EVERTON 3 SOUTHPORT CENTRAL 2

December 2 1891 The Liverpool Mercury

Everton league v. Southport Central. A match between these teams was played at Anfield road yesterday. The weather being dull and threatening the attendance was not great, numbering about 2,000. The teams were Southport Gee (J) goal, Sugg and Fairhurst, backs, Gee (C), McLean, and Dodd, half-backs, McPherson Platt, Lee (T), Lee (H), and Halsall, forwards. Everton; Williams (R), McLean (D), andHowarth (R), backs, Kirkwood (D), Holt (J), (captain), and Robertson (H), half-backs, Gordon (P), Wyllie (T), Maxwell (A) C hadwick (E), and Milward (A), forwards.

Howarth, had a welcoming cheer on making his account in the Everton jersey. The home team got well down from the kick-off, but the visitors removed operations smartly on the right. Howarth administered a check still Southport showed much activity, and attacked strongly when McLean cleared with a well judged kick to Maxwell who headed a raid Chadwick and Milward worked nicely but Sugg got his head in the way of a shot, and delayed disaster. The pressure continued. However and Milward scored whilst Maxwell paid attention to the goalkeeper. McPherson and Platt contributed another good movement on the right in arresting which Howarth slipped down but no danger arose. Everton then settled down to a persistent assault and were near scoring several times but the muddied state of the ground in front of goal detracted from accurate shooting. The central made play more even for a time, and were enabled to locate operations in the Everton quarters. They were not able to get in a shot though and Howarth passing up undiciously a very neat bit of passing between Milward, Chadwick, Maxwell, and Wyllie was finished off by the last named shooting, with a low shot, just wide of the post. Everton continued to have the best of it, but the visitors showed much vitality and good defensive tactics and shielded J Gee from being often called upon. McPherson and Platt again made a strong effort to get down, but though Howarth once more fell Platt could not get far, McLean coming to the rescue. More close shots followed from the Everton forwards interspersed with bad ones, but the ball fairly refused to travel though the mire. Howarth on the Central getting down on the left and centring cleared grandly, and play resumed its familiar aspect of Everton attacking solidly and shooting gamely, always to find the visitors adepts in defence, and so the game continued until the interval. Everton leading by a goal to nil. Immediately on resuming, Chadwick shot in, and Gee though seeming to have stepped under the bar stopped the ball. Another fine shot went from the left, but the effective effort came from Gordon,, who centred truly, and Maxwell easily popped a goal. A fast spurt down the field by Platt gave T Lee an opportunity of shooting hard and straight to Williams, who saved finely. Another burst was of no avail to Southport, and Everton took up the attack, also to no purpose. The visitors now showed to more advantage than they had hitherto done and returned to goal in one of two clever movements, McPherson from a good pass by H Lee, essaying a splendid shot which was very neat penetrating goal. Howarth next cleared from a tussle in front, and soon Maxwell sent against the post. Fairhurst put the ball smartly up on robbing. Everton’s right wing, and Platt made a running shot at goal at long range, which scored the ball passing through near the bar post, low down. H Lee and Halsall broke away a few minutes later from near their own goal, and, running strongly, grew really dangerous. Their progress was arrested in front of goal, where, amidst considerable excitement, Howarth extricated the ball. Everton helped materially by the good work of Holt, clustered round goal, but could not find an opening whilst from a free kick in front the ball was placed over the bar. The Central improved as the game advanced. They ran and shot quickly and from a corner taking by Halsall on the left McPerson equalised with a keen low shot. They were once again threatening, but Everton managed to clear this time and tried hard to forge ahead. This they were very near doing on various occasion, but the Southport backs were clever enough to parry all the accurate thrusts until Gordon put a cross, and Milward shot in obliquely in a matter which gave Gee no chance. A futile corner followed to the visitors just before the finish, who were beaten after a fairly entertaining game by 3 goals to 2.