The Luton Reporter -
“The “Reds” Divisional Champions
Luton Town v Sherwood Foresters.- these teams met at Luton on Saturday to decide which should have the honour of holding the championship of the ninth division in the qualifying competition for the English Cup and of thereby entering the competition proper. It will be remembered that in the previous week the clubs had played a drawn game at Colchester. On Saturday there was a very large attendance, and the new grand stand - a commodious wooden structure capable of accommodating about 400 persons - was well filled, those present numbering upwards of 3,000. The weather was magnificent, but the turf was not quite so good as might be desired. A few minutes after the time fixed for the start the elevens took the field in the following order :- Sherwood Foresters: Goal, Pte. Cragg; backs, Sergt. Pykett and Pte. Bacon; half-backs, Pte. Tinkler, Drummer Garton, and Pte. Whitehead; forwards, Drummer Potter and Pte. Legge (right wing), Pte. Roberts (centre), Sergt. Hoare and Pte. Vernon (left wing). Luton Town: Goal, E. Bee; backs, J. Wilson and W. Chesher; half-backs, A.H. Taylor, J.W. Julian (captain) and J. Watkins; forwards, W. Brown and J. Finlayson (right wing), H. Galbraith (centre), F. Allen and J. Dimmock (left wing). The referee was Mr A. Rostron Bourke and the linesmen were Bandsman Chadwick (Sherwood Foresters) and Mr E.A. Barford. The Luton captain won the toss and elected to play from the pavilion end. Roberts started the game, and the home half-backs at once secured possession. A capital run by the Luton forwards ended in a goal kick and a capable display by Dimmock resulted in a beautiful centre and a corner. Brown from this hit the bar. In another half minute a great struggle took place near Cragg’s charge, and Allen evoked general applause by heading a goal in exceedingly clever fashion. Julian sent the ball into Cragg’s hands, and then the Foresters troubled Bee a trifle, Chesher putting in some good defensive work. The soldiers resumed the attack but failed to get through, the Luton back play being far too strong. A corner against the homesters was awarded a little later, but this proved resultless. Galbraith was injured somewhat and was compelled to retire, but fortunately his absence was not of long duration. The Sherwood men had a splendid opportunity of scoring just afterwards and missed very badly, and then Dimmock made a first-rate run along the left wing. Sergeant Hoare came down well but was eventually pulled up, and a foul against Watkins was the next notable feature. There were hereabouts a good many tumbles, the soldiers playing in that hard, determined fashion which invariably characterises the displays of military teams. Galbraith conceded a corner, but the danger passed, and subsequently Bacon made a hot though ineffectual shot at goal. The Foresters’ left wing men next put themselves in evidence and Bee had an anxious time. Luton in turn attacked, and Cragg was compelled to exert himself strenuously, Allen and Julian rendering themselves conspicuous just now. The Town men maintained the pressure for a space, but ultimately the siege was raised and hands against Julian threatened danger to the home fortunes. The defence proved equal to the emergency, however, and in a few seconds Brown from a pass at the other end by Galbraith sent in a fine attempt which missed by a yard. Three corners to the “reds” in rapid succession indicated the nature of the play at this stage, and following the last of these Cragg was called upon to exert himself. Finlayson made a grand overhead shot at goal which missed by the merest trifle. Galbraith was pulled up for jumping at an opponent, and thereafter Whitehead gave a corner. A first-rate attempt by Allen went outside the post, and thereafter Luton continued to have the best of matters. A goal-kick fell after Luton had got through, and hands against Galbraith served to afford an opening for Roberts, who sent the ball sailing away over the home cross-bar. Hands against the Lutonians was given twice in a comparatively brief space, and a corner to the same side was sandwiched between these decisions. The Bedfordshire players hereabouts made a game spurt and pressed tremendously, their bad luck in failing to increase their lead being very pronounced. Some exceptionally severe tussles took place near the Foresters’ uprights, but the ball could not be forced through. Galbraith and Allen were particularly noticeable at this stage. Corners were secured by the “reds” in rapid succession, and on one occasion Pykett had a narrow escape from kicking through his own goal. Brown sent in a beauty, and the Foresters failed in a good attempt. Nothing daunted, however, the military resumed the attack, and ultimately Roberts scored somewhat luckily, the home defence having been relaxed somewhat. Half-time arrived just afterwards with the score standing at one all. After the resumption a miskick by one of the Lutonians almost let the visitors through, but in the end the ball was sent over the Luton goal-line. Allen who continued to exhibit grand form, came very near to scoring once, the ball well-nigh touching the post. The soldiers came down in determined fashion more than once, but Vernon was adjudged off-side and Roberts was penalised for fouling. Galbraith was slightly lamed by Garton, who was pulled up, but despite this the Luton centre man continued to play pluckily. He soon met with his reward, for he was enabled to make a long run and to finish up by putting his side ahead with a splendid shot. This success was received with intense enthusiasm at all parts of the ground. Allen was badly tripped when he had a good chance, but despite the somewhat reprehensible play of their opponents the Lutonians continued to hold the upper hand. A little later Finlayson sent through by a pass from Dimmock, but for some reason the point was disallowed. The Foresters fared similarly just afterwards, and in the course of the next few minutes various decisions were given against them, more than one player being stopped for fouling. Towards the end of the game the visitors had a trifle the best of the exchanges, but all their efforts were futile and they were unable to baffle the Lutonians’ defence. In the result the home side won by two goals to one, and thus qualified to meet Middlesbrough Ironopolis at Middlesbrough in the first round of the competition proper. It only remains to say that the Luton men - as at Colchester in the previous week - were the better team, their play being vastly more scientific than that of their adversaries, whose splendid condition alone saved them from a very heavy defeat.”
