The Midlands football scene 1949-50 (part three)

 Posted by Tony Hutton

SATURDAY 4TH FEBRUARY 1950 

LEAGUE DIVISION THREE SOUTH AT FELLOWS PARK, WALSALL

WALSALL 1 (Devlin) BRISTOL CITY 1 (White)               Attendance 10,000

Lewis; Jones, Walters; Crutchley, Russon, Devlin;                                                                                      McLaughlin, Corbett, Chapman, Green, Betts;

Morgan; Guy, Stone; Peacock, Roberts, White;                                                                                            Boxshall, Eisentrager, Rodgers, Lowrie, Rudkin;

Referee:- R.J. Leafe, Nottingham 

                                          Bristol City

Match report from Sports Argus

It was a battle of the defences at Fellows Park this afternoon with both sides desperate for points. Lewis in the home goal was constantly in action and in one Bristol barrage saved shots from all angles. Walsall started well but Bristol soon replied with both Lowrie and Rudkin, who shot over the bar, in good scoring positions. The visitors were generally on top and Walsall's best opportunity came just before the interval when Betts made a good run down the left wing before pulling the ball back to Corbett who put in a fierce shot which was blocked and cleared by a defender.

After the interval Lewis first made a superb save from Eisentrager and then a great one handed stop to an effort from Boxshall. Walsall were under constant pressure but fortunately Lewis was in fine form.    Walsall were missing that extra punch in attack and it came as no surprise when City took the lead through White who scored with a brilliant shot after 71 minutes that gave Lewis no chance. However the Saddlers fought back and Devlin equalised six minutes later. After that the defences on both sides never faltered, although full back Guy saved the day for City when he stopped Chapman shooting near the end.   

SATURDAY 11TH FEBRUARY 1950

FRIENDLY MATCH AT VILLA PARK, BIRMINGHAM             Attendance 35,000

ASTON VILLA 5 (Goffin, Ford 2, Dixon, Smith) HIBERNIAN 2 (Reilly, Ormond pen.)

Rutherford; Parkes, Dorsett; Powell, Martin, Moss (F);                                                                              Dixon, Gibson, Ford, Goffin, Smith (L);      

Younger; Govan, Clark; Paterson, Cairns, Buchanan;                                                                                  Smith, Johnstone, Reilly, Combe, Ormond;      

Referee:- F.C. Green, Wolverhampton.

Match report by Charles Matheson of the Sports Argus.

As Scottish League leaders Hibernian gave a rather disappointing show in this friendly match at Villa Park this afternoon. They took the lead with a header from Reilly in four minutes but were then overplayed by Villa who were much stronger at wing half and won comfortably. Ford had an early chance for Villa but Gordon Smith, who Villa were prepared to pay big money a couple of years ago, laid on a perfect cross for Reilly to head home.

Villa got on terms in the 19th minute when Gibson, who seemed to cover more ground than anyone else on the field, made an opening for Goffin to score. Younger in the Hibs goal tipped over a shot from Ford and then made another good save from Powell. Dorsett at left back did well to cut out passes to the dangerous Gordon Smith, but the winger did lay on a chance for Johnstone to put the ball in the net, but he was given offside. Harry Parkes was also in good form stopping attacks down the left and Younger had to make another good save from a speculative overhead kick from Dixon.

Cairns had to give away another corner to stop the Villa left winger Leslie Smith and from the resulting kick Trevor Ford was able to give Villa a half time lead with a header. Gordon Smith looked the danger man for Hibs in the second half but the Villa defenders saw to it that he did not receive many passes although he did go close on a couple of occasions. Villa were much the better side and made it 3-1 in the 61st minute when Dixon picked up a pass from Gibson and scored from 20 yards out.

In the 72nd minute Villa went further ahead when Ford hooked the ball through as Gibson sent in a cross from the right. Villa continued to dominate and a grand move between Dixon, Powell and Gibson down the right gave Leslie Smith the chance to score with fierce right foot shot in the 81st minute.

A rare breakaway by Hibs produced a hand ball in the area and Willie Ormond calmly scored from the penalty spot with just six minutes remaining. Rutherford had to make another save before the end but it proved to be a rather easy win for the home side.  

SATURDAY 18TH FEBRUARY 1950                                 Attendance 40,000

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT VILLA PARK, BIRMINGHAM

ASTON VILLA 2 (Ford 2) HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1 (Taylor J.)

Rutherford; Parkes, Dorsett; Powell Martin, Moss (F);                                                                                Dixon, Gibson, Ford, Goffin, Smith (L);                

Mills; Gallogly, Stewart; Battye, Hepplewhite, Boot;                                                                                    McKenna, Lynn, Taylor (J), Nightingale, Metcalfe;

Referee:- J. Houston (St Annes on Sea)

Match report from Sports Argus.

Huddersfield fielded a below strength side but Villa had to fight hard to only narrowly win what proved to be a mediocre game. Villa might have been five or six up at the interval and should certainly have had three as Dorsett missed a penalty. Villa took the lead after quarter of an hour largely due to the industry of Goffin who broke away on the right, had the better of Battye before crossing the ball which Gallogly headed out. Smith gained possession and gave Ford the opportunity to push the ball into the net before Hepplewhite could react.

Villa went further ahead five minutes later and again Ford was the scorer. The second goal came from a fine concerted move started by Moss out on the left. Gibson accepted the pass, cleverly beat his man and made an opening for Dixon whose shot was pushed out by Mills. Ford was perfectly positioned to run in and score after Mills only parried the ball. That Villa were the better side was beyond question at all. Huddersfield seemed without purpose and without hope. Villa looked as though they should have a hatful of goals but somehow Huddersfield kept them out.

Centre half Hepplewhite, a man of tremendous energy despite his lack of finesse, seemed to have more knees and elbows than anyone else. In the last minute of the first half Huddersfield goalkeeper Harry Mills earned the biggest cheer of the day by saving a jet propelled penalty kick from Dick Dorsett. The penalty was awarded for a clear case of hands as the ball came across from Ford on the right.

Early in the second half Ford missed a good opportunity to complete his hat trick, but almost immediately, following a free kick, Town managed to reduce the arrears. Boot took the kick, it went out to Battye on the right and as the ball came across Taylor stuck out a foot to divert it into the net just as Parkes came across too late to clear. Taylor came close to equalising as he won a tussle with Moss but Rutherford made a fine save.

Huddersfield began to turn the tables and looked much more confident whereas Villa's second half showing was more like their opponents poor first half display. Villa did come back somewhat in the last quarter of an hour and there was a stoppage in play when Mills and Boot were both knocked out in a collision. Fortunately Mills recovered and was able to make several good saves in the closing minutes. A victory for Villa but certainly not anywhere near their best.

SATURDAY 25TH FEBRUARY 1950

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT VILLA PARK, BIRMINGHAM

ASTON VILLA 1 (Gibson) WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0             Attendance 40,000

Rutherford; Parkes, Dorsett; Powell, Martin, Moss (F);                                                                              Dixon, Gibson, Ford, Goffin, Smith (L);  

Sanders; Pemberton, Millard; Kennedy, Vernon, Barlow;                                                                            Smith, Dudley, Walsh, Ryan, Lee; 

Referee:- J.H. Parker, Macclesfield.                                                                                     

Report from Sport Argus.

A bitterly cold wind greeted the players and somewhat restricted the attendance for this big local derby match at Villa Park. The home side kept the same team as last week while Albion introduced Jimmy Dudley in place of Cyril Williams, who broke a leg last week. The two Irish internationals in direct opposition, Con Martin and Dave Walsh, were soon in action and Walsh suffered a nose bleed after a collision with Harry Parkes. Villa had the wind behind them in the first half and did most of the attacking. Albion had good fortune when Goffin twice hit the bar in quick succession with no chance of Sanders getting near the ball.

Goffin looked the most dangerous forward on either side and Villa continued to press for the remainder of the first half. Goffin and Smith together made several openings but Villa's finishing was off the mark.

Sanders dived full length to keep out a fierce free kick from Dorsett and at the other end Rutherford saved just under the bar from a snap shot by Lee.

Walsh hit a shot just six inches over the bar for Albion early in the second half and then Dorsett got the ball into the net for Villa with a trade mark free kick, only for the referee to call play back as the Albion defensive line had not retreated the required distance. The visiting forwards were unable to find any cohesion and were repeatedly caught offside. The ball took a lot of shifting from the churned up centre of the field, but Villa seemed to maintain their ascendency. Chances went begging at both ends and the game looked like ending in stalemate.

Ford got the better of Barlow and set the Villa right wing in motion. Gibson put the ball into the middle for Dixon to get in an effort which was well saved by Sanders. Ford rushed in and dispossessed the goalkeeper to put the ball in the net, but was adjudged to have fouled Sanders in the process. In general Ford was being kept under control by centre half Jack Vernon. Dudley failed to control the ball when Albion had a rare chance.

A combination between Leslie Smith and Dixon on the Villa left wing led to Gibson scoring with just three minutes remaining. The inside right got his chance when a shot from Dixon was charged down and fell right into his path. In a strong bid to save a point Albion forced a corner on the right and there was an exciting scramble in the goalmouth. Time was then up and Villa won this hard fought contest by that single goal.

SATURDAY 4TH MARCH, 1950                                       Attendance 9,179

LEAGUE DIVISION THREE SOUTH AT FELLOWS PARK, WALSALL

WALSALL 3 (Devlin pen. Betts. Foulkes) BRISTOL ROVERS 1 (Bradford)

Lewis; Jones, Walters; Crutchley, Russon, Green;                                                                                        McMorran, Corbett, Foulkes, Devlin, Betts;

Liley; Bamford, Fox; Pitt, Warren, McCourt;                                                                                               Petherbridge, Bradford, Lamden, Roost, Bush;

Report from Sports Argus.

After twelve games without a win Walsall were much in need of a rare victory. Their opponents Bristol Rovers had not lost a game since Boxing Day. Walsall gave a first hone game to McMorran, a recent signing from Manchester United, on the right wing. After early attacks by the visitors Walsall took the lead after only three minutes. McMorran and Corbett worked their way down the right wing and Walsall were awarded a free kick. McMorran took the kick and Fox knocked the ball down with his hand in the penalty area. Up stepped Johnny Devlin to make no mistake from the spot.

After fifteen minutes Bradford broke through the centre and beat Lewis with a rising shot to level the score. This inspired Rovers who seemed well on top of the game with Petherbridge and Bradford outstanding up front. For Walsall Reg Foulkes, continuing as experimental centre forward, tried hard but could not get things going at first. However he persisted and eventually put through Betts to score a fine goal five minutes before the interval.

Rovers tried to reply immediately but Roose shot just over the bar. Probably to general surprise Walsall went even further ahead just before the break when Foulkes dived headlong to head in a Corbett pass to score his first goal since his move up front from centre-half. Half time 3-1.

Walsall had obviously regained considerable confidence in the second half and looked well on their way to a famous victory. However Rovers did not lie down and came back hard. Fortunately Lewis in the Saddlers goal was in excellent form and made a whole series of fine saves. Walsall came back before the end but could not add to their tally in what proved to be an excellent victory.

SATURDAY 11TH MARCH, 1950

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT VILLA PARK, BIRMINGHAM

ASTON VILLA 2 (Goffin, Dixon) LIVERPOOL 0                         Attendance 40,000

Rutherford; Parkes, Dorsett; Powell, Martin, Moss (F);                                                                              Dixon, Gibson, Ford, Goffin, Smith (L);

Sidlow; Lambert, Spicer; Taylor, Hughes, Jones;                                                                                          Payne, Balmer, Stubbins, Fagan, Liddell;

Referee:- L.D. Thompson, Worksop.

 Liverpool

Back row - Taylor, Spicer, Hughes, Sidlow, Lambert, Paisley and George Kay (Manager)

Front row - Payne, Baron, Stubbins, Fagan, Liddell.

Match report Sports Argus.

Villa anxious to soften the memory of their 7-0 defeat at Old Trafford in mid-week welcomed back Con Martin and Trevor Ford after playing in the Wales v Ireland international at Wrexham. Liverpool playing in white shirts with red collars and cuffs rather than their normal red shirts were definitely second best in the early exchanges. Hughes did grand work in defence in first checking Ford and then Dixon and Lambert, the Liverpool full back, excelled himself in dispossessing Smith after the winger had been put through by an excellent pass from Frank Moss.

Villa were playing really good football but they could not find the finishing touch until half an hour had gone when Goffin receiving the ball from Moss let fly with a 25 yard shot which Sidlow had no chance of stopping. Liverpool could make little progress and Liddell was rarely seen in the first half until he at last beat Parkes just before the interval and Rutherford had to go full length to stop his shot.

Villa survived s short period of Liverpool pressure early in the second half when Moss, Dorsett and Martin all headed away when thrusts came from both left and right. Even if Liverpool were having more of the play now than in he first half they did not look like a championship or cup winning side. Perhaps they were thinking ahead to the cup semi-final. Certainly the better football was coming from Villa and both Dixon and Gibson went close.

Sidlow needed to be in good form in the Liverpool goal and the visitors applied their now customary switch of wingers with just fifteen minutes remaining. Liddell had got little change out of Parkes and switched to the right only for Villa's full backs to also switch positions. Parkes continuing to mark Liddell and Dorsett followed Payne out to the left. A really grand movement brought Villa their second goal after 81 minutes.

A clearance by Parkes was pushed ahead by Moss to Ford, who brilliantly drew Hughes and back heeled the ball to Gibson. The latter's low cross field pass was beautifully taken by Smith and as the winger crossed the ball low across goal Dixon ran in with excellent anticipation to side foot it into the net. As nice a bit of football we have seen at Villa Park in a long time.

Rutherford, who had been a spectator in the Villa goal for much of the game was perhaps relieved to justify his winning bonus with a save from a Stubbins header just before the end and Ford very nearly added another goal when Sidlow saved brilliantly at the expense of a corner.