Another defeat and another adieu to a cup competition. Such was the lot of the St Albans City on Saturday, Hitchin Blue Cross(1) administering the defeat in the Herts Charity Cup. The game was much more interesting than that of the previous week and although the mass of the spectators did not have the pleasure of seeing their favourites win, they certainly saw a very good game of football.
The City men were not at full strength and the team at many points was new. For the first time there was a change of goalkeepers. McIntyre thought best to have a rest on account of nerve troubles and in his place there stood Blatch, a custodian who comes with a good reputation having played between the sticks for a number of first class Metropolitan Junior clubs, including Ilford and Chelmsford. He is certainly very agile, quick in all his movements, if not always accurate in his judgement. But it would not be fair to criticise him closely on his game on Saturday, for it was his first this season. Nevertheless, it must be said that he created a very good impression of a good goalkeeper.
Chapman, who has followed the club about for the past three or four weeks as first reserve, was tried at left half and did creditably, although hardly as good as Faux(2), who filled the position last week.
Hosier was sorely missed at outside right, although his substitute, E.Anderson, played a really brilliant game.
Fox, who not many years ago caught more than one eye in school football, was introduced at the extreme left position and showed that he undoubtedly has talent.
The Blue Cross were strongly represented.
The victory by two goals was not a fair criterion of the game. Up to the middle of the second half the City were quite as good as their opponents and the superiority of Hitchin for the remainder of the game was not worthy of a two goal victory. Besides, early in the game a penalty should have been awarded the City for a foul, but the referee failed to notice the offence. The referee, in fact, did not give entire satisfaction in his decisions.
Taking all things into consideration, Hitchin were slightly superior but had the City been fully represented the result would probably have been different. Only one more chance have the City now got, as regards cups, this being in the Herts Senior competition. In this they are due to meet Apsley away from home in a fortnights time(3).
So far they have not a match for the Saturday intervening, Hitchin Town, whom they were down to meet in the Spartan League, having disbanded.
There was a very good assembly of spectators when the teams took the field and, under Mr Watson of Hemel Hempstead.
Reprinted from “The St Albans Post” 5th November 1908.
1 Founded as Hitchin Blue Cross Temperance Brigade c 1899, disbanded 1928.
2 M.Foulkes
3 City were forced to withdraw from this competition as they were unable to field a team of players all born or living or working within five miles of Clarence Park as per Rule 3 of the Herts Senior Cup. |
