PORTING ASPECT
The Local Derby 8Y JOHN ARLOTT A. LTHOUGH my boyhood affection for the United was strong, I cannot pretend that they were an exceptional football team. Indeed, I cannot say truthfully that the r„esults of the league in which they played ever appeared in we results column of even the most soccer-conscious Sunday Pallet'. On the other hand, they had, in that vintage period 1,!hich coincided with my support, three professional players. °Aro had had trials—in one case protracted—in the• reserve team of the nearby Third Division club: the other was a le,cal player who had played 'hard to get' at the annual end- °E'season smoking concert. Each received his train fare, where aPPliCable, the cost of a taxi from the station to the ground (sheer profit), but not from ground to station (sore point), and a weekly payment of ten shillings. The ground sloped steeply and was grazed by cattle all the Week: but it had a corrugated-iron grancrstand, two dressing reems, and a bath which was filled from the rain-water tank, warmed, a few minutes before the end of the match, with a cond boiling of the kettle which was used for tea at half-time. „tom this ablution—commenced on muddy days with boots °°-the players came out shining, if sometimes streaked with !nad at the hair-line, to walk through the winter evening gloom to the shop-lights of Saturday night and public admiration. Their chief portion of fame, however, came on Friday after- eon, with the appearance of the local paper, in which an ratre column was devoted to their doings of the previous _urday. The report was signed ' Detinu ' which, as his readers 'eon divined, is 'United ' backwards. This critic's weekday life 1!! a bookkeeper at the brickworks was obscure enough. On rernate winter Saturdays, however, he Was an important bgure. Swinging a cherry-wood stick, wearing tweed cap, 4.12'wn overcoat and discreetly unstriped muffler, he would enter acking's Field precisely fifteen minutes before the match Was due to start. b.He did not mix with the players: that would have weakened "Is impartial authority. Usually he sat alone in the' Press box' Zthe two seats in the stand with a shallow shelf in front of Zenl. But once a year—twice if the draw for the local Cup _worked out so—he shared that position with his imitator, who Ported the matches of United's rivals, the local railway Promotive works, and who signed his reports ' Chemin dc e„4,r ' which, as Detinu knew, was French for railway. h.2hey would nod only briefly on meeting. Each would • '-ribble throughout the match. Perhaps they both had the !clod football reporter's knack of seeing the important play :illd writing during the unimportant : certainly I never caught Liter ,of them watching. i, uelinu had plenty of time to prepare his critique, as he called 4.; for the following Friday, and always after the match with h e locomotive works, he would rise to the heights of that le_tiod football prose which has so sadly gone down before miler rationing and ' hot ' news. , erom years of weekly reading. I can reproduce one of „ etinu's reports as faithfully as if I had succeeded in my early bition to become his successor:
UNITED'S GREAT WIN
I, For the local Derby with the Locos, United brought in the tre,ran Shelley in place of Donovan, recently recruited from et143,suam, between the sticks. Otherwise they relied upon the e 'Warts who held the Trojans to a draw in last Saturday's tlileounter. Their rivals were unchanged from last week. Thus. 1 sbe two elevens lined up as follows: Bradley United (white fills, blue shorts): Shelley: Holland and Delaney; Rees, TIPPer and Balchin: James, Andrew, Elder, Mibord and stn'thY. Railway Athletic (red and white shirts, blue shorts): 1, riven; Watson and Robertson; Johnson, Clunes and Hartcup; C. Jones, Percival, Brown and Grimston. Delaney was fortunate in the spin of the coin and electeA defend the Town goal in the opening period, despite a breeze. The turnstiles were still clicking merrily as 1.6 Daniel's whistle set the game in motion and Percival touc the ball to Jones who set Pryce away on the right. Delai however, came across to stop the advance in sterling mar and clear his lines. United at once launched an assault their rivals' citadel. , Andrew was only fractionally wide fi James's centre and 'shortly afterwards Elder missed a gol opportunity when Mibord served up a pass to him 'on a ph The Lily-whites, however, returned to the fray but EN Fortune frowned on them when Elder shook the cross-bai Scriven's charge with a thunderbolt. After a spell of spar in midfield, the railway boys took play to the other end wl fate took a hand when Delaney was adjudged to have foi Percival as the visiting spearhead stumbled in front of goal. Shelley had no chance with JOHNSON'S shot from whitewash.
Stung by this reverse, the homesters swarmed to the atl and from Timothy's flag-kick, Andrew fully extended visiting custodian with a skilful header. United were not t( denied and, after MIBORD had fired over from close ra United' French star burst through to leave Scriven helr with a daisy-cutter. Although the home forwards now ban( unceasingly at the Loco's redoubt, no further goals material and the teams went in at lemon-time with the honours ea Half-time: United 1. Athletic 1.
Immediately upon the resumption, United, playing giants refreshed and gallantly refusing to accept a checkn. threw all their resources into the fray and the 'Latics fortunate to see Elder's first-time effort rattle the framev with Scriven beaten. In one of the invaders' isolated sot disaster almost befell the natives, but Holland retrieved situation in the nick of time with an heroic goal-line cleara United at once swung into action and after Scriven had thwa James, they went ahead, when from Timothy's centre ELI shook the enemy's rigging with a crashing drive. The h team were now definitely in the ascendant and launched at after attack. Their efforts were rewarded' when a model from Andrew left ELDER with the visiting goal at his m and the home leader made no mistake with a pile-driver. The cherry-and-whites fought back in no uncertain ma but the experienced Holland was a tower of strength in United rearguard. Balchin also proved a bulwark of defence his purveying was well nigh perfect as was evident whet fed the fleet-footed Timothy to send the diminutive wi flying down the wing with the leather seemingly glued to toes. The youngster's pass was so accurate that ELI had only to nod it past the helpless Scriven to increase Unit advantage with their fourth goal and the leader's third complete his second hat-trick of the current season. There now no holding the white-shirted United: the leather pa from foot to foot in a manner which would have done ci to a side from a far more exalted sphere. When Elder grassed inside the area. Nemesis, in the shape of Mr. Ref Daniel (a second Daniel come to judgement) exa retribution and Locomotive were rightly penalised. ice-cool DELANEY calmly placed the leather on the spot and crashed it home to increase his side's tally to a hand. In the closing moments United's vanguard rained s on the Loco's ' chicken-run ' from all angles and in the pen mate minute Mibord fired narrowly wide from Andr feeding. But any further score was averted by the h( Scriven, who fully deserved the ovation he was accorded b appreciative gallery at the end when United trotted off wc victors by five to one\ in a memorably contested local IN At last the home eleven have justified the high hopes helc them by their supporters since the opening of hostilitic the current campaign. All concerned are to be congratul on a contest fought out in the best traditions of both under the admirable control of Mr. Daniel.
RESULT: Bradley United 5, Locomotive Athletic I. It tie re' bed ey. net Os ern den, to, the ork hil ER edatio vil sseo
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