May 27, 1940
Liverpool and Manchester City provided a Regional game of the highest order. In peace-time 60,000 or 70,000 people would have been enraptured. In grave times only 2,000 could experience the tonic of relaxation that was automatic from a game providing so many thrills and individual efforts of the highest order.
Everything pointed to a Manchester success, but Liverpool, with able help from outsiders, far from having to bow to a practically full-strength opposition, made the best of their resources and won deservedly 3-2.
The scoring was sharp and sweet and three goals came in the last ten minutes. First Nieuwenhuys headed a Liddell centre, then Pritchard countered that blow, and in a thrilling finish Liddell (penalty), Murphy, and Doherty also scored.
Great saves by Swift.
It is difficult to name the outstanding figure. Swift, a giant in stature, was a giant in goalkeeping agility, and his three saves against – Nieuwenhuys twice and Carney – were alone worth going miles to see. Few more spectacular goals could be imagined than the one Murphy got, and besides firing in a cannon-ball after Swift had come out to attempt to punch away a centre, this stout half-back played both brilliantly and dourly. Only one “naughty” foul blemished a wonderful afternoon’s work.
The Carney-Liddell-Murphy triangle was pointed and pertinacious, and had no equal. On the left flank two North-Eastern boys, Stuart of Middlesbrough, and Durham-born Paisley, were as tough and certain in their tackling as humanely possible. Brown, of Huddersfield, in the Liverpool half-back-line did splendidly too, and with City’s only fault lying in their being too flowery when the need was for severe punishment of chances, it was a game well worth remembering.
Liverpool: Eric Mansley, Jack Tennant, Bobby Stuart, David Murphy, Alan Brown, Bob Paisley, Billy Liddell, Len Carney, Berry Nieuwenhuys, Alf Hanson, Herman Van den Berg.
Manchester City: Frank Swift, Bert Sproston, Gordon Clark, Billy Walsh, Louis Cardwell, Jackie Bray, Albert Emptage, Alex Herd, Jack Pritchard, Peter Doherty, Jimmy Rudd.
Referee: Mr. A.E. Smith (Liverpool).
(Liverpool Daily Post: May 27, 1940)
XX
"Play Up, Liverpool" 