August 21, 1944
Though it didn’t produce anything wilding exciting, the pre-season game between Everton and Liverpool was a pleasant introduction to Soccer joys ahead, and provided a nice little windfall of £1,150 for the Lord Mayor’s War Fund.
It also showed that Everton have some spots to strengthened if they are to improve on last season’s performances, though it would be unfair to judge to harshly on the basis of this single test.
Once again the home side forgot the Euclidian truism that the quickest method of progression between two given points is in a straight line. Too often they indulged their fondness for the roundabout route, bouts of “get-you-nowhere” passing frequently finishing up no nearer the opposition goal than when they started.
What was worse, attacking efforts of some promise were ruined time after time by a direct pass from an Everton forward to a Liverpool defender. The winners deserved their success because they cut out the circumstances and made a bee-line for goal, and because they never stood upon the order of their shooting, but shot whenever they had the slightest opportunity.
Everton didn’t even shoot when they could see the whites of Alf Hobson’s eye –they wanted to get close enough to count his eyelashes. At a conservative estimate Liverpool had at least three shots to Everton’s one, and the side which produces that proportion is in variously on the winning end at the final whistle.
It was well for Everton that George Burnett was in brilliant form, or the margin might have been larger than 5-2. Alex Stevenson got a couple of good goals, the first of which ought to have been saved, and the second a gift from Jimmy McIntosh. Apart from that, Joe Mercer often looked the most dangerous though the ball didn’t run kindly for him in his characteristic dribbles.
Those Liverpool fans who watched Harry Kaye with anxious eyes must have been gratified to see that his operation and long lay-off hadn’t affected his form. Cyril Done again proved what an opportunist he is. He might lack something in one or two directions, but he’s a glutton for work, rattles the defence; and gets the goals, and when all’s said and done that’s the main object. A bag of four to start the season is good going, even if one was a penalty.
Talking of the penalty, Referee Brown of bell-ringer fame, rang another kind of bell when he gave the award against Jack Jones under the new rules which was introduced just before the war, whereby, the man in the middle is empowered to penalise what would otherwise be a fair charge if it is delivered when the player concerned is not attempting to play the ball. Mr. Brown was quite right though many referees today wink a blind eye at this rule.
(Liverpool Echo: August 21, 1944)
XX
"Play Up, Liverpool" 