Match Report

Hendon
0
Southall
5
Date:
Monday 13 April 1925
Competition:
Middlesex Senior Cup
Attendance:
2000
Venue:
Brentford

Match Report

From the Hendon & Finchley Times, 17 April 1925 :

In the final of the Middlesex Senior Cup, played at Brentford on Easter Monday, Hampstead Town, fielding a reserve team in consequence of the first eleven being in Belgium, met with defeat by five goals to none against Southall's full strength.

From the kick-off Hampstead came within a few inches of scoring, as Marks almost caught the Southall defence napping and his final shot was just inches outside with Holding well beaten. From the free kick Southall attacked, and it was obvious that the Town halves were not going to be strong enough to cope with the Southall forwards, but the backs put up a fine defence, and it took fifteen minutes for Southall to score the first goal and another twenty-five minutes to register a lucky second, in which a Southall player impeded Esser while another player scored. Half-time arrived with Southall leading by 2-0. The second half was all in favour of Southall, and Corben (2) and Goodwin added further goals.

For Hampstead, Esser, Clarke and Brooker put up an excellent defence, in fact Brooker and Rowe were the most prominent players on the field. Thorlby again subdued Howell, but found little time to support his forwards. Rowe, Marks and Cowgill were a dangerous trio, but the wingers failed altogether. They appeared to be suffering from nerves. Although outplayed the youngsters never gave up trying, and Marks, Rowe and Cowgill came very near scoring on several occasions.
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From the West Middlesex Gazette, 18 April 1925 (including teams) :

Southall won the Middlesex Senior Cup for the third year in succession - thereby repeating their performance of season 1912-13 - by defeating Hampstead Town by 5-0 at Griffin Park, Brentford, on Easter Monday afternoon. The game proved to be little short of farcical. Hampstead Town had a long time ago arranged to visit Liege at Easter, and, with the Middlesex F.A. decreeing that the final must be played on Easter Monday, they fulfilled their engagements in Belgium with their first team and sent a reserve eleven to oppose Southall. The result was, as expected, a walk-over for Southall. Many people had no doubt anticipated this and the crowd, also affected by the wretched weather, was the worst at the final for many years, the number being only a little over 2,000 and the gate receipts £136, compared with 8,877 when the game was last played at Brentford two years ago.

At the start Hampstead Town gave some prospect of making a fight of it. Straight from the kick-off they went through in a short burst and forced an unsuccessful corner, and by swinging the ball about occasioned the Southall defence some little exertion. But early impressions were deceptive and a couple of good shots from Rowe and Cowgill was the extent of the demand upon Holding in the first half, the play being chiefly confined to the Hampstead half of the field, where the clever combination of the Southall forwards frequently had the opposing defence in difficulties. After Corben had opened the scoring for Southall from a beautiful centre from Howell at the end of seven minutes play, the Hampstead defence managed to resist all attempts of Southall to increase their lead until seven minutes from the interval, even though many corners were conceded by Esser and his backs under frequent heavy pressure. It was unfortunate then that Brooker, who had been defending magnificently for Hampstead, should have made the miskick, his first mistake, that let through Jackson, from whose pass Goodwin shot through at close range. Half-time : Southall, 2 ; Hampstead Town, 0.

Hampstead Town were so hopelessly outclassed in the second half that the game, already one-sided, became farcical. Six minutes after resuming Corben added the third goal from a quick return from Jackson following a corner, nine minutes later Brooker stopped a centre from Howell and Clark promptly secured and drove the ball into the net with a fast ground shot, and in the next minute Corben completed his "hat trick" and the scoring from a centre by Jackson. Further goals might easily have been added had Southall gone all out, but matters were now taken easily and opportunities thrown away in an effort to provide openings for others, Wenham being presented with several chances to take a shot, and both Gower and Buttery coming up to try shots. In this way the game, which had now become extremely uninteresting, dragged out to an end. Hampstead Town certainly did not lack pluck. They struggled gamely and with fine spirit, though on the few occasions that their forwards got away they finished so poorly that there was never any real danger in their attacks, the only time that Holding was called upon to save in the second half being a cross shot from Fennell, which was good enough to force him to concede a corner. Result : Southall, 5 ; Hampstead Town, 0.

Hampstead Town

1
Frank Esser
2
R S Clarke
3
W G Brooker
4
A Thorlby
5
H J Dimmock
6
Bill Little
7
Jack Bingham
8
Vic Rowe
9
H Marks
10
C Cowgill
11
V Fennell

Match Events

A Corben
8''
F Goodwin
38''
A Corben
52''
D Clark
61''
A Corben
62''

Southall

1
T Holding
2
E Buttery
3
H Gower
4
F R Johnson
5
R H Wenham
6
A Vance
7
H Jackson
8
D Clark
9
A Corben
10
F Goodwin
11
George Howell