Friday, August 2 – 1968
Match: Friendly, at Boothferry Park.
Hull City – Liverpool 3-5 (2-2).
Attendance: 12,369.
Referee: Mr. A. Fussey (Redford).
Hull City: Ian McKenchie, Don Beardsley, Dennis Butler, Paddy Greenwood, Chris Simpkin, Alan Jarvis, David Lill, Ken Wagstaff, Chris Chilton, Ken Houghton, Malcolm Lord.
Substitutions: Maurice Swan for McKenchie; Frank Banks for Beardsley; Don Beardsley for Butler; Billy Wilkinson for Lill.
Liverpool: Tommy Lawrence, Chris Lawler, Peter Wall, Tommy Smith, Ron Yeats, Emlyn Hughes, Ian Callaghan, Roger Hunt, Bobby Graham, Ian St John, Peter Thompson.
Substitution: Ray Clemence 45 minutes for Lawrence.
The goals: 1-0 Houghton (pen., 8 min.), 1-1 Hunt (18 min.), 1-2 Thompson (21 min.), 2-2 Wagstaff (23 min.), 2-3 Graham (52 min.), 2-4 Graham (58 min.), 2-5 Hughes (83 min.), 3-5 Chilton (89 min.).
Thompson skill too much for Hull.
Liverpool’s English international winger Peter Thompson, last night gave 13,000 Hull fans a one man lesson in the arts of attacking football, Mersey style. And in doing so Thompson led Liverpool to a comfortable 5-3 victory over Second Division City at Boothferry Park.
For Thompson, with the comfortably beating individually of the entire Hull defence – and any substitutes they tried – earned his standing ovation at the end as he scored one and helped make the other three.
It was Liverpool playing some of their most majestic football and Hull trying to follow suit. They succeeded in the first half, but ran out of steam in the second.
Liverpool were without Tony Hateley, at home nursing an ankle injury, and, with the far shorter Bobby Graham leading the attack. Liverpool realised the futility of the high looping ball into the goalmouth normally aimed at Hateley’s head.
Instead, they found a far more lethal weapon in their impressive armoury – the sharp low cross which was responsible for two goals and which with any luck could have brought more.
It was a game of tremendous entertainment, with apart from eight goals to wet the fans’ appetites for the season, some magnificent football to remember.
Throughout it all Thompson danced delicate patterns all over the pitch in a completely unstoppable mood.
Smith, too, was back to his dominant best. Since his injury last season he has been lacking that powerful surge forward, with possession that was always the hallmarks of his play, but it was stamped all over him last night as he created two goals in this fashion.
Bobby Graham running up from Hateley’s place helped himself to two goals and had a third harshly refused by referee Maurice Fussey for offside.
Ian Callaghan, Liverpool’s “jack-of-all-trades”, on the right flank, got through untold work as Liverpool battered down Hull’s defences.
Ken Wagstaff was the pick of Hull and although like the rest of his side, he couldn’t match Liverpool’s pace in the second half, in the first he was a constant menace as he lurked around the field awaiting opportunities.
Hull surprised Liverpool with their first-half display which often contained football that belied their position. But fitness told and at the finish it was Liverpool in the canter.
It was a Liverpool performance that argued well for the season with the opening game only eight days away. Their play was full of fire and purpose as they finally crushed Hull.
The only apparent weakness were in defence where at times Hull created gaps that should never have been, and in this manner managed to hold Liverpool to a 2-2 draw in the first half.
In fact Hull took the lead after eight minutes when Smith was harshly penalised for pushing Chilton off the ball and Houghton scored from spot.
But Liverpool refused to be behind for long and Roger Hunt was lurking near the penalty spot to smash home an 18th minute equaliser after Smith had made the opening and Thompson supplied the low cross.
Three minutes later it was Smith bursting through again this time to allow St John to put Thompson away on the left. The winger cut in and lashed unstoppable shot between McKenchie and a post.
After 23 minutes Hull were back on level terms when Yeats slipped on the greasy turf and Wagstaff went through on his own to beat the advancing Lawrence.
Liverpool substitute Ray Clemence went in goal for Tommy Lawrence in the second half so as not to aggravate a slight muscle injury in Lawrence’s kicking leg.
Clemence again proved to be more than a valuable asset as once he had to come racing out of goal to go down at Houghton’s feet.
But Hull’s energy was from Bobby Graham in the from Boby Graham in the 52nd and 58th minutes sealed their fate. (The beginning of the text does not make sense but is correctly transcribed from the article).
First Simpkin failed to cut out a long ball down the middles and Graham nipped round him to volley the ball home, and then a fine move starting with Yeats and going on through Callaghan ended with Graham turning in Thompson’s low cross.
Seven minutes from the end Emlyn Hughes added the finishing touches with a fifth goal after a neat passing movement had left him clear, but in the last minute Chilton gave Hull another reward for their efforts as he rose to a cross from Lord to head home.
(Liverpool Echo, 03-08-1968)
"Play Up, Liverpool" 