SATURDAY 9TH APRIL, 1955 Attendance 13,018
DIVISION THREE SOUTH AT FELLOWS PARK, WALSALL
WALSALL 4 (Richards 3, Dorman) QUEENS PARK RANGES 1 (Smith).
Chilvers; Guttridge, Vinall (capt); Ferriday, McPherson, Tarrant;
Webb, Richards, Dorman, Love, Morris;
Brown; Woods, Ingham (capt); Nicholas, Powell (M), Angell;
Pounder, Smith, Clark, Came4ron, Kerrins;
Facing a stiff breeze, Walsall kicked off up the slope. Rangers looked the more dangerous side in the early exchanges and Chilvers looked far from confident in his handling of the ball. Eventually Walsall got on top and began to show some of the form which they displayed when beating Northampton 6-1 last Monday.
Brown, the agile Rangers goalkeeper, made several good saves. After forty three minutes he could only beat out a shot from Richards and the Walsall centre forward crashed the rebound into the net despite a desperate effort to save by Woods on the goal line. Half time 1-0.
Walsall started the second half with a grand move, Richards putting Love away through the centre. The inside left shot on the run put Brown again saved well. Richards had the massive Powell in trouble every time and after fifty six minutes an overhead kick by the centre forward sent Dorman racing through to crash a terrific shot into the far corner of the net.
Kerrins left the field or a few minutes with a cut head and returned just in time to see Richards score Walsall's third goal from a centre by Webb. Ingham was proving to be Rangers best defender and their best forward Conway Smith scored after eighty two minutes. Richards was not finished yet however and completed his hat trick two minutes from the end following a pass from Love.
MONDAY 11TH APRIL, 1955
LEAGUE DIVISION ONE AT THE HAWTHORNS, WEST BROMWICH
WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2 (Griffin, Lee) MANCHESTER CITY 1 (Spurdle)
Sanders; Williams, Millard (capt); Dudley, Kennedy, Brooks;
Griffin, Carter, Allen, Barlow, Lee;
Trautmann; Meadows, Litle; Barnes, Ewing, Paul (capt);
Spurdle, Jonstone, Revie, Hayes, Fagan;
Referee:- H. Beacock, Scunthorpe
Manchester City, already assured of a place in the Cup Final and with an outside chance of winning the league Championship as well, showed that their eyes are on the Cup and nothing else. They strolled through this match playing well within themselves and obviously not risking further injuries as already Clarke and Hart are out of the reckoning for Wembley.
They still managed to provide good entertainment however and the midfield triangle of Barnes, Paul and Revie, played delightful football. Spurdle who has come into the team in place of Clarke, with Fagan moving to the left, scored their only goal.
Both Albion's goals were scored by their wingers. Griffin who scored the last minute winner against Preston at Wembley last year had scored only three in thirty appearances so far this season, bu this was Lee's thirteenth, making him second highest scorer behind Allen. The Albion centre forward was unlucky not to add to his total of twenty three goals in this game when he hit the bar with a brilliant lob.
Outstanding in the Albion defence were Brookes, Kennedy and Williams. Brookes, the short stepping, powerfully built wing half looks a fine prospect and Williams who has taken over the right back position from Rickaby looks like making it his own. Kennedy is back to his best form and there seems little prospect of Dugdale, who played so well in Albion's cup run last season, getting back into the side.
WEDNESDAY 20TH APRIL 1955 Attendance 36,000
LEAGUE DIVISION TWO AT ST ANDREWS, BIRMINGHAM
BIRMINGHAM CITY 2 (Murphy 2, 1 pen) LUTON TOWN 1 (Turner)
Schofield; Hall, Badham; Boyd (capt), Newman, Watts;
Lane, Kinsey, Brown, Murphy, Govan;
Baynham; Dunne, Ahearne; Pemberton, Owen (capt), Shanks;
Davies, Turner, Morton, Cummins, Groves;
Referee:- Mr. A.E. Ellis, Halifax
Birmingham were soon in the lead and what a brilliant goal it was. Kinsey, the arch schemer, slipped a beautiful ball though to Murphy just inside the Luton half and the inside left ran on to it, beat Owen, and crashed the ball into the net. The home side were really in top gear now and continued to press strongly against a defence that was strangely prone to panic for a side so high in the table.
However Luton were the next to score when Hall and Newman hesitated and left the ball to each other. Turner, always on the look out for a chance, raced up and gave Schofield no chance. Half time 1-1.
Two minutes after the interval Birmingham scored what was to prove the winning goal and what a dramatic goal it was. Murphy was brought down inside the penalty area by Shanks and took the resulting penalty himself. Penalties are missed at the best of times but few could have blamed Murphy if he had missed this one to which so much importance attached. Indeed it looked at first as if he had missed it, or rather that Baynham had saved it, for the Luton keeper dived to his left, got his hands to the ball and after fumbling with it got up and kicked it upfield.
However the referee immediately signalled a goal as the ball had crossed the line before being retrieved by Baynham. So it ended 2-1 to Birmingham and they must be pleased indeed to have achieved such a victory without such players as Merrick, Warhurst and Smith. So credit to the reserves Schofield, Watts and Newman, particularly the latter for playing their parts so well.
THURSDAY 5TH MAY, 1955 Attendance 17,508
DIVISION THREE SOUTH AT FELLOWS PARK, WALSALL
WALSALL 1 (Richards) LEYTON ORIENT 4 (Rees 3, Groves)
Chilvers; Guttridge, Vinall (capt); Ferriday, McPherson, Tarrant;
Morris, Dorman, Richards, Myerscough, Love;
Welton; Charlton, Earl; Blizzard, Aldoous, McKnight;
Groves, P. Woosnam, Rees, Facey, Hartburn;
Referee:- F.L. Overton, Derby
Last match of the season for Walsall and the climax of a strong uphill fight in the Saddler's attempt to avoid seeking re-election yet again. The only hope was a win tonight and for Exeter to lose tomorrow. But Exeter were saved by the superior skill of Orient and possibly the effect the tiring game with Southend on Monday had on the Walsall players.
The first half produced little excitement from either team, the exception after thirty two minutes, when Love hit a first time shot from Dorman's pass which beat Welton and rebounded from the post. Love has had very bad luck recently, several goal-worthy efforts having hit the woodwork. Half time 0-0.
At the start of the second half, Richards went through but shot straight at Welton and did likewise with the rebound. Rees found Chilvers unsighted after fifty minutes, to score with a low shot. However twelve minutes later Tony Richards equalised after Vinall had booted the ball downfield for him.
Then Walsall went to pieces against the slick Orient forwards, supplied with an endless stream of passes from their wing halves. After sixty nine minutes Rees scored again following a corner kick and five minutes later Vic Groves pushed the ball out to Woosnam, took the return pass and scored. It was all Orient now and after eighty one minutes, Rees, the Welsh international, completed a hat trick with a high cross shot which Chilvers allowed to slip through his hands.
So Walsall after a very encouraging spell in mid-season, which gave hope of a sustained revival, once again slumped into the re-election position at the bottom of the league.
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