Third Division side’s Brave Efforts

Seven goals scored in first half for Everton

Southport bade a very bad afternoon to the English Cup when they let Goodison Park’s snowflakes on Saturday, after having engaged in a very captivating game, and paid their respects to the team that beat them handsomely and without venom. They scored 9 to 1. I do not think Everton would have scored so many, but Southport got a move on after the interval, took a goal by their regular member in the score sheet –Waterston –and Everton thought they had better take no chances with a team that had been named as a shock side competent to upset the best of opposition. Everton have never gloated over their victories or their margins; they take enough to ensure safety and then “play.” They intended to do this after they had made a lead of seven before half-time, but Southport never ceased their effort, and at times they looked like a very sharp side; a good side; a side with much speed and more pluck and daring. But they played the right sort of football, never condescending to touch the Third Division style as many know it, so that they were to be congratulated upon their methods and upon their keenness.

Southport Start Well.
Never were there signs of their weakness; they played on as valiantly when a margin of eight divided them with the coming First Division team as when the game started. And be it known, Southport started in a way that was ominous. They shot well; they skirted the touchline; they thought nought of the snow that lay around the corners of the field and made the ball a veritable snowball. They shot so well that nothing but the sound keeping of Coggins prevented them taking the lead. After that the Everton forwards started to work and the meant goals were coming. They appeared to be able to score at will, but the root feature of this big goal crop was the fact that each forward lived for his fellow forwards. The utter unselfishness that has stamped Dean’s game all his life, has led to the other forwards realizing the wisdom of pairing off for goals rather than making single handed efforts. When Dean broke 60 goals in a record making season he made many of the goals –yes most of them –by his own unaided effort. Today he has fine lieutenants beside him. Each goal was more or less the result of an offering of the thankfulness of the part of a fellow forward. Every goal created a shake of the hand from the man who had placed the goal at the scorer’s mercy. And to that fine spirit the slashing shooting that went on against Baker and his overrun backs, and remember that Dunn and Johnson were always schemers, whose work had to be looked into hard to find the true value of it, and you will sense how this forward line would on this showing, have beaten almost any side.

Four for Dean.
Dean got four goals, Dunn two, Critchley two, and Johnson got the other apart from Waterston’s consolation stroke. And the best was probably Dean’s master header to make the eight goal of the day. I don’t remember a senior match were seven goals lead has been taken in the first half, unless we go back to the days of the 26-0 score put up by Preston North End against Hyde. Certainly Everton are collecting goals with a rare freedom, and this year to date they have scored 53 goals in cup and League. They make the game look frightfully simple and simply effective by means of the positional play of the line, each of whom has a fine understanding with the rest of the side, what time the half-backs join in with their fine passes along the ground. McClure was hard, Gee was a dribbler, forager, and joyful playmate of the man in front of him; he gave him a squeezed in pass to make one of Dean’s foursome goals, and Stein kept his best for the later stages, when his centring was full of judgement.

Southport’s Efforts.
What of Southport then? Still can I say that Southport did uncommonly well under the circumstances. There was not sure in front of goal; they imagined they had time to spare when they got their golden chances, and therein lay the secret of their being smothered or covered by Williams and Cresswell. I though Vincent played a great game till he tired yet Seagraves was the most consistent of their side. With Holmes not quite so powerful as I have seen him in previous games. Southport were valiant hearts, they had frittering, fitting forwards, with the extreme wings always the most dangerous of the line. Hill giving a uniformly good show throughout the awkward day. At midday the snowstorm threatened to put an end to thoughts of cup-tie strife, but the ground actually played a shade better than usual through the snow falling on the heaps of mud and making it a trifle stickier than usual-hence the ball travelled almost normally. Everton made it do a lot or work, and well as the backs defended in a difficult task, the goalkeeping of Baker was unsettled until half time and then it bore a bright mark.

Teams; – Everton; – Coggins, goal; Williams (captain) and Cresswell, backs; McClure, Gee, and Thomson, half-backs; Critchley, Dunn, Dean, Johnson and Stein forwards.

Southport; – Baker, goal; Little and Robinson, backs; Seagrave, Vincent, and Holmes, half-backs; Hill, McConnell (captain), Waterston, Cowan, and Roberts, for wards.

Attendance was 45, 647 and receipts of £3, 971