March 1, 1915
By their capital victory over Burnley, Liverpool have done much to escape the relegation problem, and if the form they displayed on Saturday can be maintained they should eventually occupy a respectable position in the League table.
There could be no question about Liverpool’s superiority, and before the end the Burnley players showed that they had suffered from the strenuous Cup and League contest of the previous week.
The game was particularly fast, and Liverpool’s success was in the main due to the fact that the forwards finished their work better than the Burnley lot. They got to grip with the defence in more vigorous style, while their shooting was vastly superior.
The Burnley players were conscious of their own weakness, for in the second half they rearranged their attack – Kelly and Nesbitt changing places.
Liverpool’s first goal came from a penalty given against Taylor, who handled the ball as Miller shot, and Sheldon scored. This happened at the end of sixteen minutes’ play, but whether the offence warranted such drastic treatment was open to question, for Taylor did not appear to handle the ball wilfully, but accidentally. However, this success compensated for Miller’s ill-luck a moment earlier when he fired in a glorious shot that hit Taylor’s body.
The value of never giving up until the defenders have actually cleared the ball was demonstrated when Liverpool scored their second point. Taylor endeavoured to clear the ball but failed to get hold of it properly, and with Pagnam jostling him the Burnley man lost possession. Pagnam then steered a course towards the right wing, and drove across a glorious centre, Nicholl having an easy task to place the ball into the net.
Then came a remarkable revival from the Burnley forwards. Mackinlay saved a certain goal by turning the ball past the upright as it came from Kelly, who shot from close range. Then before play was removed from the Liverpool goal Lindsay, Watson, and Kelly each attempted to beat Scott, but all attempts were repelled. Lowe with an overhead kick dealt with Lindsay’s effort, Longworth, from the goal line headed out Watson’s shot, and Pursell kicked away Kelly’s attempt.
It was a warm few minutes for the Liverpool defenders, but they emerged from the ordeal unscathed.
When the second half opened Burnley resumed their aggressive tactics, and a hard drive from Freeman was saved only partially by Scott, the ball rolling away for a corner.
Boyle had wretched luck with a free kick, as his shot struck underneath the crossbar, but rebounded out of the goal to Scott, who fisted clear. This was a lucky escape for the Anfielders.
A few minutes later Pagnam put in one of the finest shots of the day, a long-range effort that Dawson turned for a corner in very skilful fashion, although the corner led to Liverpool’s third goal, Nicholl heading through as Sheldon placed the ball beautifully in the goalmouth.
The weakness of the Burnley forwards and their unmethodical efforts led to Scott having little of an involved nature to deal with; but he was splendidly covered by Longworth and Pursell, the former being easily the best full-back on the field.
Lacey, Lowe and Mackinlay made a capital half-back line, and the excellent understanding between the wing halves and the forwards worked admirably.
There was perfect unison in the Liverpool forward line, not the least pleasing feature being the manner of supplying Pagnam with the ball for his dashes down the centre. Banks gave a much improved display, and Taylor found Sheldon in one of his irrepressible moods. Miller worked hard, but he had no luck with his shooting.
Dawson was a much-tried custodian, and he did his work well. Bamford and Taylor started well, although they tired before the finish while the half-backs did not live up to their reputation. The Burnley forward line was disappointing, and their failure was most marked in the goal area.
Teams:
Liverpool: Elisha Scott, Ephraim Longworth, Robert Pursell, William Lacey, Harry Lowe, Donald Mackinlay, Jack Sheldon, William Banks, Fred Pagnam, Tom Miller, Jimmy Nicholl.
Burnley: Jerry Dawson, Tom Bamford, David Taylor, Levy Thorpe, Tommy Boyle, Billy Watson, Billy Nesbitt, James Lindsay, Bob Kelly, Teddy Hodgson, Bert Freeman.
Referee: J. Talks (Lincoln).
(Liverpool Daily Post, 01-03-1915)
XX
"Play Up, Liverpool" 