Tuesday, April 21 – 1914
We have chosen Lytham (says E.S. Edwards, the trainer of Burnley, in ‘Pearson’s Weekly’) for the following reasons:
Its invigorating air.
Its beneficial sea breezes.
Its distance from the attention of local enthusiasts – attention always well meant, but not over-wise, perhaps, where such an important issue as the fate of the Cup is at stake.
For meals we eat much the same as anybody else, and perhaps a little more.
The active part of our special training includes country walks, skipping, indoor tennis, dumbbell, and Indian club exercises, leap frog, ball practice, golf, one sea bath a day, hot brine baths, and plenty of massage.
All the players do not train alike. For instance, some require more work than others.
Some men thrive on their work when their weight has to be kept down, and change of air will sometimes give a player a keen appetite, making him eat more than is necessary. At these times the stomach muscles must be exercised.
Again, forwards (wings) and half-backs require more work than backs and goalie. In the latter’s case very little work is required, but generally he works with the rest of the players. The centre forward gets plenty of short sprints, say, twenty to thirty yards, twice a week.
We haven’t a special mascot for the final, but in all the home games we have had one in the little son of Mr. Walter Place, an old Burnley player. People have, however, sent us horseshoes and black cats in ebony.
When we left Lytham for our first game with Sheffield United (continues Mr. Edwards) a coffin was placed in the train whilst we were waiting. That, I think, was a bad omen, and on top of it was the absence of our saloon, and we made the journey to Manchester in ordinary compartments.
Whether these items had anything to do with our loss of form I cannot say, but all the same we were never ourselves.
I think Burnley will win the Cup by two to nothing.
I think we are a better side than Liverpool. Fore and aft we are evenly balanced, and whilst admiring the splendid team possessed by our rivals and their brilliant win over the Villa, I feel convinced that if our halves are able to hold their forwards all will be well.
(Evening Express, 21-04-1914)
"Play Up, Liverpool" 