The Second Greatest Season Ever

[kushiro]

3 minutes ago, davieG said:

That's how it was before TV took over, down the pub post game we would relive every notable aspect of the game with the help of the local Sports paper.

 

Where did you go? I wish I'd had the chance to be in Johnny Duncan's pub, The Turk's Head. In the 50s and 60s it was the apparently the sporting centre of Leicester, with famous people popping in.

 

John Hutchinson was kind enough to send me this list of its clients, which Johnny's relatives had compiled after he died:

 

• Tigers(Bobby Barr, Chiltern?)
• Leicestershire County Cricket Club (Willie McLean also masseur for LCCC)
• Bookies (Ernie Claricoats Benny Dean-always came in on a Sunday morning.)
• Joe Jacobs(Publican at Haunch of Venison)
• John Arlott (sandwich in sitting room and sherry before the match) (1901-45 LCCC at nearby Aylestone Rd)
• Media people-newspaper people.
• David Coleman
• Jimmy Hill
• Alex James
• Tommy Best. Langton Abbott. Won Lincoln.
• Matt Busby.
• Directors, like Sid Needham.
• Arthur Chandler.

[davieG]

20 minutes ago, kushiro said:

 

Where did you go? I wish I'd had the chance to be in Johnny Duncan's pub, The Turk's Head. In the 50s and 60s it was the apparently the sporting centre of Leicester, with famous people popping in.

 

John Hutchinson was kind enough to send me this list of its clients, which Johnny's relatives had compiled after he died:

 

• Tigers(Bobby Barr, Chiltern?)
• Leicestershire County Cricket Club (Willie McLean also masseur for LCCC)
• Bookies (Ernie Claricoats Benny Dean-always came in on a Sunday morning.)
• Joe Jacobs(Publican at Haunch of Venison)
• John Arlott (sandwich in sitting room and sherry before the match) (1901-45 LCCC at nearby Aylestone Rd)
• Media people-newspaper people.
• David Coleman
• Jimmy Hill
• Alex James
• Tommy Best. Langton Abbott. Won Lincoln.
• Matt Busby.
• Directors, like Sid Needham.
• Arthur Chandler.

Mostly The Clarendon near where I was living with my brother and  The Royal Oak(now a Sainsburys Supermarket in Wigston Fields near Knighton Park where we used to go to re-enact the goals from the game as they had goal posts there.

[kushiro]

12 minutes ago, davieG said:

Mostly The Clarendon near where I was living with my brother and  The Royal Oak(now a Sainsburys Supermarket in Wigston Fields near Knighton Park where we used to go to re-enact the goals from the game as they had goal posts there.

 

Ha! - the number of goals we used to recreate on Knighton Park. It was over the road from our house - through the hole in the fence and there we were. The hockey goals were the best, but you had to watch out for the parky who'd give you a clip round the ear if he caught you. The hockey pitches were for the university, not us locals.

Edited 6 February by kushiro

[davieG]

Just now, kushiro said:

 

Ha! - the number of goals we used to create on Knighton Park. It was over the road from our house - through the hole in the fence and there we were. The hockey goals were the best, but you had to watch out for the parky who'd give you a clip round the ear if he caught you. The hockey pitches were for the university, not us locals.

There used to be a set of goal posts just inside the park off Brighton Avenue  

[kushiro]

 

League Match Number 27

Saturday February 7th 1925

Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday.

 

What had those gruelling Cup ties taken out of us? Were we fit and raring to go, just 48 hours later?

 

As one report said, 'Wednesday may have been counting on several of our players being absent, but in the end Leicester only needed to make one change'. That was Pat Carrigan, who had a knee injury and was replaced by Billy Watson at cente half.

 

That was the fitness report. So how about 'raring to go'?

 

As 'Scrutator' wrote in the Leicester Mail, 'It must have come as a shock to Wednesday to see the sprightly, eager way in which Leicester took the field'.

 

We were on the attack from the kick-off, and were ahead in less than ten minutes. Johnny Duncan was the scorer: 'It was a typical effort from the captain,  By skilful dribbling and strength in resisting a tackle he forced his way into a shooting position'.  

 

Wednesday were 'demoralised under the spell of City's quick and precise combinaiton' and Harry Wadsworth, our outstanding forward two days earlier, was still on top form - 'his short legs seemed to be working overtime'.

 

Then came the Adam Black show. He holds the record for most League appearances by a Leicester player, but he only ever scored four goals. Two of them came in this match. They were both penalties - the first after a Chandler shot was handled on the line; the second just after half-time to make it 3-0. 

 

Soon after that Duncan got another 'after a clever cut-in by Adcock'. (There was a picture of the goal in the Mercury on Monday. That must be Adcock in the background, not interfering with play):

 

 

We rounded it off with two from Channy, both supplied by his captain. The first came from a simple pass, and then:

 

The last goal from Chandler was a further illustration of the wonderful understanding between him and Duncan. Nine out of ten people, seeing Duncan going through, would have concluded that he was out for a solo effort. But it was more like poker than solo, and the defenders were completely bluffed. They directed the whole of their attention to John when - biff! - he had not got it and Chandler had scored.

 

All Wednesday could manage was a late goal from Jimmy Trotter.

 

Kernel summed up the game in the Football Post:  'The titanic struggle on Thursday had not impaired Leicester's efficiency and they completely overwhelmed the Sheffielders'.

 

If supporters were elated after the Newcastle game, how did they feel now? This was a breathtaking follow-up, and sent a message to our promotion rivals that we had the energy and the talent to fight on two fronts.

 

Those rivals were all at home, and they all won.  Derby beat Huddersfield 3-1, Chelsea beat Southampton 1-0, but the strangest thing that happened that day was at Old Trafford, where Clapton Orient were the visitors. Three hours before the kick-off, Orient forward Albert Pape, who had been named in their line-up, was transfered - to United! When the teams ran out he was in a red and white shirt. He even scored as his new side beat his old side 4-2. 

 

This is how things now stood:

 

 

Our 65 goals put us way out in front as top scorers in the whole Football League.

 

The individual scoring chart in the Second Division looked pretty good too. Leicester had two players at the top, followed by Albert 'Fairy' Fairclough of Derby and Paddy Mills  (Nigel Pearson's great uncle) of Hull City, who we would shortly be facing in the FA Cup:

 

 

There was good news too from Yarmouth where Leicester Boys came away with a 7-2 win in the Final Qualifying Round of the English Schools Trophy. Yarmouth took the lead, then we quickly went 2-1 up. Their keeper then sprained his wrist when he 'stopped a stinging piledriver'. He had to go off, and later returned to play on the right wing. 

 

Next they would face West Ham, with the game to be played at Filbert Street on Monday March 9th. That would be two days after a possible FA Cup Quarter Final. But first we had to get a result at Anlaby Road.  And before that we faced a tough trip to Clapton Orient in the League. 

 

'Bring it on' would have summed up the players' feelings. On the night before the Sheffield Wednesday game, Johnny Duncan had been a guest at the annual dinner of the Leicestershire and Rutland Golfers' Association. He told them, 'We can win the FA Cup and get into the First Division'.

 

 

 

Edited 7 February by kushiro

[kushiro]

The huge crowds at the Newcastle replay and the Sheffield Wednesday match prompted this letter to the Leicester Evening Mail:

 

 

Edited 8 February by kushiro

[kushiro]

 

League Match No. 28

Saturday February 14th 1925

Clapton Orient v Leicester City

 

 

The Supporters, Not The Directors, Are The Backbone of the Club

 

As it is today, so it was back then. Before the game there was 'An Orient Spectator's Protest', as one headline put it. It was a well-mannered affair - 'an elderly man addressed the occupants of the stand, objecting to the 'unsportmanlike behaviour of the club in selling Pape to Manchester United'. He added that 'the management should be aware that the supporters, not the directors, are the backbone of the club'. His remarks were received with great cheers.

 

 

We have enjoyed many crucial victories at Orient over the years. Twice we've won there to clinch the Division Two title  - in 1980, with Larry May's famous goal, and in 1957, with a 5-1 victory.

 

Before World War Two, though, the club didn't play at Brisbane Road and they weren't called 'Leyton' Orient. They were still based in Clapton, and that was their name. 

 

The ground we headed for in 1925 was called Millfields Road.  You can see it here at the bottom of the picture, with Brisbane Road arrowed at the top, and Hackney Marshes in the centre:

 

 

 

That picture was taken after the war when Millfields Road was only used for greyhound racing. It was demolished in the early 70s.

 

In the mid-20s the ground looked very different. The Spion Kop running the length of the pitch was one of the most impressive terraces at any London venue:

 

 

 

For the visit of Leicester the crowd was well above average. We were the team everyone was talkng about, and a big draw.  If we were to keep our impressive scoring record going we'd have to get past two Orient legends. In goal was Billy Wood, an enormous figure who was a favourite of the cartoonists:

 

 

And at centre back there was John Townrow, who would shortly win his first England cap. The press were looking forward to the contest between him and Arthur Chandler.

 

The match kicked off in typical wintry conditions, and you can see the state of the pitch in this Sunday Mirror photo, with George Carr on the right and an unidentified City player (possibly Jack Bamber) making a challenge:

 

 

 

The key moment in the first half came when Chandler was through on the keeper and looked odds on to score. 'Scrutator' in the Leicester Evening Mail decribed what happened next - and a dilemma we are all familiar with today:

 

'Chandler was going straight for goal and had only Wood to beat. Townrow tripped him from behind, but he did not go srpawling in the mud.  He is too clean a sportsman to fall purposely. He stumbled off the ball, however, and Townrow robbed him. Had he fallen prone, and looked as hurt as he probably felt,  the referee would have been compelled to take notice. As it was, Leicester's appeal for a penalty went unheeded'.

 

The next contentious incident came when 'George Carr was following a forward pass and Wood came out to meet it. It seems that Carr kicked Wood on the leg or on the arm, but Wood must have known he was playing a dangerous game. Fists were clenched and raised but others intervened and the incident passed' (LEM again).

 

In the second half, we were totally on top and Chandler, Wadsworth and Duncan all saw efforts come back off the bar. The Daily Herald told us that 'the Orient cross bar became bespattered with mud'.

 

Then with fifteen minutes left,  Duncan 'received the ball unmarked, and taking aim at leisure, he shot well out of Wood's reach'.

 

That goal was enough to finish off Orient.

 

There was great news from the other games. Across the river at Selhurst Park, Arthur Lochhead put Manchester United ahead but then two goals from Tom Hoddinott condemned them to their third defeat in four games. Derby County lost 2-1 at Vale Park, the winner a controversial late penalty. Our only rival to pick up points were Chelsea, who won 2-1 at Craven Cottage.

 

That meant that after five months of no change in the top two, we had finally gatecrashed the promotion places:

 

 

The most eye-catching result of the day was 5th placed Portmsouth winning 5-0 at 4th placed Wolves, which meant that the top four were even further ahead of the chasing pack. Two famous old clubs (Derby and Man U), one club with a famous ground (Chelsea) plus the previously unheralded Leicester City were turning it into a classic four-way scrap.

 

Notice Hull City there in eighth place - our opponents in the FA Cup in seven days time. The Hull Daily Mail reported this weekend that many fans were left disappointed when tickets for the Cup tie sold out quickly. 'One problem we've had', said the Hull chairman, 'is that for the Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton ties, very few tickets were required by the visiting club. But Leicester have taken their full allocation - 25%'. 

 

In the League, we'd finally cracked the top two. Next we'd find out if we could make it to the last eight of the Cup.

[kushiro]

Do yourself a favour some time and choose a few random selections from the player profiles in Of Fossils and Foxes . Every one is an absolute gem. 

 

Here's the entry for Mick O'Brien, the ex-Leicester skipper who we'd be facing in the FA Cup at Hull:

 

Mick was a virtually legendary figure in inter-war football who's itchy feet and love of the blarney could scarcely disguise a genuine talent for classical centre half play.  One of his claims was that he'd never kicked a football until the age of 18 when his family moved from Ireland to the north east and shortly before he joined the army. Nonetheless he quickly became a footballing mercenary before the outbreak of war, then served during the hostilities in each of the Navy (seeing action aboard HMS Chester at the Battle of Jutland) and the Royal Flying Corps (from January 18th) and then resumed his soccer wanderings in 1919.

 

After almost two seasons easing QPR into the league and having won both his first Irish cap and selection for the Football League against the Army, in November 1921 Mick brought his 6 foot 1 inch presence and his outsize personality to Leicester.  A further four International appearances came his way as firstly he played alongside Jimmy Harold in a daunting defensive pairing then usurped his partner's pivotal role.  He was denied a further cap in February 1923 when City prioritized their promotion effort over the release but unfortunately Mick missed out on the frustrating run-in to a third place finish after suffering a broken toe.

 

A year later, however, no sooner had the Sunday Post declared of his game that he 'had brains behind his boots - he eschewed the haphazard' that he had a bust up with the board in a Blackpool hotel and found himself listed. After the league reduced City's asking fee from £2,000 to $750 (and he'd spent part of the summer playing Cricket with Thurmaston), Mick joined second division rivals Hull.

 

 

Mick O'Brien  - and Paul Taylor, the man who wrote those words. Wish he was still with us.

[kushiro]

There was some very sad news this week. I mean now - in 2025, not 100 years ago. But I want to mention it on this thread for reasons that will become clear.

 

As we were winning at Clapton Orient, across North London, Division One leaders Huddersfield were outclassing Arsenal, their 5-0 win being perhaps the stand-out result of the whole season in the top flight.  

 

 

 

That Huddersfield side was built by the legendary Herbert Chapman, whose biography was written by Patrick Barclay:

 

 

Sadly, Paddy passed away this week, aged 77.  Along with our own Jon Holmes and another well-known writer Colin Shindler, he presented the weekly podcast Football Ruined My Life. 

 

You can hear Jon's tribute to his friend and colleague here:

 

Football Ruined My Life - Jon Holmes, Patrick Barclay, Colin Shindler, Paul Kobrak | ポッドキャストランキング 

[kushiro]

Three days to go before the big game and the players were taking a break from training at Filbert Street:

 

 

They're playing 'Wibbly Wob', a table football game. Predictably, Johnny Duncan and Arthur Chandler are the ones hogging the table. 

 

I'd never heard of Wibbly Wob:

 

 

The rules say that 'the disc representing the ball is laid flat on the table and players hold the wires so that the foot of the 'striker' is just touching the disc'

 

There was a bit of a table football boom at the time. Later in the same year Andy Ducat, the footballing cricketer who you might remember from another thread, launched this:

 

 

Subbuteo was still over 20 years away.

 

 

. 

[kushiro]

 

FA Cup Third Round (last 16)

Saturday February 21st 1925

Hull City v Leicester City

 

Let's start with a photo I was thrilled to find the other day. It's Johnny Duncan and Mick O'Brien before kick-off. Recall that Mick was our captain until he was transferred to Hull at the start of this season. You can see why Paul Taylor speaks of his 'outsize personality' in that profile from Of Fossils and Foxes quoted a few days ago. 

 

 

It's a picture that really sums up the first decade of Leicester CIty. O'Brien, who so nearly led us to promotion in 1923, and Duncan - the soul of our first truly great side. 

 

Perhaps the reason O'Brien is looking so confident is that he knows his team have a plan. They are going to go for our throats right from the start.

 

Within the first few seconds, 'a perfect sea of striped shirts swarmed round Godderidge, the Leicester keeper', and the home side had several near misses in the opening minutes.

 

This came as a surprise to the press photographers, who had all taken up positions behind the Hull goal until they realised the action was at the other end, as this R.B.Davis cartoon in the Mercury showed us:

 

 

 

In the 17th minute, Hull's pressure finally paid off. A corner was cleared but Paddy Mills set up Mick O'Brien on the edge of the box. He 'trapped the ball cleverly and let go a shot that sailed over the heads of several players and beat Godderidge as a piercing shriek of pent-up exctiement rent the air'.  What a time to get your first goal for the club.

 

Hull didn't let up, and our full backs Adam Black and Harry Hooper were called upon several times to make last ditch challenges. Hooper was having his best game for the club, and  cries of 'Well played, Ginger' were heard when he made yet another clearance.

 

Hooper watches as Godderidge saves.

 

The battles between centre half and centre forward at each end were a highlight of the game. Leicester's Pat Carrigan could only deal with Billy Mills by repeatedly fouling him. 'Carrrigan was merciless' said the Hull Daily Mail, 'and the referee was very charitable when he lectured a whole group of players rather than directing his remarks to individuals. Mills at the time was in the hands of the trainer on the touchline'. At the other end,  O'Brien was keeping Chandler bottled up .

 

O'Brien is in the centre of the picture here, as Hull keeper George Maddison clears from Hugh Wadsworth. Johnny Duncan and Arthur Chandler are the Leicester players on the left.

 

 

The best effort for Leicester in the first half was a Chandler shot that Maddison tipped over the bar, then back at the other end just before the interval 'Godderidge made a remarkable save by throwing the ball round the post as he was falling back through the goal'.

 

We still couldn't get going in the second half, and the game became scrappy. Then ten minutes from time we got the equalizer. The ball came over from Wadsworth on the left and 'Duncan had the audacity to get the ball under control without the least suggesiton of hurry and then beat Maddison with a fast cross shot that hit the under part of the crossbar before finding the net'.

 

This is not a good quality picture, but it's worth putting here to get at least a feel of that crucial moment. Duncan is extreme right. Note the fans on the roof:

 

 

 

After that it was our turn to swarm around the opposition goal and we nearly snatched a winner that on the balance of play would have been very harsh on Hull.

 

                                          Harry Wadsworth takes on the Hull defence

 

It had been our least impressive performance for several weeks, but we'd survived.

 

These were the other scores:

 

 

 

So four of the eight ties were draws, with the most impressive result being Cardiff's win at Notts County, who had been top of the Leage a few weeks earlier.

 

This is what happened at Bramall Lane.  Fred Tunstall's winner looks not dissimilar to O'Brien's goal described above:

 

 

So Leicester got ready for another Thursday afternoon replay. Before that, on Monday lunchtime, it was the draw for the quarter finals.

[kushiro]

When the draw for the quarter finals was made, the first team out of the hat was 'Cardiff City'.  The next was 'Hull City or Leicester City'. If we won the replay we'd be facing another tough away trip. But after our performance at Newcastle in Round Two that wasn't something we'd be too bothered about.

 

This was the full draw:

 

Cardiff City v Hull City or Leicester City

Southampton v Liverpool

Sheffield United v West Brom or Aston Villa

Tottenham or Blackburn Rovers v West Ham or Blackpool

 

Our rivals in the promotion race were playing close attention to the FA cup results.  With Leicester facing another replay, it meant that in a period in which Derby, Man U and Chelsea all played just three games, we would be playing six (recall that those three clubs all fell at the first hurdle in the FA Cup). We might be the form team in the division, but surely all these extra games would take something out of us. That, at least, was what our rivals were hoping.

 

As we were snatching that draw at Hull on Saturday, Chelsea were in action in the League - at Stockport County.  They had a chance to go level with Derby at the top but were hammered 4-0. This man Tommy Meads got a hattrick:

 

 

Both Man U and Derby had a weekend off as their scheduled opponets were still in the Cup (Southampton beat Bradford City 2-0). But on this Monday afternoon, just after the quarter final draw was made, United had their chance to go level at the top if they could beat Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. They couldn't manage it either. Controversial signing from Clapton Orient Albert Pape was on the scoresheet again but they were held to a 1-1 draw. 

 

That left the table like this:

 

 

Meanwhile, as Hull City were preparing for the replay at the luxury Alexander Hotel in Bridlington,  our players were following their normal training routine at Filbert Street.  Reports suggested that both teams were likely to be unchanged from Saturday. Here's the players details - with just Mick O'Brien on either side over six foot:

 

 

 

[kushiro]

The day before the game, two other replays were staged. On Saturday, a record crowd of 64,000 at the Hawthorns had seen West Brom and Aston Villa draw 1-1. This Wednesday afternoon, Albion won 2-1 at Villa Park, which left them facing a quarter final tie at Bramall Lane. The other replay was Blackpool's 3-1 win over West Ham. They face the winners of the Blackburn - Tottenham replay, scheduled for tomorrow.

 

Tottenham had been two up with just eight minutes left at White Hart Lane on Saturday, and their fans were singing 'Who killed Cock Robin?' in celebration. Then Blackburn got two late goals, and 'the crowd filed out of the ground in silence'. In those days, no one sang 'two nil, and you ****ed it up' - it was left to the cartoonist in the Daily Herald to put the boot in:

 

 

Also today, Derby beat Bradford City 2-0 in the League - the fixture postponed from Saturday. That put the Rams three points clear at the top of Division Two:

 

 

Hull's players spent the night in Sheffield prior to traveling down to Leicester tomorrow. Meanwhile at Filbert Street, preparations were underway for another massive crowd. After the scenes at the Newcastle replay, barbed wire was strung around the pillars on the Spion Kop to prevent a repeat of this scene:

 

 

The club also announced that the usual price reduction for boys would not be available, and that 'cripple carriages' would not be allowed in the ground 'in the interests of the unfortunate people themselves'. 

 

Factories in the city would be closing early again to allow workers to make the 3pm kick off, and the Evening Mail had this front page story:

 

 

The report claimed that: 'Leicester City football team's wonderful achievements this season have been a huge advertisement to local industry and a stimulus to the city's trade. The team's feats have put the word 'Leicester' into the mouths and minds of hundreds of thousands of people in all parts of the country. The best wishes of all Leicester citizens are, therefore, with the City team in their splendid fights for promotion and the Cup'.

 

Edited 25 February by kushiro

[kushiro]

 

FA Cup Third Round Replay

Thursday February 26th 1925.  3pm kick-off

Leicester City v Hull City

 

 

Nearly 1,000 visiting supporters made the trip on special trains that left Paragon Station in Hull and arrived at Great Central Station three hours later. 'A good number of them were of the fair sex', reported the Mercury, and 'there was never such a collection of black and amber hats'. Arriving at the same station from Sheffield were the Hull players, led by Mick O'Brien.  Before they headed for the ground, 'they stopped for a meal in the station buffet'. O'Brien told a reporter that 'if there is a decisive result I will leave at six o'clock for Ireland'. He had been selected to play for his country against Scotland in Belfast on Saturday. If another replay were necesssary, it would take place on Monday, and he would have to pull out the Ireland squad.

 

The surprise before the game was that our right winger Hugh Adcock, tormentor of Newcastle in the last round, was unfit after taking a knock on the ankle at Hull. With Johnny Duncan's brother Tommy having left earlier this season we had no experienced replacement, so half back Norrman Watson was drafted in to play an unfamiliar role. 

 

This was the scene at 2.55 - the band plays as Duncan leads the team out, with Channy following behind:

 

 

The excerpts from match reports that follow have been pieced together from the Daily Chronicle, the Nottingham Journal and the two Leicester papers.

 

'Duncan named the coin correctly and secured the Royal Blues a distinct first half advantage', with Paddy Mills (Nigel Pearson's great uncle, you'll recall) kicking off for Hull with a strong wind against them.

 

'The game opened with a series of thrills provided by the Leicester forwards, who played with the speed of greyhounds in the mud. Chandler put Duncan through but his shot hit the foot of a post with Maddison nowhere near it. After ten minutes of hurricane attacking, Watson put across a high dropping centre which curled towards goal. Maddison got his fists to it but it was a weak clearance, straight on to the head of Chandler, who steered it into the net'.

 

  The Spion Kop shortly after Chandler's goal

 

'Chandler and Carr then went perilously close to a second, before Duncan ran clean through and Maddison had to make a glorious save'.

 

'Play proceeded to the accompaniment of an almost continual roar from the crowd, which was worked up to a high degree of excitment by the dazzling work of the home forwards. It was easy to see why Leicester had earned the description of the 'wonder team'.

 

With each one scheming in turn, Chandler, Duncan and Carr were an irresistible trio  - brain and brawn working on that heavy ground. All were scientific and thrustful, but also cool and deliberate. These three know not the meaning of selfishness'.

 

The biggest scare for Leicester in the first half came when 'Hooper played a back pass unsighted to Godderridge, not noticing that Mills was almost upon him. Godderidge only had time to reach the ball on his knee and there was quite a struggle before he succeeded in getting the ball away'.

 

Once again the battles between centre-forward and centre-half caught the eye. 'The burly Chandler bewildered O'Brien, his former clubmate, but it was far from a happy day for Paddy Mills, who found Carrigan masterful without having to resort to the tactics which made him so unpopular at Hull'. Meanwhile, on the left wing, Wadsworth was causing anxiety to the visitors. He was badly brought down by Collier, with Billy Newton shooting just wide from the free kick.

 

It was 1-0 at the break, then 'the second half opened with a thrill. Hull were now playing with a strong wind behind them and after three minutes, Thom put a ball in from the left and Hamilton beat Godderidge from close range'.

 

Hull now started playing with a degree of confidence. 'A spell of kick and rush football followed, and this did not improve the home side's chances. But before it was too late, Leicester steadied themselves and once again began to look a team infinitely superior to Hull'. With twenty minutes to go, Leicester went back in front when 'Chandler headed in from a corner admirably taken by Watson'. 

 

Stand-in Watson then completed a memorable afterrnoon, his 'magnificent run and centre led to a tussle in front of goal before Chandler pounced and banged the ball in for his third'.

 

O'Brien jumps, Chandler waits to nod in his second goal.

 

The remaining minutes were simply a celebration. The Leicester 'war cry' was heard - 'fans emitting a series of yells which sounded like the Maori war song'. And when rain started falling, the crowd broke into a chorus of It Aint Gonna Rain No Mo' - the big hit of recent months:

 

 

The optimism and rainfall references in the lyrics make it a distant cousin of 'When You're Smiling', written just a couple of years later. The wikipedia entry for the song says it was sung by Sheffield United fans this season - but they weren't the only ones.

 

The game finished 3-1, and this was manager Peter Hodge at the end, as portrayed in the Leicester Chronicle:

 

 

 

In the other replay, Spurs were made to regret throwing away that two goal lead on Saturday. In front of a massive Thursday afternoon crowd of almost 50,000, Blackburn raced into a 3-0 lead before the break and Spurs got just one back in the second half.

 

So this was the line-up for the quarter finals, just nine days away:

 

 

 

The League positions of the eight clubs left in are shown here on the Division One and Division Two tables from the previous weekend (since when Derby and Man U had picked up points, leaving us in third place)

 

 

 

 

We'd only reached the quarter-finals once before. But there was no knowing how far this wonder team could go:

 

 

 

[kushiro]

So who is cup hero Norman Watson, the man who came in for Hugh Adcock and set up each of Channy's three goals?

 

Here's what Of Fossils and Foxes says about him:

 

'A sturdy, muscularly defensive half back who exhibited versatility and patience in equal measure when sporadically backing up City's early 20s promotion efforts. After that, he shuttled left and right across the middle line with odd excursions to outside right and full back'. He was from Chester-le-Street in County Durham.

 

 

That Channy hat-trick took his total for the season to 30  in 33 games in League and Cup - way ahead of anyone else. The England selectors had not chosen him for this Saturday's game v Wales after his poor showing in the trial game. So he'd be playing for us against Barnsley in the League, just two days after the Hull replay. 

 

This is how the Football Post saw things:

 

 

(and I still haven't worked out why they use the 'gent' to represent us)

[kushiro]

 

League Match Number 29

Saturday February 28th 1925

Leicester City v Barnsley

 

According to an Evening Mail report this week, the club's exploits were providing a boost to the city's commercial fortunes. But better still was the spring in the step and the smile on the face of every individual Leicester fan. 

 

What did this extraordinary team have up its sleeve next? At the start of the month, the replay win over Newcastle was followed 48 hours later by a six goal hammering of Sheffield Wednesday in the League. Now there was another Thursday-Saturday double bill. Just two days after knocking out Hull, we faced Barnsley at Filbert Street.

 

Hugh Adcock was still unfit so Norman Watson kept his place on the right wing, while Barnsley had future Leicester legend Ernie Hine at inside left.

 

The Daily Express sent a reporter to the game, and the following is a collage of that report plus regulars 'Kernel' in the Footbal Post and 'Albion' in the Mercury.

 

'Instead of being tired by Thursday's Cup game, Leicester were as fresh as if they'd had a fortnight off. The most prominent player, naturally, was Chandler. A heavy man is generally at a disadvantage on a mud heap and it was remarkable to see the nimbleness, pace and agility of the Leicester centre forward. After seven minutes, the home side took the lead thanks to Chandler's persistence and cleverness. Duncan pushed the ball through to him and he ran between both backs and left keeper Tommy Gale helpless with a powerful oblique drive'.

 

'Chandler quickly added a second. It was a goal that will stand as a classic of what can be accomplished by speed, strength and ball control when a man sets himself the task of going through a defence, even though the mud is up to his ankle at every stride. He finished by sending the ball into the roof of the net with another lovely drive'.

 

'Leicester were displaying remerkable speed and technique on a surface that was exceedingly treacherous, playing in a manner that marked them - if there had been any doubt before - as a team of outstanding talent'.

 

'The Barnsley goal was almost in a state of perpetual siege and their full backs were glad to kick anywhere to obtain a temporary respite'.

 

'Two minutes after the break, Chandler completed his hat-trick - his second in three days. Wadsworth dropped over a nice centre which Chandler took in his stride, and after rounding Gittins he easily beat Gale for the third time'.

 

'Two minutes later Wadsworth was again in the picture with another smart run and centre. This time Chandler took the ball very low to score number four to a great ovation'.

 

After that came Barnsley's best spell of the game, 'Godderidge going full length to scoop out a beauty from Hine'. Then with ten minutes to go Watson centred from the right for Chandler to score his fifth, and just after that Duncan got on the scoresheet, heading in Wadsworth's cross from the left'. 

 

 

Two of the greatest individual scoring feats in the club's history had taken place within the space of a couple of months. Channy didn't quite match Duncan's six on Christmas Day against Port Vale - though nobody before or since has equaled his haul of eight goals in two games just 48 hours apart.

 

Somwhow, despite having dropped just three points in our last twelve games, we found ourselves back outside the top two. Derby followed up their midweek win with a 1-0 victory at Clapton Orient, and having moved above us with a point on Monday, Man U today had an easy 3-0 win over Wolves at Old Trafford.  

 

 

Chelsea were in danger of losing touch with the leading three. After going two up at home to Portsmouth they managed to lose 3-2. 

 

Here's another table - showing the top goalscoring teams across all four divisions:

 

 

And that was just in League games. We'd knocked in another ten in the FA Cup in recent weeks. 

 

Channy now had 28 in the League, and with thirteen games still to play he was being tipped to break the all-time record of 38.  Leicester fans would have loved to have seen him break into the England team, but in those days internationals often clashed with a League programme. Had Channy played to his usual standard in the trial game in January, he wouldn't have had the chance to score those five goals today - he would have been pulling on a Three Lions shirt and playing against Wales in Swansea. 

 

We need to have a closer look at the two internationals played this afternoon. 

 

First the game in Swansea - "the crowd a mere 8,000, most of them drenched; the ground abominable, the players unrecognizable, the football - magnificent.", as the Westminster Gazette put it.

 

England won 2-1, with Manchester City's Frank Roberts getting both. The game's outstanding performer, however, was the home side's centre half and captain, Fred Keenor of Cardiff City - the man whose job a week from now would be to try and pour water on Channy's fire in the FA Cup quarter-final. This was how one reporter summed up his performance:

 

'The man of the match was Keenor. He was here, there and everywhere, inspiring his young wing halves, shielding his backs, tacking with almost inevitable certainty, and developing attacks in the second half in a manner that bordered on the miraculous'.

 

He also scored Wales' only goal, firing home from the edge of the box with the help of a deflection.

 

The clash between him and Chandler in seven days' time looked like being a true battle of the giants:

 

 

Meanwhile, Scotland were beating Ireland 2-1 at Windsor Park in  Belfast, where there wasn't so much space on the terraces:

 

 

 

The picture below shows Mick O'Brien, who had hurried across the Irish Sea straight after Hull's defeat at Filbert Street on Thursday:

 

 

That's O'Brien on the right.  You can also see legendary Scottish forward Hughie Gallacher in the white shirt and Irish keeper Tom Farquarson, the former IRA member now playing for Cardiff City. He was another man we'd be facing next Saturday.

 

Scotland won that game 2-1, and joined England on four points at the top of the Home Internationals table. The decider would be in April at Hampden Park, and with Scottish selectors having recently watched Johnny Duncan, there was a chance we'd be seeing a Leicester player in one of the season's two showpiece events. The other big one, of course, was the FA Cup Final. Johnny had his eyes on that, too.

 

Cardiff warmed up for the Cup with an impressive 2-1 win at Newcastle in Division One today, and as this Football Post cartoon shows, while there would be three other quarter-finals next Saturday, as well as a number of crucial League fixtures, the game getting people really fired up was the one at Ninian Park:

 

 

 

[kushiro]

It really was dancing in the streets time.

 

This is what had happened in the last three months:

 

 

 

 

Seventeen unbeaten  - and if you tried to pick one as the highlight you'd have about ten different games competing for that title.

 

 

[kushiro]

More on Arthur Chandler - the man the whole country was talking about.

 

He had now scored three hat-tricks in five weeks - v Coventry, v Hull in the Cup, and now 5 v Barnsley. Mercury cartoonist R.B.Davis had Winston Churchill, well-known hat-lover,  providing a selection to him. You can see the names of those clubs on the boxes. Then, looking ahead to the FA Cup quarter-final, Winston takes one out of the 'Cardiff' box.

 

 

 

 

Eighteen months earlier the two had actually met:

 

 

That was at Filbert Street when Winston stood unsuccessfully for the Liberal Party in the Leicester West constituency.

 

 

It's worth looking in a bit more detail at Channy's scoring habits.  

 

Recall that between September and January he had that sequence of scoring in seventeen out of nineteen games - ' the most consistent run of scoring in the club's history'.

 

 

He was getting them all in ones (with just a solitary double).  

 

Compare that with his recent run of 15 goals in eight games:

 

 

He was like a batsman who begins his innings cautiously, picking up singles close to the wicket, but then starts slogging the bowlers all round the ground.

 

 

Edited 2 March by kushiro

[kushiro]

Three days before the quarter final, the Leicester squad set off for their base in Penarth, on the South Wales coast just outside Cardiff. Watching them depart, the Leicester Evening Mail reporter was moved to write that 'they made one think of a gallant band of explorers, in search of what they know to exist, but few are able to locate'.

 

This was the biggest game in the club's history. We'd made the last eight once before - fifteen years ago when we were still Leicester Fosse. But it was different then. We played Newcastle away when they were the best team in the land and we were a Division Two side not good enough to sustain a promotion challenge. It finished 3-0 and could have been a lot more.

 

Now we set off for Cardiff confident of victory. 

 

The players boarded the 2.28 departure from Great Central Station, and 'work was stopped in the hosiery factory opposite in order that the girls could give them a hearty send-off. They crowded round the windows, cheering and blowing kisses. In the booking hall, Arthur Chandler was presented with a Bonzo pup as a mascot. It had a blue ribbon around the neck, but there was a rush to redecorate it with the appropriate colour'.

 

With Cardiff playing in blue, we'd have to switch:

 

 

 

The team arrived that evening at the Esplanade Hotel in Penarth:

 

 

Little danger here of a repeat of the incident in the hotel at Whitley Bay before the Newcastle tie, when Channy woke up in the morning covered in snow after roommate Johnny Duncan insisted on keeping the skylight open at night. Here he could snuggle up with his Bonzo pup, dreaming of the tricks he was going to show Fred Keenor on Saturday.

 

 

 

 

[kushiro]

The day before the game, Bonzo was getting five-star treatment at the Esplanade Hotel. As the Mercury reported,  'the most profound respect is paid to the mascots that have been sent to the team. No meal is begun until the handsomely-decorated Bonzo and other equally expressive emblems of good luck are given their proper place at the table'.

 

Also visiting the hotel was the Western Mail, and they had the Leicester party pose for a photo 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's add names so we know who's who:

 

 

 

The fifteen in the picture are the regular first XI, two other players in the squad - Buchanan Sharp and Norman Watson, plus manager Peter Hodge and trainer Dave Gardner. Or should that be sixteen?  Channy is holding Bonzo (and you can probably spot other mascots too).

 

One man who was with the party but not in the picture was our blind masseur Bill Fox, who would have been giving special attention to Adcock's ankle all week to get him fit for the game. 

 

The Western Mail reporter had a word with Arthur Chandler, 'whose scoring feats have occasioned so much comment in football circles recently':

 

"Meeting him in "mufti" one would never think that this was the same finely-built, broad-shouldered man who is so thrustful in front of goal. He seems quite a different personality on and off the field. As a matter of fact, he's the entertainer of the party and a great practical joker. He told me 'It's going to be a great tussle. We thoroughly realise the strength of the opposition and we shall enter into this match determined to go every inch of the way.  We can play good football and shall do so in this match. There will be no hacking, but a good clean game. We think we have a chance of the double - Cup and League. I think one goal may settle the match either way'".

 

Around tea time, Johnny Duncan received the news that he'd been selected for Scotland's trial game on March 17th. If he does well in that game he'll be playing against England at Hampden Park in the match to decide this year's Home International championship. 

 

These were the men selected for the trial - some of those names would become all-time Scottish greats in the years ahead:

 

 

The trial is normally 'Anglos' - those playing in the Football League, v 'Scots', but this year only four Anglos were chosen and the teams were simply labeled A and B. Notice that one of the other Anglos is Jimmy Nelson, the Cardiff full back we'd be facing tomorrow - though he was a very special kind of 'Anglo' - a Scot playing for a Welsh club who signed him from Irish club Crusaders.

 

Duncan is also on this list of the top scorers in the four divisions of the Football League, published in Thomson's Weekly News, interestingly, in goals per game order. So Channy is behind David Brown of Darlington (though if you added FA Cup goals he'd be ahead):

 

 

'Dean' there in third place is of course Dixie - this was the season he burst onto the scene with Tranmere Rovers. A week from now, he would play his last game for the club before signing for Everton on March 16th.  At the bottom of that list is Len Davies of Cardiff - but he wouldn't be facing Leicester tomorrow. He was injured in Wales' defeat in Scotland last month.

 

Finally, apologies for being a bit slow. I didn't realise that the hat Churchill is giving Channy in the cartoon a few days ago is meant to be a 'Welsh hat'. You can see it again in another Mercury cartoon this week, which shows Johnny Duncan, having led the team through three rounds of the Cup, now facing the next hurdle:

 

[kushiro]

 

FA Cup Quarter-Final

Saturday March 7th 1925

Cardiff City v Leicester City

 

And so the big day arrived. The club that had never won a trophy was just two games away from the Final, and all Leicester was talking about it.

 

At 8.30 and 8.45 in the morning, special trains set off from Great Central Station, calling at Wigston Glen Parva and Hinckley on the way. On board, 'mascots were everywhere, draped in red and white'.  Another special train left the Midland Station (London Road), where 'a hawker was selling red ribbons and miniature FA Cups as fast as he could pin them up'.

 

At the hotel in Penarth, Hugh Adcock passed a morning fitness test so we would be at full strength, while Johnny Duncan received a bouquet of red and white flowers, the card attached reading 'Leicester red, Cardiff blue, Cardiff one, Leicester two'.

 

The Evening Mail reported that 'All Wales came to Cardiff. Miners from the valleys arrived in their thousands, and down the main road came buses, public and private charabancs and taxi cabs full of cheeering and often yelling human beings'.

 

At the ground, Leicester fans were also making themselves heard, 'treating the whole crowd to an exhibition of the famous Leicester war-cry,  which sounded sufficiently awesome and unintelligible to have been in the Welsh language itself'.    (Wouldn't it be great if we knew more about this. Sadly, the details of the war-cry appear lost to history)

 

This is how the teams lined up, both in the classic 2-3-5 formation:

 

 

The opening fifteen minutes were very tight, and the most significant incident was Adcock going off for treatment after getting a knock on the ankle  - the one Bill Fox had been working on all week. He came back on but 'it was evident he was in pain and could hardly raise any speed'.

 

Despite that setback, Leicester began to take control, 'playing much better football than their opponents', with Duncan at the centre of everything. We had a series of half chances - a Chandler header from a free kick, a George Carr a shot that hit Fred Keenor, a Duncan dribble that nearly opened up the home defence.

 

 

This was how Reynolds Newspaper' summed up the first half. 'Leicester were so perfectly balanced and their go-ahead tactics so forceful and dangerous that Cardiff had all their work cut out to stop them scoring. There was nothing aggressive in the Leicester style and one was struck with the easy movement of their forwards, who combined beautifully and invariably drew the defence before parting with the ball.   

 

We'd been the better side, but it was still goalless at the break.

 

At the start of the second half, Cardiff finally started playing like a top flight side, and Godderidge had to make a fine save from Joe Nicholson. After fifty five minutes, they took the lead. 'A clever pass from Nicholson to Davies saw the winger centre into the goal mouth, where Beadles jumped ...

 

 

 

...and beat Godderidge with a smart header into the net'.

 

 

 

 

It was a prodigious leap from Beadles, and according to Mercury cartoonist RB Davis, a rousing version of 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau' (Land Of My Fathers) a few moments earlier had given him the necessary wings:

 

 

 

Leicester were level almost immediately, from 'the cleverest move of the match'. 'Wadsworth and Carr, well supported by Bamber, forced an attack and  Carr, when challenged, passed square to Chandler. He shot hard and low, and Farquarson did well to push the ball out. Duncan, waiting in position, banged the ball into the net'.

 

Straight after that, 'Chandler again made Farquarson save brilliantly following a similar movement, and so well did Leicester play subsequently that they appeared to have the game in hand'.

 

Cardiff rarely threatened, but then with time running out came 'the Welsh miracle'.

 

Keenor played the ball deep into the Leicester half, and Adam Black, with Nicholson in pursuit, was taking no chances. He blasted the ball into the crowd behind the goal to clear the danger  - but in doing so gave the home side one last chance from a corner kick. 

 

Willlie Davis took it with his right foot, and as the ball came across it seemed to swerve in towards goal. Godderidge raised a hand to palm it away but it sailed over his head - and into the net. The referee pointed to the halfway line and then instantly blew his whistle to signal the end of the match. 

 

In the crowd there was confusion  - you couldn't score direct from a corner kick, could you? But hang on - hadn't the rule just been changed? Yes - they changed it at the start of this season. The goal stands!  No-one in the 50,000 crowd had ever witnessed such a moment before, but when it sunk in that a legitimate goal had been scored, confusion turned to elation and the scenes were unforgettable - 'the crowd swarmed onto the field in their thousands and the players had great difficulty making their way to the dressing room'. 

 

                                                         Willie Davies

 

For Leicester, those cruel seconds meant the end of the double dream.  The long unbeaten run, stretching back more than three months, was over - in what one report called 'an ultra-sensational manner'.

 

The rule about scoring direct from a corner had indeed been changed just nine months earlier, and in the intervening period, there had been just one instance of it happening - Huddersfield's Billy Smith scoring against Arsenal at Leeds Road in October. It had never happened in an FA Cup match before. 

 

In the directors' room after the match, referee Mr Pinckston produced his stopwatch, 'and there it lay, with the minute hand on 45 and the second hand on 60, exactly as he stopped it when the ball hit the net'.  The winning goal had come from the last kick, in the last second of the 45 minutes.

 

Willie Davis told reporters, 'Perhaps no-one will believe me, but I tried to score. It was a thousand-to-one chance, but it was our last'. Cardiff manager Fred Stewart said 'We were lucky to win. I don't think Leicester could have played better than they did today'.

 

The Leicester players had to make the long journey home, arriving back at Great Central Station at 10.30pm. But the scenes there were no less remarkable than at Ninian Park:

 

'Thousands of supporters were there to give them a rousing reception - the kind normally reserved for conquerors. Several of the players were lifted shoulder-high, and Duncan and Chandler were carried as far as High Street, where the large crowd was so packed that for several minutes vehicular traffic was held up as cheers for City were raised repeatedly. Although some of the players had an uncomfortable few minutes, they assure me that they greatly appreciate the spirit behind the demonstration'.  (Leicester Mercury)

 

It was a welcome you might expect for losing Cup-finalists, not for a team that hadn't even made the semis. So how to explain it? It's easy really. The team had taken the supporters and the whole city on an incredible three month joyride, conquering all before them, scoring more goals and playing more attractive football than any team in the land.  

 

We hadn't made it to Wembley, but we had arrived. For the first time, the name 'Leicester City' was one that inspired respect and admiration among football lovers across the country.

 

 

 

Edited 7 March by kushiro

[kushiro]

On the team's long journey back to Leicester, someone would have jumped out at one of the stations along the way to buy a sports paper. In the League today, our three promotion rivals were all in action. News of defeats for two of them would have raised spirits a little.

 

Manchester United lost at Fulham, and that man Paddy Mills' goal gave Hull City victory over Chelsea:

 

 

That was Chelsea's third defeat in a row, and it now looked like a three-way fight for the two promotion slots. 

 

As at Cardiff, the other three FA Cup Quarter-Finals all resulted in victories for the home side. Southampton beat Liverpool 1-0, Sheffield United beat West Brom 2-0 and Blackburn beat Blackpool 1-0. 

 

 

Edited 7 March by kushiro

[kushiro]

This is what the London papers had to say about the drama in Cardiff:

 

There will be general disappointment at the disappearance from the competition of such a good side as Leicester City, whose brilliant play has raised Second Division stock to a higher standard than for some seasons.    Daily Express

 

The Leicester inside trio of Chandler, Duncan and Carr were far more impressive than the whole of the Cardiff forwards, and the Welshmen are fortunate to have a half-back line that includes such men as Keenor and Hardy, and they strove valiantly to thwart the Leicester goal getters.  Daily Express

 

If there is one player more sorry for himself than any other it must be Adam Black. It was he who gave away the corner, deliberately I thought, which caused so dramatic a defeat. This was the only thing he did approaching a mistake; in fact, he was the most outstanding player of all.    Daily Chronicle

 

Black is a stripling of a full-back with a marvelous intuition of positional play, and his frustration of Davies and Beadles on his wing was, the dramatic climax aside, easily the best feature of the match.   Westminster Gazette

 

Well might the Cardiff enthusiasts rejoice - this was a victory so sudden, so unexpected, and so undeserved on the balance of play.     The Times.

 

 

The cartoonists had a lot to say too.

 

This was the Western Mail's take on the clash between Arthur Chandler and Fred Keenor:

 

 

'Completely bottled' is a bit of an exaggeration. Channy didn't score, but from the match reports it seems their battle was more like 50-50.

 

 

This was the Leicester Chronicle on Leicester fans' chant after the game:

 

 

 

That was one of the most common call and response refrains of the day - 'Are we downhearted?'   'No!!!'   It was popular during the Great War:

 

 

 

 

The Chronicle also had this take on Adam Black conceding that fateful last minute corner:

 

This is what he did:

 

 

 

And this is what he should have done:

 

 

 

Finally, the most celebrated cartoonist of the age Tom Webster's take on the quarter finals in the Weekly Dispatch:

 

 

 

[kushiro]

That song Leicester fans were singing after the final whistle in Cardiff really was one of our own. 'Are We Downhearted?' was co-written by Lawrence Wright, who grew up in the city and used to wheel his piano to Leicester Market where he'd play his own songs then sell the sheet music for a penny. 

 

Later he founded Melody Maker and established his own music publishing empire.

 

When he was playing those tunes in the market at the start of the twentieth century it was a struggle to be heard over the cries of the stall holders - people such as Albert Lineker on his fruit and veg stall. Now, three days after the defeat at Ninian Park, Albert's son Harold's big Cup moment arrived. 

 

For the first time, Leicester Boys had made it to the First Round Proper of the English Schools Shield, and on this day, Tuesday March 10th, they faced West Ham at Filbert Street. These were the line-ups:

 

 

 

 

West Ham's left half is called Garnett!!  (younger readers please google Till Death Us Do Part).

 

 

Can you tell which one is Harry?  (answer at the end of this post)

 

 

Here's the report from the Evening Mail:

 

Leicester Boys put up a great fight against West Ham. There were ovr 4,000 present as Leicester kicked off towards the Spion Kop. The Londoners had a pronounced advantage in the height and weight of their backs and half-backs.

 

Some pretty footwork was seen in the opening stages, the Leicester lads especially displaying nice combination.  West Ham were dangerous when set going but the Leicester backs were playing a great game. 

 

West Ham improved in attacking methods before the interval and Garnett hit the post with a long shot.  Then Bramley of King Richard Road School headed just wide for Leicester.

 

Half Time: Leicester 0 West Ham 0

 

In the second half, the home side fought desperately for the lead but several pretty movements broke down in front of the Londoners' goal. The home custodian Breward of Mantle Road School was not called upon until ten minutes from time when he brought off a brilliant save at the foot of the post.

 

All the Leicester lads are to be congratulated on their splendid display.  Final Score: 0-0.

 

 

Did you spot Harry Lineker?

 

 

A little knowledge of team photo convention between the wars would give you the answer without the appeal to family resemblance. The five on the front row were typically the forward line - in the correct order. So being the outside right in the team, Harry would naturally sit in that position. 

 

Compare that picture with this one taken two days later, before Leicester's home game with Crystal Palace:

 

 

You can see the five forwards seated in formation - Adcock, Duncan, Chandler, Carr and Wadsworth. 

 

Note too the similarity of the goalkeeper's cap in the two photos. Bert Godderidge was no doubt the hero of the Boys' keeper Breward. Who knows - that might even be Godderidge's cap that he's wearing - in a 1920s version of 'Kasper - can I have your gloves?' 

 

Harry Lineker must have had a special affection for the man in his position, too  - Hugh Adcock, the Coalville man who would win England honours in the years ahead.

 

Four days ahead the Boys' would be heading to London for the replay at Upton Park. And before that, Palace would be at Filbert Street for that crucial game. We had to shake off the Cup defeat and get our minds back on promotion.  As this wonderful cartoon in the Football Post illustrates, we could now focus all our attention on the League:

 

 

The attention to detail is impressive (reminiscent of Squires in the Guardian) - look at the FA Cup shaped hat of the woman who jilted him

 

(I wonder if Harry Lineker was ever likened to that shape in the way his grandson would be).

 

[kushiro]

The last word on the drama in Cardiff:

 

 

 

This picture won a gold medal in the arts category at the Paris Olympics in the summer of 1924, just as the International Board were altering the law on scoring direct from a corner kick.  

 

The painter was Jean Jacoby from Luxembourg and the title of the work is simply 'corner'. Quite a portent of the drama ahead (and the colours match too).