The Second Greatest Season Ever

[davieG]

1 hour ago, kushiro said:

 

Match 13 

Saturday November 1st 1924

Leicester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers

 

'Kernel', the Leicester correspondent of the Football Post, had chosen a good pen name. Leicester City were often called the 'Knuts' at this time, after the streets near the ground, and as we entered November, Kernel got to the heart of the matter.

 

'It has struck me as a remarkable coincidence', he said, 'that City's rise form the outskirts of the relegation circle to their present highly satisfactory position dates from the time Johnny Duncan assumed the reigns of captaincy. The Scotman is one of those unostentatious sort, an unconscious psychologist, a reader among footballers and a man who inspires confidence among his colleagues by his own example'. 

 

He captains the team both on and off the field, and studies the problem of promotion with a far-seeing eye.  Only quite recently we were discussing City's chances, and he thinks that if we can keep close handy to the top over the Christmas holidays we have a great chance of pulling it off. He believes the teams at the top in the first half of the season are the special mark of all teams in the League, who are out with great determination to peg them back'.

 

Wolves were another club hoping Duncan's analysis was on the mark. They went into this game behind us only on goal average, but with a game in hand. One of the founder members of the League, they became the first of those 12 clubs to fall into the third tier when they were relegated in 1923. After winning Division Three North, they were now looking to become the first club ever to earn promotion in two successive campaigns.

 

We had George Hebden back in goal, with our classic front five unchanged since the clocks went back in mid-September (yes - it was much earlier then).

 

Just five minutes into the game, the middle man in that front five provided the highlight of the day. The Mercury gave it the full Roy of the Rovers treatment:

 

It was as fine an individual goal as we have seen this season. Breaking away down the middle of the field from a position not far inside the Wolves' half, Chandler controlled the ball in a fast spurt and retained possession despite the attention of two defenders, who found his pace a shade too much for them. When a third defender rushed across to stem his advance, Chandler shot before he could be tackled. The shot was taken sooner than the keeper expected, and the ball went low into the net at great pace.

 

Johnny Duncan had slipped the ball through to Chandler to set up that first goal, and the captain nodded in the second just before half time. We should have scored a hatful after that but a combination of poor finishing and heroics from Wolves' keeper Noel George meant there were no goals after half time. 'Duncan put in three straight hard drives that looked to be goals all the way' reported Athletic News, 'but George met all three, no mean feat with a heavy ball, covered with mud traveling at express speed'.

 

2-0 was how it ended.

 

In total contrast to the modern game, the Second Division was then given almost as much coverage in the press as the top flight. Athletic News sent their top reporter to Crystal Palace v Derby today, and their front page had a spread of 'the men of the moment' which featured seven players of the season so far. Three of them were from Division Two - Alex Kane, the Portsmouth keeper, and forwards from the top two - Arthur Lochhead and Albert 'Fairy' Fairclough of Derby:

 

 

Johnny Duncan must have been pretty close to selection for that list.

 

These were the other results that day:

 

 

One result stands out - leaders Derby losing at Selhurst Park. According to the Derby Telegraph, Palace's new ground was 'a mass of water lying in pools because the drains are still unconnected'. But the ref said the game could go ahead. 'Fairy' Fairclough was injured and missed the game, and the defeat allowed Man U to leapfrog them at the top, Arthur Lochhead on the scoresheet yet again for United.

 

With Pompey and Chelsea also winning, there was now a bunch of clubs ready to take aim at the top two. 

 

 

With eleven points from six games, we were moving into position, and the season looked like it was going to be a real thriller.

Observations

Strange to see us referred to as City even the Merc doesn't use that for us reserving it for Man City.

No mention of the ref, the manager, the owner, the Football League just the football.

[kushiro]

On 01/11/2024 at 18:29, davieG said:

Observations

Strange to see us referred to as City even the Merc doesn't use that for us reserving it for Man City.

No mention of the ref, the manager, the owner, the Football League just the football.

 

I've read your comment three or four times and I'm still trying to fully understand it! I'll try and answer as best I can.

 

'City' - seemed to be used quite a lot in many of the local papers at that time. Perhaps due to the change of name being only five years earlier. 

 

'The ref' - the details of the ref were always given in match reports, alongside his hometown, which is different from today. I usually don't mention him in these summaries, though there have been a few controversial incidents refered to.

 

'The manager' - now this is a very interesting point. Back then, there was almost no mention of Peter Hodge in headlines, or in match previews or match reports. Seems incredible, right? It's partly because the final responsibility for team selection lay with the directors, though as I've said a few times, no doubt they were interested in Hodge's input, given his long experience in the game. This was the age before the 'personality manager'. Perhaps Herbert Chapman, who would lead Huddersfield to their second League title in a row this season before joining Arsenal, was the first ever.

 

'The owner' - another interesting one. As Jon Holmes and the crew discussed on his podcast recently, there were no owners then. There was a Board of Directors'. It was the same for most of the 20th century.

 

I don't understand your last point about the Football League. But keep the observations coming  - they always touch on interesting topics.

 

 

[davieG]

4 minutes ago, kushiro said:

 

I've read your comment three or four times and I'm still trying to fully understand it! I'll try and answer as best I can.

 

'City' - seemed to be used quite a lot in many of the local papers at that time. Perhaps due to the change of name being only five years earlier. 

 

'The ref' - the details of the ref were always given in match reports, alongside his hometown, which is different from today. I usually don't mention him in these summaries, though there have been a few controversial incidents refered to.

 

'The manager' - now this is a very interesting point. Back then, there was almost no mention of Peter Hodge in headlines, or in match previews or match reports. Seems incredible, right? It's partly because the final responsibility for team selection lay with the directors, though as I've said a few times, no doubt they were interested in Hodge's input, given his long experience in the game. This was the age before the 'personality manager'. Perhaps Herbert Chapman, who would lead Huddersfield to their second League title in a row this season before joining Arsenal, was the first ever.

 

'The owner' - another interesting one. As Jon Holmes and the crew discussed on his podcast recently, there were no owners then. There was a Board of Directors'. It was the same for most of the 20th century.

 

I don't understand your last point about the Football League. But keep the observations coming  - they always touch on interesting topics.

 

 

I was referring to how the media reported back then not your writings.

 

City - That's was my point we are rarely if every referred to as City in the media. As mentioned in a previous  post re the Merc who were discussing Man City and us and referred to MAN City as City through out the article, confusing and disrespectful especially a local paper.

No mention of the ref, the manager, the owner, the Football League just the football. - Like wise this is what today's media focusses on rather than the football  on the pitch. 

 

[kushiro]

5 minutes ago, davieG said:

I was referring to how the media reported back then not your writings.

 

City - That's was my point we are rarely if every referred to as City in the media. As mentioned in a previous  post re the Merc who were discussing Man City and us and referred to MAN City as City through out the article, confusing and disrespectful especially a local paper.

No mention of the ref, the manager, the owner, the Football League just the football. - Like wise this is what today's media focusses on rather than the football  on the pitch. 

 

I'm being very selective with the bits I pick out of reports - just cherry picking.  Later in the season when it really hots up there'll no doubt be longer excerpts that'll give a better idea of how the press covered the game at the time. It would be nice eventually to have something like the incredible Hatters Heritage site, where you can access complete match reports of every game Luton ever played. They got lottery funding of some kind.

https://hattersheritage.co.uk/

[kushiro]

 

Match 14 

Saturday November 8th 1924

Fulham v Leicester City

 

The accident at the War Memorial, the Nuneaton bus fire, and the death of Chelsea's Tommy Meehan had already touched Leicester's season indirectly. Today at Craven Cottage, there would be a tragic incident right in front of the eyes of our players and traveling fans. At the time though, nobody had any idea of the seriousness of the situation.

 

Before we come to that, let's summarise the game itself. 

 

We were looking to extend our unbeaten run to seven games. Two weeks after our fine win at Selhurst Park we were back in London with another chance to impress the journalists of the capital.

 

All reports agreed that the first half was a complete non-event, players from both sides being repeatedly caught offside. It was after the break that the game came to life, and at the centre of the action was our keeper George Hebden. 

 

First, he let a harmless effort from Bill Prouse slip under his body and into the net. Three minutes later, Fulham threatened again, and though Hebden saved comfortably this time, before he could release the ball, Fulham centre forward Harvey Darvill 'gave him the full force of his shoulder'. 

 

That was a perfectly legal tactic at the time (and would remain so until the 1960s), and Darvill's challenge saw Hebden lose control of the ball. Prouse was there for a simple tap in to make it 2-0.

 

We needed a quick response, and we got it. According to The Daily Herald, 'it seemed as though the Leicester side wanted this "two-down tonic" to show what a really good side they can be'.  This was Kernel in the Football Post:

 

Johnny Duncan looked like losing his unbeaten certificate as captain. But once again the Scotsman's personality saved the situation, and under his leadership the lads rallied in splendid fashion and took complete control of the game. 

 

Arthur Chandler pulled one back with a 'fine shot', and we pressed for the equaliser.

 

It would come fifteen minutes from time, in controversial circumstances.

 

Duncan was in a great position to score, but 'Reynolds, the home goalkeeper, dived for the ball and proceeded to lie with it under his body. Duncan made an effort to get the ball but Reynolds would not move and the referee ran to the spot and picked up the ball.  Without hesitation, he dropped it and Bamber, the Leicester left-half, booted it into the net. It was all done so quickly that the spectators and Fulham players were amazed. The London players tried to mob him but he was very firm in his decision'.  (Daily News, London).

 

The crowd 'booed until it must have been hoarse and at the finish provided another interlude by discharging bangers and other fireworks' (Kernel).

 

2-2 was the final score.

 

During that second half, shortly after Harvey Darvill's shoulder charge on George Hebden, those two players collided again. This time it was the Fulham man who came off worse, the impact leaving him flat out on the ground. Hebden went to help him up, and heard him say 'I've been winded'. He was taken off and given lengthy treatment by the Fulham trainer before returning. That seemed to be the end of the story.  But tragically, it was not.

 

A week later, Darvill was fit to play, and scored as Fulham drew 1-1 at Stoke. He then played the following Saturday in a home win over Coventry, but the day after that he started complaining of stomach pains. His condition quickly deteriorated, and for three days he was in agony in hospital. It turned out he had burst a blood vessel in his stomach following that collision with George Hebden. On Wednesday November 26th he died, aged just 28.

 

The following Saturday, Hebden had to miss a Leicester game to give evidence at the inquest, where the coroner returned a verdict of 'accidental death'. No blame was attached to the Leicester keeper. Before he died,  Harvey had told his brother 'Probably I've had a kick, but pros take no notice of that kind of thing'. Shortly after the inquest, the bereaved family took the trouble to write to Hebden, 'assuring him of their sympathy in the unfortunate accident'.

 

On the day of the inquest, Hebden's place in our line-up was taken by Bert Godderidge. As we shall see, he played well, and stayed in the team the following week. In fact, Hebden woud never play for us again. That one incident at Craven Cottage had ended the life of one player and, indirectly, the top-level career of another. Hebden played out the rest of his career in the lower Leagues.

 

Back on November 8th, these were the full results:

 

 

Chelsea's impressive win at Blackpool moved them right into contention and knocked us down a place.

 

The situation at the top of Division One, meanwhile, was fascinating, with two surprise teams at the top.

 

Like us, Notts County and Birmingham traveled down from the Midlands to London that day. At Highbury, Donald Cock put the Magpies ahead before getting sent off for violent conduct. County held on for an impressive victory. The result was the same at Upton Park, where Coalville-born Joe Bradford scored to give Birmingham the points. Here's action from both games:

 

 

 

 

You can see that both Notts County and Birmingham were wearing that distinctive V-design jersey:

 

 

 

Those results left the Midlands pair clear at the top of the table:

 

 

At that time, only Aston Villa and West Brom had brought the title to the Midlands, but it looked like a third club might be added to the list this season. Would it be Notts County or Birmingham? Could they maintain this early season form? 

 

The answer was 'No'. Both faded badly, with Birmingham finishing 8th and Notts County 9th.  They would have to wait for that first title.

 

100 years on, they are still waiting. Wolves, Derby, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City have been added to that list, but not those two. If you ask their fans now whether they think it will ever happen, you will get the same answer Leicester fans would have given ten years ago. 

 

This, by the way, was how Nottingham's Football Post saw the situation back then:

 

 

 

 

Back in 1924, of course, we had never won a trophy of any description. But that weekend, there was a sign that football in the city was on the up. Sports fans in Leicester that Saturday afternoon had two options:

 

 

 

 

 

Our professional team may have been lagging behind Derby County in the Division Two promotion race, but what happened at Filbert Street that afternoon was a portent of things to come.

 

With Harold Lineker starring on the right wing, the result was:

 

Leicester Boys 7 Derby Boys 0.  

 

 

 

 

Edited 8 November 2024 by kushiro

[kushiro]

Postscript to this week's instalment:

 

1) With Harold Lineker being a right winger, his hero was no doubt Hugh Adcock, one of the best right wingers in the England at the time (he would later be selected for the national side).  Adcock was singled out for special praise following today's game at Fulham for the way his positional sense allowed to him to beat the offside trap (this was the last season before the historic rule change):

 

 

 

 

2)  The Fulham manager was Andy Ducat. You may remember him being the central character in the followng story (a day when Harvey Darvill was also in the Fulham team):

 

 

 

Edited 8 November 2024 by kushiro

[kushiro]

 

Match 15

Saturday November 15th 1924

Leicester City v Portsmouth. 

 

Ths was Pompey's first ever visit to Filbert Street. Champions of Division Three South the previous season, they were looking for a second promotion in a row. This was the top six before the game.

 

 

This week's game will be handled a little differently. Rather than the usual selection of the best bits of a variety of match reports, I'm going to concentrate on the coverage the game received in the leading sports newspaper of the day - Athletic News. 

 

It's difficult now to appreciate just how influential that paper used to be. Think of L'Equipe's standing in France and you'd get pretty close. Gazzetta in Italy and Kicker in Germany play a similar role. It's one of the peculiarities of the UK sports press that we don't now have a publication of that status - probably due to the way high quality sports coverage developed in the regular press throughout the 20th century.

 

On the Monday after Portsmouth's visit, Athletic News devoted more column inches to the game than to any other taking place that weekend.

 

This was the match report:

 

 

(That 'tragic ephemeral experience' is the 1908/09 season when, after we'd finished second in Division Two and been promoted, we went straight back down, finishing nine points adrift at the bottom, the worst moment being a 12-0 defeat at Forest).

 

So they were the highlights of what was in fact a much longer report. And that wasn't all. We also featured on the front page, where the key events of the week would be summarised:

 

 

 

The other big game of the day was 4th v 1st -  Chelsea and Derby played out a 1-1 draw in front of a crowd of 40,000, bigger than any in Division One that day. The result allowed Man U to leapfrog Derby once again:

 

 

 

We were up to third - our highest poistion of the season so far. On this form, we would surely go higher.

[kushiro]

 

Match 16

Saturday November 22nd 1924

Hull City v Leicester City

 

The curse of the 'ex'. It was already in force 100 years ago. It just had to be Mick O'Brien that brought our two-month unbeaten run to an end. 

 

Irish international O'Brien had been Leicester City captain the previous season. We'd signed him in 1922 from QPR, where he had been a teammate of Arthur Chandler:

 

 

He'd left Leicester for Hull City in the summer. He said he'd taken a fancy to the place because, while serving in the navy during the war his ship called in at the port.  So we lost our biggest personality - though it's arguable that without the space created by his departure, the club's spectacular transformation over the next few years would not have happened. If O'Brien had remained captain, Johnny Duncan would not have been able to stamp his personality on the team in the way he did so effectively.

 

As we headed for Hull's Anlaby Road ground that day, we were third in the table, with Hull down in 18th.  You can see the ground here:

 

 

In the foreground is The Circle, where Leicestershire's C.S. Dempster made a famous 165 not out against Yorkshire in 1939.

 

Mick O'Brien played centre half, so his direct opponent was his old mate Channy. It was the Irishman who had the better of things early on, and we were struggling to find our usual rhythm.  When we did get an attack going, we found Hull keeper George Maddison in top form. 

 

Then midway through the first half the home side took the lead:

 

'A kick was taken by MILLS in the vicinity of the corner flag. The shot was cleverly aimed at the mouth of the goal, when Hebden secured the ball, which somehow or other he pulled into the net. The referee had no hesitation in awarding the goal, but so strong was the Leicester players' appeal that he consulted his linesman, who confirmed the decision' (from Athletic News).

 

Hull were playing the 'one-back game' - a tactic devised to catch opposition forwards offside. Back then, there had to be THREE opponents behind the attacker when the ball was played (not two, like now). In the usual 2-3-5 formation, with the two full backs in their regular positions, forwards could usually stay onside as a move developed. But if one of those full backs pushed up, a forward would often be caught unawares and the flag would go up. 

 

At the time, this was becoming such a common tactic that the FA and Football League were considering a change in the law (and indeed at the end of the season that's what happened).

 

In the second half, Mills scored again, 'forcing a passage through a crowd of opponents and driving the ball into the net out of Hebden's reach'. 

 

Mick O'Brien then popped up in attack and 'he shot with great power, Hebden managing to turn the ball round the post'.  All we could manage in response was a last minute goal from Chandler, who knocked in the rebound after Maddison saved Harry Wadsworth's shot. 

 

This was Kernel's summary in the Football Post:

 

 

 

That defeat meant we dropped down to 4th, while at the top Derby and Man U changed places for the fourth weekend in a row:

 

 

 

So the man of the day was Hull's Paddy Mills, whose goals put an end to our great run:

 

 

Handsome looking chap, isn't he? In fact, he is related to a famous Leicester City figure, one who also has a connection with Hull City. Paddy Mills is the great uncle of Nigel Pearson. 

 

Paddy's brother Percy, Nigel's grandfather, was also a professional footballer:

 

 

Quite a family resemblance, right?

 

In a postscript to this week's report I'll tell you all about the Mills brothers. Coming up very soon.

[kushiro]

So - more on Paddy and Percy Mills, the brothers who were respectively great uncle and grandfather of Nigel Pearson. 

 

Paddy's two goals against Leicester on this day 100 years ago helped him on his way to a total of 29 this season - his most successful in his six years at Anlaby Road. At the end of the following season he joined Notts County, where he was joined by his brother Percy, nine years his junior. 

 

They were only together for a short time - Paddy moved to Birmingham in 1929, then back to Hull shortly afterwards. He featured in their historic run to the FA Cup semi-final in 1930, when they lost to Arsenal. The following month they were relegated to the third tier - the first club to combine a serious challenge for Cup honours with a relegation battle in Divsion Two (Leicester City were the next, 19 years later).

 

As Hull went down to Division Three North, Notts County went down with them to Division Three South -  a double relegation for the Mills brothers. Percy stayed at Meadow Lane throughout the 1930s - his total of 407 League appearances putting him fourth on the club's all time list.

 

Unlike his older brother, Percy never once  played against Leicester City. When we went down in 1935 after ten seasons in the top flight, Notts County were dropping down again to the third tier, where they stayed for the rest of the decade.

 

Here he is in 1938, sitting to the left of Dixie Dean, who had just joined the club from Everton:

 

 

Finally, let's go back to November 1924.  After his two goals that day, Leicester would have been hoping they'd seen the last of Paddy Mills for a while. But we'd be back at Anlaby Road very soon, in dramatic circumstances. 

[kushiro]

 

Match 17

Saturday November 29th 1924

Leicester City v Blackpool

 

The players must have been shaken by the news. That's the most likely explanation for the team being totally outplayed on their own patch. Two days before the game they heard that Harvey Darvill had died from the injuries he received in that collision with our keeper George Hebden.  The following day they heard that Hebden would have to appear at the inquest into Darvill's death, and would not be available for this game against Blackpool.

 

As mentioned above, Hebden was cleared of all blame for the tragedy, but the week's events must have affected the players deeply.  We don't know for sure because there is simply no record of how they reacted - no reporter thought to ask anyone from the club about the incident (things were very different back then). What those reporters did describe  - in great detail - was how Blackpool repeatedly cut through the defences of the team who, just a few days earlier, were being hailed as the strongest side in the Division. 

 

Bert Godderidge, back in goal in place of Hebden, was our best player that day. Only his heroics prevented a truly embarrassing scoreline, and he was given an ovation as he left the field at the end. He was back for good - Hebden would never pull on a Leicester jersey again.

 

Back in the Blackpool side that day was the influential inside forward Matt Barrass, future England international (three decades later his son Malcolm would perform so impressively at centre half for Bolton Wanderers that the club felt able to sell the man he'd ousted to Leicester City - Matt Gillies).

 

From the start, the visitors looked the better side, though it took them a while to go in front. This was how Kernel in the Football Post described it:

 

 

That double save from Godderidge was praised even more effusively in other reports of the game. He does seem to have been at fault though when the second goal finally arrived:

 

 

There was very little to report at the other end, and it finished 2-0. The side that had ripped Portsmouth apart two weeks earlier now trudged off the same pitch having been thoroughly outplayed. 

 

Elsewhere that afternoon, the top two met at Old Trafford in what the press were calling the Match of the Season, not just in Division Two but the whole Football League.  'The best attack vs the best defence' was another tag. Visitors Derby County had scored 38 goals already, while Man U had conceded only five times all season. Derby had huge support at the game - 5,000 made the trip, a massive away following for a League game in that era. Their local paper the Evening Telegraph planned to rush its sports results paper to Piccadilly Station to sell to fans waiting to board trains home. 

 

Ivan Sharpe, the most famous football writer of the day, was covering the game for Athletic News. Here's how he described an effort from Derby's 'Fairy' Fairclough early in the game:

 

Fairclough drew cheers from the ranks o’ Tuscany by heading backwards a centre by Murphy in a manner most remarkable. This much-traveled young man from St. Helens has well-developed muscles, it would seem, in the back of his neck! By inches he missed scoring the season’s most wonderful goal.

 

By 'the ranks o' Tuscany' he means the opposition supporters. This was a time when most people would have understood his reference to Macaulay's 'Horatio at the Bridge' (I didn't know - I had to google it).

 

Shortly after, Fairclough did put Derby ahead but he was then sent off. United equalised when the infamous hard man Frank Barson charged keeper Ben Olney and Jim Hanson put the ball in the net. It finished 1-1.

 

Had we kept our winning run going we'd have been right on the heels of the leading pair, but two straight defeats left us down in sixth. Chelsea, on a ten-game unbeaten run, now looked the most likely to challenge the runaway leaders:

 

 

 

Alongside the League tables in the Sunday papers came this piece from Fulham manager Andy Ducat, in the Weekly Dispatch:

 

 

 

 

The only person ever to die as a result of playing against Leicester City was laid to rest the following day. At Craven Cottage that afternoon players wore black armbands as Fulham and Middlesbrough played out a goalless draw. No doubt they too found it hard to keep their minds fully focused on the game.

 

If Leicester players needed something to jolt them from their slumbers, the fixture list for the following weekend would have provided it. Coming up next was a trip to the Baseball Ground to face leaders Derby County.

Edited 29 November 2024 by kushiro

[kushiro]

As a postscript this week, here's a passage written a few days after the game showing that nothing ever changes:

 

 

On the way home from Filbert Street on Saturday after the defeat to Blackpool, I could hear the "Bill Grousers" and "Jim Grumblers" holding their usual argumentative inquest on the result, and the same old proclamation to abstain from attending City matches altogether was issued in that "language rare that means so much".

 

Like many other resolutions commenced with a fiery determination, those of my friends will by now have been cast into the limbo of the past, and I'll bet my ssiter's jumper (frayed slightly round the neck) to any old pair of socks with holes in them that the said Bills and Jims will be at the Baseball Ground on Saturday.

 

Such is the fickleness of some football lovers. Defeat for them brings with it a disappointment which is well nigh intolerble on Saturday evening and all day Sunday, but the following day the sharp edges are beginning to wear away, ans so the process goes on during the week until by Saturday afternoon once again they stand on the Spion Kop in a state of feverish excitement.                                   

   

(Kernel in the Football Post).

 

[kushiro]

 

Match 18

Saturday December 6th 1924

Derby County v Leicester City

 

Two days before the game, this short announcement appeared in the Leicester Evening Mail:

 

Osborne will be resting. He has been indisposed and had to consult a specialist a day or two ago. Hooper will reappear.

 

Reg Osborne's knee injury would lead to a very long 'rest' from the first team. In fact, this switch would mean that, when we ran out at the Baseball Ground, our classic 1924/25 line-up would be in place for the first time. 

 

We can all reel off the 'regular' XI from 2015/16 in our sleep, and this team would imprint itself on the minds of City fans of the 1920s in the same way. Claudio Ranieri didn't actually select that starting line up until the Man U game in late November, and it was at almost the same point 100 years ago that these legendary names first started together:

 

Here they are:

 

 

 

 

 

The timing was just right. As we faced our toughest game of the season, the pieces were falling into place.

 

An estimated 3,000 Leicester fans made the trip, and they made themselves heard inside the ground. For Derby, this was a bit of a grudge match. In the last game of the previous season they had needed a five goal victory over us to pip Bury to the second promotion spot. They raced into a four goal lead, but we then said 'enough is enough' and shut up shop, leaving the Rams an infuriating single goal short. It was almost like we'd done it deliberately. Perish the thought!

 

Now Derby had the chance not only to cement their position at the top, but to knock Leicester out of the promotion reckoning. 

 

The Rams started confidently, but our centre half Pat Carrigan wasn't giving Fairy Fairclough an inch of room. After seeing off their early attacks, we started to play. 

 

In the tenth minute 'Adcock beat Wightman for speed and lost no time in middling. Hardy failed to clear and the ball went to Chandler, who from twenty yards struck a glorious right foot shot that struck the crossbar, with George Carr putting the rebound over the top'. 

 

Just after that 'Leicester attacked down the left and the ball came across to Adcock, who shot first time and again saw his effort rebound from the crossbar'.

 

Adcock was on fire. Next 'he beat Plackett in beautiful fashion, rounded Wightman and centred from the goal line to Duncan, in front of goal, who blinded it high and wide'.

 

We were completely in control, and home fans were asking themselves if Derby really were the best team in the division. Their cause wasn't helped when full back Bert Chandler (no relation) had to go off for lenghty treatment, leaving the Rams with ten men for the rest of the first half. 

 

Surely now we'd make the breakthrough. The attacks kept coming, but 'Chandler missed a good chance at close quarters and Duncan was an equally guilty offender when he had a clear course but waited too long and allowed Wightman to block his shot'. 

 

Somehow it was still goalless after 45 minutes.

 

Bert Chandler was back in position for the second half, but Leicester kept up the onslaught. The goal finally arrived after 57 minutes when 'following a heavy bombardment and the charging down of several efforts, Duncan fired home with a cross shot'. 

 

Derby responded and threatened Godderidge's goal for the first time all afternoon. But we held out, with the new full back pairing of Black and Osborne looking solid. Then ten minutes from time came Pat Carrigan's special moment. Having had Derby's centre forward in his pocket all game, he decided to stroll forward and support an attack. The ball fell to him more than thirty yards out, and he let fly a hopeful volley. Derby keeper Ben Olney seemed deceived by the bounce, and the ball found its way into the corner of the net. 

 

Two minues later Channy added a third, 'after a characteristic run in which he beat both backs'. The contest was over, our promotion bid was back on and Derby were knocked off the top by Man U's win at South Shields. We moved back up to fourth place, with Chelsea continuing their unbeaten run to stay third.

 

Leicester fans could enjoy these delicious headlines on Sunday and Monday:

 

DERBY DISASTER

 

LEICESTER RUN ROUND THEM AND SCORE THREE TIMES

 

LEAGUE LEADERS OUTPLAYED

 

STAGGERING RESULT

 

This was how 'Icarus' in the Athletic News opened his report: 

 

If you must mention Leicester City in the town of Derby, speak softly. Last May they denied County a goal after conceding four, and decided that their rivals should stay in the Second Division. Again, on Saturday at the Baseball Ground, the City struck another blow when hopes ran high, and were the first visiting side to conquer at Derby this season.

 

At the end of his report he went through our line-up player by player, highlighting the qualities of every man. It was the first time this XI had played together, but there was an instant chemistry. After the shock of the home defeat by Blackpool, fans now had reason to hope again. How far could this team go? Nobody could have guessed it then but the win at Derby was the first game of an extraordinary run that would last right through the winter, and take the club to previously unknown heights.

[kushiro]

I mentioned that, as in 2015/16, the 'regular XI' fell into place at this stage of the season, and it's interesting to compare appearance stats from those two campaigns.

 

In most seasons the figures are more messy, but in those two it was very easy to say what the standard line up was. There is a clear cut-off point:

 

Here's 2015/16:

 

Schmeichel     38

Morgan            38

Vardy                36

Mahrez             36

Huth                 35

Drinkwater       35

Albrighton       34

Kante                33

Simpson          30

Fuchs               30

Okazaki            28

Schlupp            14

King                    9

De Laet              7

Ulloa                   7

 

You can see the big gap between 11th and 12th on the list. For one thing, that made it easy for Richard Wilson to decide whch players to include on the mural (with Kingy added as recognition for long service). I've left out cup games from those figures because Ranieri, in the modern fashion, always rested most of the 'first choice' players in both cup competitions. 

 

 

Here's 1924/25:

 

Chandler              48

Wadsworth         48

Carr                      46

Carrigan              46

Duncan                46

Adcock                45

Bamber                45

Black                    45

Newton                40

Godderidge         37

Hooper                 32

Osborne               16

Hebden                 11

Watson                 11

Proctor                   5

 

FA Cup games were included here, as the strongest XI was always chosen in those days. Once again, you can see the gap between 11th and 12th on the list.

 

It's not just the numbers either. It's also the timing. In both those seasons, the 'fringe' players made most of their starts early in the season, before the regular line-up was settled upon. 

 

Also, there were no changes of position or formation once the strongest XI was settled on. Once Ranieri had swiched to 4-4-2 with the introduction of Simpson and Fuchs, that was how we stayed the whole way through (Mahrez and Albrighton occasionally swapping wings during games, Drinky in the middle with Kante on either side). Likewise 100 years ago, after Johnny Duncan had moved from right half to inside right in September, each player's position was fixed.

Edited 6 December 2024 by kushiro

[kushiro]

 

Match 19

Saturday December 13th 1924

Leicester City v South Shields

 

South Shields - paradoxically, the most northern team in the division. They arrived at Filbert Street lying 22nd in the table - propping up all the rest. Surely an easy two points for us after our stunning 3-0 win at leaders Derby last week. But South Shields' performance would have people wondering if the table was upside down.

 

It was the curse - again. Three weeks after Mike O'Brien at Hull, Sandy Trotter was the latest 'ex' to haunt us. Like O'Brien, Trotter had been a regular in our line up the previous season, and had moved on in the summer. And like O'Brien, he had been installed as captain of his new club. 

 

We started well, and took the lead in the 18th minute, when 'Duncan beat the opposition then centred for Chandler to head a simple goal'. We held the lead for just three minutes. Matthewson, South Shields' outside right, cut inside and his powerful shot was pushed out by Godderidge only as far as Smith, who found the net.

 

We were on top for most of the game from then on, but struggled to break down the visitors' 'dour, dogged and determined' rear guard. Sandy Trotter, playing outside left, seems to have had a quiet game on his return, his name hardly featuring in match reports. But he'd have been delighted with the attitude of the men he was leading.

 

We had one great chance to win it near the end, described nicely in the Sunday Sun, a Newcastle-based paper with excellent coverage of all the north-east clubs:

 

With five minutes left, keeper Richardson ran nearly to the corner flag to clear, but failed to get the ball away. Carr had a reasonable chance as he was standing not far outside the penalty area and it only needed a straight drive to score. His shot, however, went just a foot or so wide, and that was the last incident in the game.

 

A 1-1 draw - the elation of seven days earlier replaced by frustration. 

 

The game would be a turning point for South Shields. They won their next two games, quickly moved up the table and would finish 9th. 

 

There was mixed news from our rivals' games that day. Man U won again to go two clear of Derby, who could only draw at Stoke. Chelsea's great run continued, and they looked the most likely to mount a challenge to the top two:

 

 

 

It was a better day for Harold Lineker. Leicester Boys won 5-0 at Melton Mowbray in the Second Round of the English Schools Trophy, the match played at the old Melton Corinthians' ground. With St George's Lineker on the right wing, Hill from St Martin's netted three times and Leicester were now just one win away from making the competition proper for the first time. 

 

On the horizon too was the senior version. The final qualifying round of the FA Cup was staged today, and two days later the draw was made for the First Round Proper, where the big clubs entered. 

 

This was the last season of the old format. From 1925/26, what had been Round One became Round Three (and it's been that way ever since), though it was essentially the same thing - the last 64. Clubs in the top two divisions would still need to get through five rounds to reach the final. 

 

This was our 31st entry into the competition, and we had never reached the semi-finals. Our best had been the quarter-finals in 1910, when we lost to eventual winners Newcastle.  

 

This was how the Mercury reported the draw on Monday evening, with Leicester third out of the hat:

 

 

 

Stoke's draw with Derby at the Victoria Ground on Saturday left them 10th in Division Two. We'd fancy our chances of getting through, though Stoke had won at Filbert Street just three months ago - the only side to do so this season.

 

From now on, we'd be fighting on two fronts, 'the League beating with its steady, prosaic throb from week to week, and the Cup bringing bursts of fresh air and new impulses to the season in the New Year' (Geoffrey Green).

 

Double the chance for glory. And, of course, for heartbreak.

[kushiro]

 

Match 20

Saturday December 20th 1924

Bradford City v Leicester City

 

A year earlier, on our last visit to Valley Parade, there had been a surprise visitor to the Leicester dressing room. Tom Bradshaw was a forward who played for us in the Fosse era, and when he walked in, none of the players had any idea who he was. Only a couple of the directors recognized him. He had played for us 48 times, scoring ten goals, and had taken part in an historic game on Christmas Day 1899.  That was the last ever 'Leicestershire derby' in the Football League, Fosse beating Loughborough 5-0, in the Luffs' last season at that level. Tom scored the first goal that day, Now, he said, he was down on his luck and penniless. 

 

Those directors organized a quick collection, and handed over five pounds to the grateful Bradshaw. 

 

Before today's game, he was back. He said he had used the money to invest in bread making equipment, and set up his own bakery. He now had his own shop, horse and cart, and wanted to say how grateful he was.

 

Truly a story from another age.

 

This is how Valley Parade looked between the wars, seen from the north. The Main Stand, on the right, was the site of the fire in 1985.

 

 

That photo seems to have been taken in the summer, but as we ran out in late December, there was barely a blade of grass on the pitch. Not that it stopped us playing football.  The Leicester forwards made an excellent impression, reported the Athletic News. Well-built and speedy, they frequently swept down the field by means of accurate passes. Chandler was a bundle of energy, and he had partners in Duncan and Carr who were keen on making chances for him. 

 

But, commented the Mercury reporter,  None of the sound and methodical work bore fruit. 

 

The home side then got going, and Godderidge had to make a spectacular full length save from Andrew Chalmers. Shortly after that, Reuben Butler tried a shot from outside the box and it whizzed past Godderidge into the net. Keepers have no chance with these, said the Mercury man.

 

It was then that our two outstanding players, Duncan and Chandler, decided to get a grip of things.  The two advanced down the field, exchanging passes repeatedly, to leave Channy clear to shoot home the equaliser. They then tried to repeat their move and almost succeeded, but Channy was caught offside. 

 

We couldn't snatch a winner after that, and had to settle for a point. 

 

The big news was elsewhere. After an unbeaten run stretching back to September, Man U were finally defeated, 2-1 at Port Vale. What an afternoon that must have been. The old Recreation Ground was right in the centre of Hanley - 'when the crowd roared, it echoed round the town and the temptation was irresistible'. The streets that day must have been full of reluctant Christmas shoppers cursing the festive season.

 

United had actually taken the lead, with future Leicester star Arthur Lochhead scoring yet again. But he then missed an open goal, and after Vale leveled it up, their victory was sealed when legendary striker Wilf Kirkham got the better of hard man Frank Barson to shoot home. 

 

Making his debut for Vale that day was Tom Cooper, who went on to play for Derby, Liverpool and England. He was probably the outstanding English defender of the 1930s.  He died in a motorcycle accident at the start of World War Two, aged just 35.

 

Derby took advantage of United's slip, their thrashing of Coventry putting them level on points at the top and leaving the Bantams rock bottom. Chelsea came away from Oakwell with a point after a thrilling game in which future Filbert Street hero Ernie Hine had quite a day. Early on he scored the rebound after his penalty was saved, then late on he put Barnsley 3-2 up direct from a free kick. After Chelsea leveled, he came agonizingly close to completing his hat-trick in the last minute.

 

 

Also in the sports papers that evening was news of Day One of the first Ashes Test at the SCG. Leicestershire's George Geary had been very unlucky not to be chosen for the MCC party. No Leicestershire player had ever been selected for a tour of Australia -  a situation the footballers along Brazil Street could sympathise with. No Leicester outfield player had ever been picked for England (keeper Horace Bailey our only capped player so far).  Arthur Chandler's current goalscoring run, though, was catching the attention of the FA selectors. He had scored in twelve of our last fourteen games - all of them singles - and he would soon have a chance to display his talents in an FA trial match.

 

Everything has been so regular in this story up to now. Since mid-September, it's been one game a week, always on Saturday afternoon. Now suddenly came three games in three days - starting on Christmas Day. We'd be facing United's conquerors Port Vale home and away - and then on December 27th, the men from Old Trafford were due at Filbert Street themselves.

 

It was an extraordinary three days.  If you find yourself cursing the festive season, you know where to come.

[kushiro]

 

 

 

Match 21

Thursday December 25th 1924

Leicester City v Port Vale

 

 

'There''ll be no White Christmas this year', the Leicester Mail reported in its December 24th edition, but 'about midnight, the carol singers and bands will be on their rounds to proclaim that Christmas has come. Leicester City are playing Port Vale at Filbert Street in the morning, but as the tramwaymen are taking a holiday, there will be no cars on any section'.  

 

No snow and no trams - so we know what the streets of the Leicester would have looked like that morning. From all points of the city, thousands of bicycles would have been heading for Filbert Street. They'd be parked close to the ground or kept in the back yards of the neighbouring terraced houses, the occupiers making a few shillings as an added bonus (they already had the free view of the game from their upstairs window).

 

The Christmas Day game had been a tradition at Filbert Street. Between 1896 and 1911 we played twelve games on December 25th - every one of them at home. Clubs could make special requests to the Football League when the fixture lists were drawn up, and this was ours. 

 

On Christmas Day 1914, as British and German troops were staging that famous kick about in No-Man's Land, Leicester Fosse were losing 4-1 at home to Arsenal (in the Gunners' last ever season in Division Two).

 

Since the War and the birth of 'Leicester City', the tradition had ended (for reasons that are unclear), and the fact that we were at home today was simply a matter of chance.

 

The game against Port Vale would revolve around two characters - Leicester captain Johnny Duncan, and Vale keeper Tommy Fern, who really was a character.

 

 

Originally from Measham in North-West Leicestershire, he was now 38. He had won a League title medal with Everton a decade earlier and was known for his eccentric on-field behaviour. Here's a cartoon from the Echo showing his antics during a derby match in 1922. The caption reads: As soon as any of the Liverpool team got near goal, Fern immediately adopted a 'putting off' attitude:

 

 

 

The Filbert Street crowd would have been familiar with him. He'd first played on the ground for Lincoln City way back in 1909.

 

Port Vale had beaten leaders Man U five days earlier, but there was a crucial change in their line-up. Full back Tom Cooper, so impressive on his debut against United, stepped aside as Jack Maddock was fit again.  We had no injury worries, and fielded our strongest XI.

 

Duncan won the toss, and Leicester kicked off towards the Filbert Street goal with both the wind and the sun at their backs - the latter an extra factor with the 11 o'clock start. Early on, Fern had to deal with shots from Duncan, Adcock and Chandler, 'any one of which might have beaten him'.  Then in the twentieth minute we took the lead when Chandler scored after 'some pretty play from Jack Bamber'.  A few minutes later, a fine run by Harry Wadsworth on the left wing led to Duncan slotting in the second. Then after a move down the right, Hugh Adcock set up Duncan to increase the lead. Shortly after that 'only a wonderful save from Fern prevented Duncan completing his hat-trick before the change over'.

 

3-0 was the half-time score, and it could have been much more. As Fern ran out for the second half and headed for the Spion Kop end he received a huge ovation. 

 

Eleven minutes after the break 'Bamber placed a free-kick, Duncan stood in the penalty area unattended and swung round to give Fern no chance with a left foot shot'. Five minutes later 'Wadsworth, with tenacious work on the wing was able to flash across a low centre. Fern pushed the ball out and Duncan found himself with quite enough shooting space to make a goal a certainty'.  Two minutes later, from a pass by Adcock, Duncan got his fifth to make it 6-0. 

 

Two great saves from Duncan and one from Chandler followed, and there was then a ten minute period in which Vale tried to fight back, forcing five corners and giving Bert Godderidge some work to do. 

 

Then we broke away, and a neat right-wing move between Newton and Adcock led to Duncan making it 7-0, our captain 'accepting the chance with decisive effect' to complete an incredible double hat-trick.

 

At the final whistle, 'two men ran on to congratulate Fern on his game', and the cheers he received were 'second in warmth only to those accorded the hero of the day'. The wonder of the game, concluded the Leicester Mail, was not that seven goals were registered, but that there were not seven more. This was entirely due to Fern, who saved every shot that it was possible for a human being to save. 

 

It was still only 12.45. Twenty thousand Leicester fans would have headed home with a special glow, looking forward to Christmas dinner and the chance to tell the story of the game to disbelieving relatives.

 

Port Vale made their way back to the Potteries in the knowledge that they'd have to face this team of footballing supermen all over again just twenty four hours later. 

 

These were the Mercury headlines:

 

 

 

 

 

Elsewhere that day, Man U could only draw 1-1 at Middlesbrough, which meant that Fairy Fairclough's goal for Derby put them top of the Christmas tree. His penalty was the only goal of the game at Oldham. Chelsea also got a crucial 1-0 win, at home to Wolves - that stretched their unbeaten run to 14 games. We were still down in fourth place, and knew we needed to follow up our festive goal bonanza with another two points on Boxing Day. 

 

[davieG]

4 hours ago, kushiro said:

From all points of the city, thousands of bicycles would have been heading for Filbert Street. They'd be parked close to the ground or kept in the back yards of the neighbouring terraced houses, the occupiers making a few shillings

Was still doing that in the 60s I'm sure it was still only pennies.

[kushiro]

2 minutes ago, davieG said:

Was still doing that in the 60s I'm sure it was still only pennies.

I'm sure you're recollection is correct. The 'shillings' is those who'd let dozens cram their bicycles iinto their back yard (which I've read stories of).

 

Can you recall any more about leaving your bike?  Love to hear it. Did you always leave it at the same house?

[davieG]

4 minutes ago, kushiro said:

I'm sure you're recollection is correct. The 'shillings' is those who'd let dozens cram their bicycles iinto their back yard (which I've read stories of).

 

Can you recall any more about leaving your bike?  Love to hear it. Did you always leave it at the same house?

My memory of it is not great but I'm sure I couldn't have afforded more than a few pennies. I only did it few times so no recollection of which houses other than it was Burnmoor St. I have a picture in my mind of the alley ways between the houses packed out with bikes I  don't think many of them had gates/doors on them like now.

[Foxdiamond]

2 hours ago, davieG said:

My memory of it is not great but I'm sure I couldn't have afforded more than a few pennies. I only did it few times so no recollection of which houses other than it was Burnmoor St. I have a picture in my mind of the alley ways between the houses packed out with bikes I  don't think many of them had gates/doors on them like now.

Not Filbo but there is an old Pathe type thing from early 60s with Cliff Michelmore about going to the match (in colour too) this is a shot at White Hart Lane of hundreds of fans getting their bikes after the game. How times change

[kushiro]

 

There's going to be a few follow-ups for these festive games  - and not just because I want to re-use the six reindeer logo while it's still seasonal.

 

Johnny Duncan's double hat-trick 'equaled the world record', said the Mercury's banner headline. Well - did it?

 

Only one player had ever scored six times in a Football League fixture before - and that was way back in 1899 when Steve Bloomer did it for Derby against The Wednesday. So Duncan equaled that record. But to speak of a 'world record' is a bit far-fetched. You only have to go north of the border to find John Petrie, who scored 13 for Arbroath in their famous 36-0 win against Bon Accord in the Scottish Cup in 1885. And a player called Jeno Karoly had scored 11 for MTK Budapest in the Hungarian top flight in 1905 (not that you could expect the Mercury to have known that). 

 

In the subsequent years, Bloomer and Duncan's record would be eclipsed - and the main reason was the change in the offside law at the end of this 1924/25 season. Our own Arthur Chandler equaled it in the famous 'sixth swan' game in 1928. Then in a crazy few months in the 1935/36 season, the English record was broken by Ted Drake (Arsenal - seven), Bunny Bell (Tranmere - nine) and finally Joe Payne (Luton - ten goals).

[kushiro]

 

Match 22

Friday December 26th 1924

Port Vale v Leicester City

 

Heading for the Recreation Ground in Hanley that day would have been a nine year old Port Vale fan called Stanley Matthews. He lived a mile from the ground and he probably ran the whole distance. Running, along with kicking a football, was his great love. 

 

He was already building a reputation as an athlete. Every year he entered the annual Boys' 100 Yards Handicap, held at the Victoria Ground, home of Stoke City. The very first time he entered, aged just six, he came first (with a 45 yard start over the eldest boys). As he got older, and that head-start shortened, he would win it three more times.

 

Stanley's hero was Port Vale centre half Bob Connelly, who had been marking Arthur Chandler in the game at Filbert Street on Christmas Day. Their personal duel had finished fairly even. Chandler put Leicester ahead early on, but after that, Connelly kept him quiet (while Johnny Duncan ran riot).

 

Duncan's double hat-trick took him above Channy at the top of the Division Two goalscorers list. It is not clear who was supposed to be marking him that day, but we have a pretty good idea. For this return game, Tom Cooper was restored to the Vale defence for just his second appearance, in place of Jack Braddock. With that change, Vale's defence was considerably tightened up.

This is the place Leicester visited that day:

 

 

It looks like an industrial wasteland because that's exactly what it was - 'squalid ugliness on a scale so vast it became sublime', as writer Arnold Bennett put it. Bennett's works, which include wonderfully authentic portrayals of football matches around the turn of the century, somehow made the Potteries romantic. 

 

In the photo you can see the Recreation Ground, scene of today's game, at the bottom, in the very centre of Hanley. On the left is the Cobridge Athletic ground, from where the club had recently moved. And the arrow at the top is the site of their present home, Vale Park, back in Burslem where the club were born. Arnold Bennett's home was very close to the Cobridge ground, on Waterloo Road, the main route from Hanley to Burslem which you can see stretching up the left hand side of the picture.

 

The Leicester team had a very early start that Boxing Day morning, stopping in Derby on the way to have breakfast. And in those less partisan days, there would have been a fair few Stoke fans heading for the game too, curious to see the team they'd be facing in the FA Cup two weeks later.

 

The first chance of the game fell to the home side. Alf Strange, future England star, 'sent in a magnificent shot that rebounded from the crossbar'. Then Leicester's Billy Newton let fly from distance and saw his shot strike the bar at the other end.

 

It was at this point that the main characters of the previous day took centre stage once again. Johnny Duncan was fouled in the Vale area and Leicester were awarded a penalty.  Duncan it was who stepped up to face Tom Fern. Did the keeper adopt his 'putting off' attitude? We don't know - but he did manage to outwit the Leicester captain, whose shot was saved as Fern dived to his right.

 

 

 

Then just before the break, 'Fern was loudly applauded (and deserved it) for a maginificent save, again from Duncan, fisting the ball over the bar with his arm extended'. According to the Leicester Mail, 'for several seconds the crowd were dumb with amazement before they broke out in cheers and applause'. 

 

After 45 minutes it was still goalless. The few Leicester supporters in the crowd would have been persecuting themselves with typical football supporter logic - 'Why didn't we save a couple of those Christmas goals for today?'

 

During the half-time break, one of the main exit gates was pushed open and dozens of people rushed through to add to the already huge holiday crowd, though from reports it's unclear whether the gates were forced or if it was a safety measure of some kind. 

 

Three minutes into the second half we finally took the lead, Chandler scoring with what the Mercury called 'an overhead kick'. This is unlikely to have been a bicycle kick of the Klaus Fischer / Shinji Okazaki variety, more likely Channy hooked the ball over his head while facing away from goal, as he would do so many times later in his career. 

 

Vale's response to going behind was very different from 24 hours earlier, and they were on top for much of the second half. Strange again came close, this time hitting the post, and then seeing a shot beat Godderidge but hit a defender. The pressure paid off fifteen minutes from time when Harry Hooper failed to clear  and centre forward Wilf Kirkham rushed in to score the equaliser.

 

We knew we needed the points, and we stepped up our game in search of a winner.  Adcock got away on the right and was closing in on goal before a cynical challenge stopped him in his tracks. From the free kick, George Carr got in a header which flew past Fern for a priceless goal. 

 

2-1 was the final score, and we had four points out of four with two thirds of this hectic holiday programme completed.

 

Just how vital Carr's winner was the players realised when they heard the other results. All three teams above us had won:

 

 

 

With none of the teams immediately below us winning, a gap opened up between the top four and the rest:

 

 

 

It was turning into a gripping promotion battle, with four outstanding teams chasing two slots (just like 2023/24).  And the excitement would go up yet another notch the following day, when Manchester United arrived at Filbert Street.

[kushiro]

No sniggering please  - this is the Mercury reporter's description of the penalty incident at Port Vale:

 

[Foxmeister]

On 01/11/2024 at 09:29, davieG said:

Observations

Strange to see us referred to as City even the Merc doesn't use that for us reserving it for Man City.

No mention of the ref, the manager, the owner, the Football League just the football.

That's quite a recent thing, before the oil money we were similar size clubs.

[kushiro]

On 25/12/2024 at 21:53, Foxdiamond said:

Not Filbo but there is an old Pathe type thing from early 60s with Cliff Michelmore about going to the match (in colour too) this is a shot at White Hart Lane of hundreds of fans getting their bikes after the game. How times change

Is this the one? Bikes at 3.35: