April 3, 1916
Delightful weather and a delightful game graced the Goodison proceedings. Everton won well – if late on – and they merited a lead. It was a lead obtained three minutes from the close, but that Liverpool’ defence had not cracked up earlier is surprising; the amount of pressure applied without relief coming from half-backs and forwards was astounding, and I confess I cannot find where Ephraim Longworth gets his stamina from.
The little man with the long legs played great football on Saturday. He helped to make Everton’s left wing below form – of course George Harrison’s absence was an assistant in that respect – but he always found time and energy to go over to James Middlehurst’s assistance, and when the goal was being besieged for a free kick he always lay in wait alongside goalkeeper Ted Taylor.
That Everton were superior there can be no denying. They did not finish well, otherwise they must have won rather heavily. Their forward line, however, has been working more smoothly than Anfield’s, and that was the reason I could see an Anfield defeat coming so soon as the first half had passed.
Taylor, the ex-Balmoral and Oldham, has gained in favour by his display against Everton, a team once wanting his signature, and a team he has always shaped well against. He’ll never improve on Saturday’s game no matter how long he holds the fort. Those straight punches of his are hard and true, and a thoroughly stylish save was demonstrated when he punched up in the air Sam Chedgzoy’s masterly drive. He saved another from Chedgzoy, and one from James Williamson late on, but he had to yield when Joe Clennell, the irrepressible, scored from the rebound of Williamson’s shot. It was Williamson’s goal – a sport like Clennell would be the first to say so, too.
Shots to hand were not numerous, and candidly there was not a straight shooter save Chedgzoy, although Wilfred Watson on one occasion tried hard and with some success from an awkward angle. Tommy Fern was basking in the sunshine most of the time, and Tom Fleetwood all the time had the measure of Fred Pagnam, so far as single handed efforts were concerned.
A strange mixture of forward ideas was served up by the men on view. Arthur Metcalf, without show, did a number of Buchanan things, only to pass execrably. The Anfield right got into a knot, and the inner man tugged the ball along on his own instead of passing. John Bamber caught the disease, and dribbled far too much, and on the extreme left we saw little of Tommy Cunliffe, who was not fed well enough to allow him to show his paces. On the Everton side Williamson got little chance: in fact: he was almost as well pocketed as Pagnam. Arthur Goddard did the pocketing.
The Receipts were over £700, and the attendance was probably a record – 25,000. Had the tram service been more able to cope with the traffic the attendance would have been larger.
(Source: Liverpool Echo: April 3, 1916)
"Play Up, Liverpool" 