1984 New Zealand National Soccer League
Encyclopedia
The 1984 New Zealand National Soccer League was the fifteenth season of a nationwide round-robin
club competition in New Zealand
football. Gisborne City
finally wrestled the trophy away from the major centres, taking it to a provincial city for the first time.
did not apply for re-entry to the league, so the resumption of play-offs for league places was simply between the winners of the northern, central, and southern leagues (Auckland University, Stop Out
, and Rangers
respectively). Auckland University were victorious, entering the national league for the first time.
produced a marked improvement on their previous efforts, becoming the first team from outside Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch to take the title. The win was a very popular one, and was in large part due to the work of Kevin Fallon
. The side were only defeated once all season, by Manurewa
, and followed that loss up with a string of six victories which produced an aggregate goal tally of 18-0. The side amassed a total of 59 goals, second only to Wellington's runaway 1979
performance. Papatoetoe
were also a popular side, and their second season in the league saw them in title contention until a form slump in the latter part of the season. They still held on to finish second, ahead of Christchurch United
, whose title run was also badly hampered by poor late-season form. Manurewa showed little of the form that they had displayed in their championship-winning 1983 campaign
. The team was in the league's basement for the early p[art of the season, and never fully recovered, though they did pull themselves up into the top third of the table by season's end.
Capital city rivals Miramar Rangers
and Wellington Diamond United filled out the remainder of the top half of the table. Both could be satisfied with their position, though WDU had a chance to finish higher but failed to win any of its last five games. The team's home form was poor, with only two wins all season. Dunedin City
finished seventh, pulling themselves together after a lacklustre early part to the season. A 0-6 loss to Gisborne City seems to have scared the side into performing well, turning their form around significantly from this mid-season point to win seven of their final ten fixtures. Napier City Rovers
finished eighth for the third consecutive season, though their form was probably less consistent than in previous years. Their matches tended to be high scoring, with an aggregate of 91 goals for and against in their 22 fixtures.
Hanimex North Shore United
could not find the form which had seen them runners-up two seasons in a row, and fell to ninth. Their powerful home form deserted them, and they suffered five defeats at home — taking their aggregate over three seasons to six. The season's big surprise, however, was Mount Wellington who fell from their perennial perch near the top of the table to finish tenth with only one victory in its last 12 games. It could have been worse for the Mount, as they had, in the early part of the season, scraped to a 4-3 win over Auckland University when reduced to ten men, after trailing three times during the match. If that result had gone the other way, it would likely have seen the Mount finish the season at the foot of the table. Nelson United
looked to be finishing last for much of the season, but a late rally was just enough to lift them off the basement. Auckland University proved to be the unlucky side to finish last — unlucky, in that it had played effectively during its first season in the league, winning heavily when it did win, and only losing by single goal margins. This led to it having an unlikely goal difference of just -5 at the season's end. Despite finishing last, University won the 1985 play-off series and returned to the league.
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. 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....
finally wrestled the trophy away from the major centres, taking it to a provincial city for the first time.
Promotion and relegation
Dunedin TechnicalDunedin Technical
Dunedin Technical - known locally as "Tech" - is a semi-professional association football club in Dunedin, New Zealand. They compete in the ODT FootballSouth Premier League.-Club history:...
did not apply for re-entry to the league, so the resumption of play-offs for league places was simply between the winners of the northern, central, and southern leagues (Auckland University, 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...
, and Rangers
Rangers A.F.C.
Rangers AFC is one of the oldest still existing Canterbury football clubs located in Christchurch, New Zealand.- History :Rangers AFC was founded in 1910 by a group of dedicated players who were denied the opportunity to play on Saturday owing to the nature of their employment...
respectively). Auckland University were victorious, entering the national league for the first time.
Team performance
Gisborne CityGisborne 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....
produced a marked improvement on their previous efforts, becoming the first team from outside Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch to take the title. The win was a very popular one, and was in large part due to the work of Kevin Fallon
Kevin Fallon
Kevin Fallon is an English born football coach residing in New Zealand.He started his career with Sligo Rovers in 1967. He played in 102 matches for Sligo in the League of Ireland Championship, the FAI Cup, the Shield, the City Cup and the Blaxnit All-Ireland Cup.He made his debut for Sligo in an...
. The side were only defeated once all season, by 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:...
, and followed that loss up with a string of six victories which produced an aggregate goal tally of 18-0. The side amassed a total of 59 goals, second only to Wellington's runaway 1979
1979 New Zealand National Soccer League
The 1979 New Zealand National Soccer League was the tenth season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. It produced the biggest winning margin in the league's history, with Mount Wellington never being in serious danger of finishing anywhere but first.-Promotion and...
performance. Papatoetoe
Papatoetoe (soccer)
Papatoetoe AFC is a semi-professional football club based in Papatoetoe, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1.Former club coaches include current All Whites coach Ricki Herbert.-History:...
were also a popular side, and their second season in the league saw them in title contention until a form slump in the latter part of the season. They still held on to finish second, ahead of 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:...
, whose title run was also badly hampered by poor late-season form. Manurewa showed little of the form that they had displayed in their championship-winning 1983 campaign
1983 New Zealand National Soccer League
The 1983 New Zealand National Soccer League was the fourteenth season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Manurewa comfortably won the league for the first time, finishing eight points clear of second-placed Hanimex North Shore United...
. The team was in the league's basement for the early p[art of the season, and never fully recovered, though they did pull themselves up into the top third of the table by season's end.
Capital city rivals 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...
and Wellington Diamond United filled out the remainder of the top half of the table. Both could be satisfied with their position, though WDU had a chance to finish higher but failed to win any of its last five games. The team's home form was poor, with only two wins all season. 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...
finished seventh, pulling themselves together after a lacklustre early part to the season. A 0-6 loss to Gisborne City seems to have scared the side into performing well, turning their form around significantly from this mid-season point to win seven of their final ten fixtures. 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....
finished eighth for the third consecutive season, though their form was probably less consistent than in previous years. Their matches tended to be high scoring, with an aggregate of 91 goals for and against in their 22 fixtures.
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:...
could not find the form which had seen them runners-up two seasons in a row, and fell to ninth. Their powerful home form deserted them, and they suffered five defeats at home — taking their aggregate over three seasons to six. The season's big surprise, however, was Mount Wellington who fell from their perennial perch near the top of the table to finish tenth with only one victory in its last 12 games. It could have been worse for the Mount, as they had, in the early part of the season, scraped to a 4-3 win over Auckland University when reduced to ten men, after trailing three times during the match. If that result had gone the other way, it would likely have seen the Mount finish the season at the foot of the table. Nelson United
Nelson United
Nelson United is a New Zealand soccer club, based in the South Island city of Nelson. Their home ground is Guppy Park. The team was founded in 1968 through the amalgamation of Nelson Rangers and Nelson Thistle...
looked to be finishing last for much of the season, but a late rally was just enough to lift them off the basement. Auckland University proved to be the unlucky side to finish last — unlucky, in that it had played effectively during its first season in the league, winning heavily when it did win, and only losing by single goal margins. This led to it having an unlikely goal difference of just -5 at the season's end. Despite finishing last, University won the 1985 play-off series and returned to the league.
League table
Records and statistics
Golden Boot Award (Top scorer)- Colin Walker (Gisborne City)
Sources
- Hilton, T. (1991) An association with soccer. Auckland: The New Zealand Football Association. ISBN 0-473-01291-X.