Saturday, October 22 – 1910
At last
The home victory which has been too long delayed came on Saturday last, and, Bristol City were the victims. It may be said that this discounts the value of the victory, but a club in the straits that the Westerners are is often desperate, and besides they have traditions at Anfield.
The opening stages of the play offered no criterion of the ultimate finish, for the visitors were distinctly more dangerous, and with greater incisiveness on the part of the inside men they might easily have taken the lead. The Livers, particularly the half backs, did not seem, to have any grip, and allowed their opponents more latitude than was pleasant to the beholders. But gradually the men settled down, and slowly, but surely, they took possession of the game, so that when they scored before half-time it was just reward of some good play. Had, however, they been on level terms it would have more accurately reflected the just run of the whole half.
But after the interval the transformation was complete. The Reds came to their own, and some brilliant football was the result. The second goal was, as all present will remember, a gift to Harrop by the backs and goalkeeper, but the other were well earned, and might with a trifle of luck been supplemented. Four goals to none is a big margin, and I think that our team was quite four goals superior to Bristol City.
The re-instatement of Brough, the introduction of Uren, the settlement of Harrop at left-half, and the return of Hardy and Crawford constituted the changes in our team, and, it may be said that all except Crawford were completely successful. Crawford did many brilliant things, but he marred an otherwise good display by miskicks under pressure that might have been serious. Hardy was in International form, while Harrop did as well at left half as when opposed by the wily Meredith on his previous holding of that berth.
But Uren deserves more than a passing mention. Last year some who witnessed his work thought him superior to Macdonald, but the Scotsman had the preference. This season the latter has been palpably below form. He has had a good trial but finally was displaced. And Uren had his opportunity. He has grasped it, and shown his ability. His play created great enthusiasm – the crowd likes a local, and it deserves to do so. Once he began to receive attention he never looked back, and the methods he adopted were as various as they were successful. He has many way of beating a man, and he can manipulate the ball in every small space. I hope he will go on and prosper.
Brough was next to Uren, the best forward, and his deft passes all along the carpet were just such as a winger or a centre delights in. The first half saw Goddard below his best. His very anxiety was his bane, and he frequently was out of place trying to remedy defects of the halves. But in the second half he gave one of his most delightful exhibitions. Parkinson and Orr completed the line, and they had their full share of triumph.
Peake, Robinson, and Longworth are the three important members of the team and Longworth was consistently good. He improves on each turn out. The two halves were over long in finding their feet – once they did so they were eminently successful.
Little can be said in favour of Bristol. The forwards had several chances, but these were not utilised. The wing men were very subdued, while the insiders only rarely troubled Hardy who was seldom in difficulties. Wedlock stood alone as a class player, and the little centre half got through a vast amount of work. He gave his comrades the ball in clever fashion, but hey could not follow up their captain’s ideas. The backs broke down under pressure, and Clay, brilliantly as he stopped many shots, was not entirely blameless over the first two goals, even though Young should have saved one and Cottle the other. The latter player has gone off since the time when he looked a certain international.
Goal Scorers for Liverpool:
LEAGUE – Parkinson 5, Brough 2, Stewart 1, Orr 1, Gilligan 1, Harrop 1. Total 11.
COMBINATION – Gilligan 4, Bowyer 2, Leavey 2, Brough 1, Speakman 1, Peake 1, Stewart 1. Total 12.
FRIENDLIES – Speakman 5, Brough 4, Bowyer 2, Thompson 3, Leavey 2, Connell 2, Uren 1. Total 20.
(Joint EFC and LFC Match Programme, 22-10-1910)
"Play Up, Liverpool" 