October 22, 1898
Match: Football League, First Division, at Turf Moor, kick-off: 15:15,
Burnley – Liverpool 2-1 (1-1).
Attendance: 4,000.
Referee: Mr. J. West (Lincoln).
Burnley (2-3-5): Jack Hillman, Jeremiah “Jerry” Reynolds, Tom McLintock, Fred Barron, Joe Taylor, Archie Livingstone, Tom Morrison, Jimmy Ross, Wilf Toman, Billy Bowes, Walter Place jnr.
Liverpool (2-3-5): Harry Storer, Archie Goldie, Billy Dunlop, Rab Howell, Alex Raisbeck, William Goldie, Andy McCowie, Johnny Walker, George Allan, Hugh Morgan, Tom Robertson.
The goals: 0-1 Morgan (7 min.), 1-1 Toman (30 min.), 2-1 Bowes (50 min.).
Some-time has elapsed since Burnley met Liverpool, but in the happy days of yore the Turf Moor representatives generally managed to get a little the better of their dangerous rivals. Thus to-day, when the Liverpudlians came with a big name to meet them the Burnley men were not despondent, but with the assistance of the great Hillman, anticipated being the fourth team this year to add to the discomfiture of Liverpool.
The match was looked upon as the special bazaar “turn.” Burnley were a notch higher in the League table, but Liverpool had a slightly better record, therefore a calculation on recent form indicated an attractive and hard fought game.
The meteorological outlook was gloomy. Instead of crowded terraces they were only thinly lined with supporters of the club, who with macintoshes and umbrellas withstood the nasty drizzling rain. The stands, however, were well filled, and the company there assembled were kept in good humour prior to the commencement of the match by the persistent efforts of some XXXXX from the bazaar.
The ground was in a terrible condition, and when the Burnley team turned out in the old pink and white jerseys the crowd soon spotted Hillman and gave him a hearty reception. Liverpool only made one change from last week, McCowie appearing at outside right.
Liverpool set the ball in motion up the slope, and in the first minute Hillman was called upon to fist out, which he did in splendid style, and the Burnley left wing were given an opportunity of annoying Goldie.
Toman was robbed by Raisbeck, and Taylor was nicely tricked by Allan, but when the ball came to McLintock he cleverly carried it down the right wing. Then Morrison was conspicuous with a nice run, the ball eventually reaching Place, who put it by. Liverpool were soon at work at the other end, and were evidently bent on scoring, had not Reynolds come up in the nick of time and frustrated their efforts.
Barron had a pop at the Liverpool goal, but could get no pace on the ball, and then Hillman was again called upon. He unceremoniously hurled a Liverpool left winger of him. The visitors were, however, not to be denied, Morgan notching a rather soft goal.
Both sets of players were hampered by the slippery ball and treacherous ground, the light Burnley men seeming to experience the greater difficulty. Toman was given offside when in a good position, and soon afterwards the same player had hard lines in not getting through with a lovely header when Burnley were given a corner. The head of Allan put Burnley out of danger, but an indiscreet foul on the part of the visiting forwards just afterwards proved almost disastrous in them.
At the other end Hillman saved a couple of dangerous shots, one of which nicely glided over instead of under the bar. Burnley then pressed for a time. Ross once gave Morrison a long pass, which enabled the speedy right-winger to get into dangerous quarters, but without any tangible result.
Raisbeck was injured in a melee in front of his own goal, and Burnley appealed for a foul, to which Referee West lent a deaf ear. Accurate passing was out of the question, but luckily McLintock did not experience any difficulty in making some discreet passes, which kept the visitors’ front rank from getting too near the home citadel.
Toman nearly beat Storer with a clinking shot, and Ross, taking the ball on the rebound, made another desperate attempt. Then Toman pluckily returned to the fray, and with a lightning low shot completely upset Storer’s equilibrium and scored a beautiful goal.
The cheers that greeted this effort were loud and prolonged. Ross, before another minute had elapsed, attempted to test Storer’s ability with a fast high shot, which unfortunately glided just over the bar and, to the amusement of the spectators, it made a complete hash of an umbrella.
Burnley were undoubtedly having the best of it at this stage. A foul by a Burnley back gave Liverpool another opening, but the visit they paid was only a fleeting one for once in a way. Ross was able to put his forward line in good order, and as the result of some well-judged passing Storer had to handle. He was again called upon when the referee allowed a free-kick for a foul on Morrison.
Morgan and Robertson made a great burst on the Liverpool right, but their efforts were nullified by a foul, which led up to a series of attacks to the Liverpool goal, Storer having to handle on each occasion. With the adeptness of experts, following on this, Taylor and Raisbeck put in some splendid head work in the middle of the field, and after Robertson had been given offside when well up, Reynolds with his head and McLintock with his feet did some marvellous things.
At the other end Toman made a great effort, and Place, hampered as he was by Goldie, did well in giving Storer another hot shot. Close on half-time, Ross, receiving the ball, compelled Storer to save a shot which well deserved to go through.
Half-time – Burnley 1, Liverpool 1.
Before the ball was set in motion again the attendance had greatly improved owing to the cessation of the rain, and the Haggate Brass Band entertained the company to selections. It was evident from the restart that the second instalment would be hotly contested. Both sets of players had donned some respectable shirts, and had a little pleasanter look.
Robertson and Morgan were the first to attack, but Morrison with a good opening somehow missed the pass. The Liverpudlians then made a dash, and Allan was craftily wending his way towards Hillman when the great man emerged from his cell and soon threw him off the scent.
Taylor gave Morrison a grand opening on the right, and this player got in a fine kick, and Storer had to clear with a well-judged kick. Soon afterwards Bowers landed the ball clean in the net for Burnley, but there was an appeal for offside, to which the referee seemed inclined to listen. He, however, appealed to the linesmen, who were better at le judge, and promptly gave Burnley a goal. There was a tumultuous cheer when the referee waved his hand towards the centre line.
Both goals were visited in turn, and on one occasion Morrison and Ross, well backed up by Barron, gave Dunlop a lot of trouble. Livingstone robbed McCowie when he was in an extremely dangerous position. Then Burnle, profiting a foul, were on the aggressive. Bowes nicely tripped up the centre. And having attracted the attention of the backs, passed to Ross, who, however, was given offside, and rightly so, too.
Another tricky dribble by Bowes gained a lot of ground, and the position might have improved had the right wing accepted his pass.
McCowie again was conspicuous with a dashing run, but his final attempt was poor, and a few seconds later he shot straight across the Burnley goal, and Hillman was puzzled. Visiting the other end, Burnley were fouled, the referee not seeing one of the visitors’ backs handle the ball near the goal mouth.
With a long kick Reynolds again did useful service, but the ball eventually went by. When Bowes had the ball nicely up, he discreetly passed it to Toman instead of forcing his ay through. Robertson, with a beautiful, low shot, gave Hillman a chance of showing how coolly he could deal with such.
Then through a little movement in contravention of the rules of the game the visitors’ backs gave Burnley a further opportunity of attacking, the ball, however, being put through from the free-kick without touching anybody. McLintock was injured, and had to leave the field, Bowes taking his place at back.
Place was obliged to look after the left wing work himself, but McLintock returned almost immediately, and limped about unable to do justice to himself. Bowes arrested imminent danger, and Reynolds had to use his head to stop the impetuous rushes of the Liverpool left. The game was again stopped through an injury to Barron, who, it was thought, was accidentally knocked by one of his fellow half-backs, but he soon recovered and was game as ever.
The players were apparently getting a little weary. Burnley, however, held their own right gallantly, and Bowes worked like a Trojan. Taylor also defended well, and Livingstone nicely tricked Allan, and gave Place an opening.
The home goal was in jeopardy from the Liverpool left, and had McCowie shot straight as well as fast he must have strongly tested Hillman’s abilities. Tomas almost got through at the other end, although the attacking force was weakened by the transference of a couple of players to the rear. Raisbeck cleverly stopped Toman, who was here, there and everywhere. About 4,000 spectators were present.
(Lancashire Evening Post, 22-10-1898)
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Jack Hillman, Burnley F.C. (Lancashire Evening Post: December 3, 1898).
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Jerry Reynolds, Burnley F.C. (Glasgow Evening Post: October 17, 1891):
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Tom McLintock, Burnley F.C. (Lancashire Evening Post: November 16, 1901).
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Archie Livingstone, Burnley F.C. (Lancashire Evening Post: December 17, 1898).
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Wilf Toman, Burnley F.C. (Lancashire Evening Post: November 26, 1898).
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Harry Storer, Liverpool (Lloyd’s Weekly News: December 1, 1895):
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"Play Up, Liverpool" 