Back in Yorkshire for Easter 1950-51

Posted by Tony Hutton

(The Easter school holidays in 1951 gave me an opportunity to visit my grandparents and other family friends back in my home county of Yorkshire. So not only a change of scene but able to see matches at Huddersfield Town, Leeds United and Hull City)

SATURDAY 24TH MARCH, 1951

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT LEEDS ROAD, HUDDERSFIELD

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 2 (Nightingale, Taylor (J)) DERBY COUNTY 0

Wheeler; Gallogly, Kelly; McGarry, McEvoy, Boot;
Nightingale, Glazzard, Taylor (J), Hassall, Metcalfe;

Webster; Bell, Revell; Mays, Oliver, Musson;
Harrison, Stamps, Lee, Morris, McLaren;

Referee:- B.J. Flanagan, Sheffield

Huddersfield, desperately battling against relegation (yet again), had right half Bill McGarry, recently signed from Port Vale, making his home debut and experimented with inside forward Albert Nightingale on the right wing.

Right from the start, Nightingale was prominent in Town attacks and after eleven minutes play he cut inside and beat Webster with left foot shot from a narrow angle.
Two minutes later they were further head when Jeff Taylor headed a fine goal from McGarry's free kick. 

the Town centre forward leaps to head the winner.

Hassall had a great chance to increase the lead but took the ball too far and Webster was able to dive at this feet to make a good save. Glazzard hit the post with a header from a Metcalfe centre and although the Derby wingers threatened danger at times, Huddersfield were on top for most of the game.

The second half was marred by poor finishing by the home forwards who had countless opportunities to increase their lead, but failed to do so. However, they can take consolation from the fact that McGarry looks a very good signing indeed and should play a big part in keeping Huddersfield in the first division.


EASTER MONDAY 26TH MARCH, 1951

LEAGUE DIVISION TWO AT ELLAND ROAD, LEEDS

LEEDS UNITED 3 (Stevenson, Charles 2) HULL CITY 0

Searson; Dunn, Milburn; Kerfoot, Kirk, Burden (capt);
Harrison, Igglesden, Charles, Stevenson, Williams;

Robinson; Hassall, Varney; Jensen, Franklin, Mellor;
Harison, Smith, Ackerman, Revie, Burbanks;

A match which started in sunshine finished in a blizzard, much to the consternation of the spectators on the Kop end (of which I was one), who got a soaking. Conditions for the players became almost improssible but the young Welshman, John Charles, revelled in it and his move to centre forward paid off with two goals. This despite the fact that he was up against former England centre half, Neil Franklin. 

Both teams showed many changes from Saturday with the busy Easter programme taking its toll. Many regulars were missing none more so than Hull player manager Raich Carter, whose prompting and inspiration was badly missed by the visitors, who only managed a consolation goal from Don Revie.

Many team changes during busy Easter weekend

Match report from the Yorkshire Post.

Interest was divided in the match at Elland Road yesterday between John Charles, Welsh international centre half, now playing at centre forward for Leeds United, Neil Franklin's clash with him, and the referee's determination to finish the match despite a heavy ground which eventually became covered in snow. Charles scored twice and thereby justified United's experiment. Franklin played delightful football and but for him United might have won by six or seven goals, and the referee beat the weather.

All the players, the officials and that part of the 27,000 crowd that had to stand in the open (including me!) were heroes to stick it out. The crowd's part was the easiest, for it was a hard entertaining match, surprisingly full of good football on a day when the ball squirted in the mud, stopped in the snow became as heavy as lead and performed unpredictable antics. United's forwards missed more chances than they took, but they deserve praise for having created those chances against Hull's best department.

This was their half back line and while the inside forwards Stevenson and Igglesden worked liked terriers all through the match., Peter Harrison, the outside right, was the next best forward to Charles.

He might not have been, but for an injury early in the second half to outside left Eddie Burbanks, which caused him to leave the field for strapping and then to retire from the game before the end.

Burbanks had been the best Hull forward until that happened and as United were only one goal up at that time it might have had a bearing on the result. The rest of the Hull line in which Smith took the part of Carter, was seldom in the game except when Revie helped out in defence  and an occasional challenge by Ackerman. The defence had to bear the brunt of the work and while Harrison found a way around Varney, Hassall played nearly as well as usual in opposition to Williams.

Franklin confirmed previous impressions that he is rapidly settling down. He had to cover all parts of his half of the field and he did it well. He was not once at fault when Charles scored and again when the young Welshman had a shot blocked on the line by Hassall. Charles got his goals by moving about the field; here was no orthodox down the middle centre forward but a man with a football brain able to sense the right position to take up.

Charles is not yet as good a centre forward as he is a centre half back; all his footballing life he has had the ball coming to him, now it is rolling with him and he needs a different technique, but when he has mastered that he may be very good indeed. Both his goals were well taken; so too was Stevenson's.     

EASTER TUESDAY 27TH MARCH, 1951                     Attendance 32,401

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT LEEDS ROAD, HUDDERSFIELD

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1 (Glazzard) WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2 (Barlow 2)

Wheeler; Gallogly, Kelly; McGarry, McEvoy, Boot;
Nightingale, Glazzard, Taylor J., Hassall, Metcalfe;

Sanders; Rickaby, Millard; Kennedy, Vernon (capt), Ryan;
Gordon, Smith, Barlow, McCall, Allen;

Town fielded an unchanged side from Saturday's game with Derby but could not match the same winning performance, despite another goal from Jeff Taylor. Albion made an unusual change by moving left half Ray Barlow to centre forward. The move paid off with the tale, fair haired player grabbing two goals to win the game for the visitors.

 Match report from Yorkshire Post.

The sort of football Huddersfield Town played yesterday will get them down into the Second Division 
in quick time. They have no defensive stability and no ideas of attacking; they did not at any time hold out any encouragement for the big crowd of more than 30,000 that West Bromwich Albion, whose main strength was in their full back Rickaby and Millard, centre half Vernon and centre forward Barlow, would be beaten.  

West Bromwich were so disappointed with their form on Monday that only one forward, McCall, kept his position at inside left. Barlow played at left half back on Monday and has held that position for most of the season, although when the former West Bromwich forward Jimmy Cookson spotted him in junior football he was an inside forward. Barlow played as an inside forward during West Bromwich's promotion season but has only one or two appearances as leader of the attack. He was a success yesterday as he scored two goals with well taken headers and also provided his inside forwards with chances they were too slow to take.

The first goal, just after the second half had started, came from a corner kick which Allen swung over for Barlow to head just wide of Wheeler's reach. The second came from a free kick when Eddie Boot accidently handled the ball ten yards inside his own half and Kennedy planted it again into the goalmouth where Wheeler came out too soon to stop Barlow's header. 

McCall was the only other troublesome forward and he faded out during the second half , but even so Town's long clearance kicks were made without discretion so that the ball seldom went truly to the forwards, who even when they got it could not plan a direct attack. Their goal resulted from one of their few attractive movements, Metcalfe taking the ball along the left hand touchline and swinging across a well judged centre which Glazzard headed into goal as Sanders mistakenly tried to intercept.

There were some neat touches from both half back lines particularly Vernon and Town's new right half McGarry, but this was one of those occasions when Town sadly disappointed; these days at Leeds Road Town play as champions or second-raters. It was a pity, for the pitch was perfect and the day ideal which was a surprise after Monday's snow.  

     

SATURDAY 31ST MARCH, 1951

LEAGUE DIVISION TWO AT BOOTHFERRY PARK, HULL

HULL CITY 2 (Gerrie, Ackerman) CARDIFF CITY 0

Robinson; Hassall, Varney; Jensen, Franklin, Mellor;
Harrison, Revie, Gerrie, Carter (capt), Ackerman;

Joslin; Williams (G), Sherwood (capt); Hollyman, Montgomery, Baker;
Tiddy, Marchant, Grant, McLaughlin, Edwards;

Referee:- I.A.M. Mackay, London

Hull City were without their regular left winger Eddie Burbanks and Alf Ackerman, the South African, normally a centre forward had his first league game in that position.
Hull comfortably placed in the middle of the table, had little to worry about, but Cardiff, second in the table to Preston, needed every possible point for their promotion effort.

Both sides got in good attacking movements during the first few minutes. Cardiff's main danger seemed to be their nineteen year old right winger, Mike Tiddy, but Neil Franklin, the big money signing from Stoke, was in commanding mood in the middle of defence. After ten minutes play Hull took the lead when a free kick was awarded ten yeards outside the penalty are for a foul on Gerrie. The kick was taken by player-manager Carter whose shot was deflected behind the barrier of Cardiff defenders to Revie. The inside right shot against the post and Gerrie, running in, hit it into the net.

Ackerman appeared to be settling down well on the left wing and responded well to maestro Carter's promptings. The Hull defence was in full command of the situation with Varney and Mellor prominent in blotting out the dangerous Cardiff right wing.
Half-time 1-0.

Tiddy showed his speed again early in the second half, he rounded Varney, but again the immaculate Franklin was on hand to head clear. Cardiff were making a good fight of it but could make little impression on the Hull defence, in which Robinson the former Blackpool goalkeeper was rarely called upon.

After seventy three minutes Hull increased their lead when, from Carter's pass, Gerrie side flicked the ball to Ackerman cutting in from the left and he slammed it into the net. This stung Cardiff into action and Robinson was at last brought into the game to deal with two splendid shots from left half Baker. The goalkeeper  saved the first one brilliantly and the second one dropped just over the bar. A good win for the Tigers.