Golders Green 4 St. Albans City 2
Saturday 20th September
Claremont Road
Fortunes fluctuated in the Citizens' Herts and Middlesex League match with Golders Green at Cricklewood, on Saturday. While St. Albans had the better of the exchanges in a bright, fast and hard-fought game. Golders Green secured an early lead which they retained for an hour. Then St. Albans scored twice in quick succession and appeared to be on the high road to victory, but Golders Green, making a grand rally, found gaps in the Citizens' rearguard and got three goals in the closing stages to achieve a highly-creditable victory.
St. Albans had to make a number of changes, in view of which it was not, perhaps, surprising that the Citizens' failing was in the matter of team-work, rather than to any inferiority in the matter of individual skill.
Golders Green gave a good all-round display. Their defence was compact, the marking of opponents being close and the covering good.
Kicking down the slope in the first half, the Citizens, who had the assistance of R. Burke, the former Leavesden centre-forward, made many promising attacks, but most terminated before the relentless tackling of the Golders Green defenders, among whom Lovell was always prominent. His duels with Burke, who made some determined efforts to break through. were a feature of the game. The honours went to Lovell for Burke lacked support and St. Albans' Passing was too close to draw the opposing defenders out of position.
Golders Green obtained the only goal of the first half after six minutes' play. Shorland got away on the left. His centre went to Stroud on the opposite wing, and his quick return found COCHRANE unmarked. Powell darted out of goal in an effort to smother the ball, but the Golders Green inside-left got to it first.
The Golders Green goal was hotly besieged just before the interval and again early in the second half when St. Albans, although facing the slope, attacked persistently for periods. Finally, ALLEN equalised with a glorious header from a corner-kick well placed by Rand. Soon afterwards ALLEN, receiving a pass from Kirkham in midfield, beat two opponents in a forceful run which he concluded with a powerful drive into the top corner of the net.
These reverses shook Golders Green and in further attacks by St. Albans their goal had a series of narrow escapes, but gradually they recovered and for the last fifteen minutes were the more aggressive side. Their equaliser was the result of a delightful movement on the right. Stroud's centre found PULLING unmarked and, allowed time to take steady aim, the inside-left beat Powell with a well-placed cross-shot.
Golders Green regained the lead in somewhat unusual circumstances. The Citizens were pressing hard and all the players, with the exception of Powell, were in the Golders Green half. When a goal-kick, taken by Hart, cleared the half-way line, PULLING, following up, had an unhampered run for goal. While St. Albans' defenders were appealing for offside, he dribbled round Powell when the goalkeeper, who ran out, challenged him, and netted.
The Citizens resumed the offensive in a way that made a division of the spoils appear possible, but their onslaughts were beaten off and, in the closing minutes, Golders Green made victory secure with a fourth goal - again the result of accurate long passing on the left wing. Shorland lifted the ball over defenders' heads to STROUD, who had closed in, and he beat Powell with a first-time ground shot.
Golders Green: A. Hart: W. Fisher, Munday: A. Breagan, A. Birkbeck: R. Stroud, L. Fontana, L. Pulling, A. Cochrane, C. Shorland.
St. Albans: H. Powell; E. Cook, L. Goldsack; S. Kirkham, L. Hall. J. Fayers; W. Saunders, W. Allen, R. Burke, J. Richardson, D. Rand.
Referee: Mr. H. E. Brass (Enfield).
