Bobby Chalmers

In a profile published in 1980, Chalmers was described by journalist Glen Byrom as a "perfect gentleman and sportsman ... Southern Africa's crown prince of soccer".

He also performed strongly for a league all-star team in an exhibition game against Real Madrid in September 1964, scoring twice and afterwards receiving praise from visiting defender José Santamaría, a Uruguay international.

[1] Rhodesia were pitted against a strongly fancied Australian team, but held their opponents to a draw in two successive matches before losing a play-off decider 3–1.

Chalmers retired from playing in 1974, forced out of professional football by a knee injury, and became a public relations officer for a Durban hotel chain.

Bobby also showed promise at rugby, playing at full-back for the First XV at Milton, and once appeared as the Rhodesia cricket team's twelfth man in a first-class inter-provincial match.

[4] However, he proved a more keen football player, and honed his skills as an amateur in the youth teams at Queens Sports Club, usually playing as a winger.

[1] In May 1961, Bulawayo was visited by two English football clubs, West Ham United and Leicester City, who were each touring South Africa and Rhodesia.

[7] Based at their New Kingsmead ground, Durban City had been formed in May 1959,[8] two months before the SANFL;[9] by 1962, they were one of the country's top teams, having won two of the first three national titles.

[10] A key player for the club during its early days was Les Salton, a South African forward who was the SANFL's top goalscorer in each of its first three seasons, netting 117 goals in all competitions,[8] including eight in one game against Johannesburg City in 1961.

In the Castle Cup, Chalmers received his first winner's medal as part of the Durban City team which beat Johannesburg Ramblers 2–1 in the final at Rand Stadium on 20 October 1962.

[12] He started the following season on the wing, but was fielded as a centre forward for the first time in June 1963, when his club took on Kimberley United in a Castle Cup first-round tie.

[1] The experiment proved a success, with Chalmers scoring seven in Durban City's 14–1 victory, latterly described by South African Soccer Weekly as a "massacre".

[1] At half time the score was 3–0 to the visitors, but just after the interval Chalmers pulled one back, beating Uruguay international José Santamaría and another Madrid defender before slamming it into the away net.

Early in the second half, Chalmers collected the ball near the edge of the penalty area and sprinted with it along the 18-yard line, prevented from moving forward by three pursuant United defenders.

[20] Chalmers scored 38 goals for Durban City during the 1965 season, including 22 in the league,[4] as the club finished third, 11 points behind first-placed Highlands Park.

[22] Chalmers continued to perform strongly in the colours of Durban United, scoring a further 36 goals (25 in the league) before the year was out, giving him a total of 42 for the 1966 season.

Having become full members of FIFA in May 1965,[20] the Rhodesia national team was eligible to enter the World Cup, but its entry into the qualifying rounds of the 1970 edition, the finals of which would take place in Mexico, caused a significant headache to the tournament's organisers.

The political situation regarding Rhodesia, whose mostly white government had declared of independence from Britain in 1965, caused most countries not to accept Rhodesian passports, complicating overseas travel.

[29] A month before the tournament was due to start, the South Korean government abruptly refused to grant visas to the Rhodesian players, citing the country's political situation.

The side also included George Shaya, who had just won the inaugural Rhodesian Soccer Star of the Year award for his strong performances up front for Salisbury Dynamos.

[36] Because of his proficiency in the Sindebele and Shona languages, as well as his experience in South Africa and unmatched reputation amongst the Rhodesian players, Chalmers was made the team's captain.

Chalmers personally became the target of protests from Sydney before the teams even travelled to Mozambique, with Australian officials positing that he should not be eligible for Rhodesia, as he was a permanent expatriate in South Africa.

[38] The teams were allowed two training sessions each at the match venue, the newly built 40,000-capacity Estádio Salazar,[39] and during their exercises the Rhodesian squad were soon revealed to be well-drilled, with the Sydney Morning Herald reporter commenting on the high standard of their fitness, athleticism and ball skills, as well as the influence of Chalmers, who he wrote was ably fulfilling his duties as captain: "Chalmers ... their danger man, was all over the pitch cajoling his team to pull out that little bit extra.

"[40] Observers still considered Australia to be favourites, but Rhodesia's strong form in training, combined with injury problems amongst the Australians, shortened the odds on a Rhodesian victory.

The Sydney Morning Herald reporter expected the play-off, attended by less than 3,000, to head the same way as the sides' two previous meetings, but was surprised to see Australia finally find their groove, "spraying pin-point passes all over the field, making Rhodesia look flat-footed by comparison".

Australia regained a two-goal cushion eight minutes later, however, when a hard shot from Johnny Warren, their captain, ricocheted off Rutherford, past the unsighted Gilbert and into the Rhodesian goal.

[1] In his 1980 profile of Chalmers, Byrom described him as "always the perfect gentleman and sportsman", and attested that he "deserved the accolade as Southern Africa's Crown Prince of Soccer".