and is therefore the most important arm of the club’s operation.
Pat Clarke, in his role as club secretary, has been tremendous as has the co-operation and backing of Adamstown Rosebuds. To those people who worked closest with the playing squad, usually with little reward or recognition, go my personal appreciation.
At youth level, the prospects are good. In winning the NSL Youth championship trophy our boys (coached by Keith Harris) have put Newcastle back on top of Aussie youth soccer. With Phil Murray’s team winning the Northern NSW Rosebud Cup, the route young and ambitious players might follow to reach the top in Australian soccer has been clearly indicated. For this reason, I hope the Federation will continue to foster the game at the crucial under-18 level.
In concluding, I wish to make a personal call to every arm of Northern soccer to get behind Newcastle’s involvement in the NSL. It is crucial for the game in our area and the future of our young players. In ‘83 we proved that success at the very top level is not an impossible dream. With a solid dose of genuine enthusiasm, hard work and faith in the project, Newcastle can have the success it desires.