"Why was Spalton entrusted with the penalty kick?" This was a question asked by supporters of Golders Green at Oxford on Saturday, where the City team won the F.A. Cup-tie by four goals to three.

Spalton shot straight at the goalkeeper, who cleared, and this incident had a tremendous effect on the game. Rowe a short time before had headed a goal for Golders Green, who had found themselves in the unfortunate position of being three goals down in half-an-hour. One of these was scored from a free kick just outside the penalty line, and this will indicate that the best of luck was not favouring Golders Green.

We can only assume that Bucci, the captain of the side, was too modest to take the penalty kick himself. As a matter of fact, he has been credited in some newspapers with being the culprit, while the failure has also been attributed to Evans. We should have preferred either to Spalton.

It may be regarded as a good performance on the part of Golders Green to run the City to a goal. It was, but we cannot help feeling that the match should have been won by them. They played the better football, but there was the old failing of letting chances go by. The Oxford forwards played a fine open game and lost no opportunity of having a shot at goal; on the other hand Golders Green seemed to think fancy work would avail. It might against weak defenders but not against the Oxford City backs. It was heartrending to see the ball tapped to one another, each one fearing to take a shot when a shot would probably have told. Drinkwater did not get many chances, yet he seemed the most likely man to score.

Evans did a wonderful amount of work, and good work too, but it might have been more advantageous to his side if he had done less. Breagan was a good winger, but unfortunately he has lost the knack of helping to get goals from corner kicks. On the contrary, Oxford wing men put in some good kicks from the corner flag.

Golders Green's halves were a good trio, but it looked as though the heat, coupled with the responsibility of captaincy, had proved too much for Bucci. Butt seems sure of keeping his place. So does Broadis, but to do so he must take more care in tackling an opponent. The club has a reputation to maintain, and a very strict referee might not like Broadis's methods. Ellis was the better of the backs. The kicking of Dean, while showing some improvement on the previous week, was still uncertain.

S.R. Smith, though beaten four times, added, if anything, to his reputation. He took risks, but with no exception they were justified. Cheers came from the big crowd [given as 2,500 in the "Sports Gleanings" column on page 18 of the paper] as he passed to the dressing-room.

As the colours of the clubs were the same, both changed according to the F.A. rule. Oxford City appeared in white, and Golders Green looked smart in emerald green shirts with white collars and black knickers.

Guilfoyle won the toss for the City and set the visitors to defend the Abingdon Road goal, facing the sun. The start was notable for a quick breakaway by Golders Green, and a nice movement between Evans and Spalton spelt danger for the City defence.

In the act of shooting Evans missed his kick completely and so missed a glorious chance. The ball quickly went to the other end, where S. Smith was called upon to save a long shot from Arnold as the result of a free kick.

For a few minutes the ball was kept in the visitors' half and Follitt put Brookes through with a good pass, but the City centre's pass to R. Smith was not accurate. James conceded the first corner of the match but Breagan's centre was kicked away by Follitt.

The visitors early showed that they were quick in their movements and accurate in their passing, but the City were holding their own in the opening exchanges, which were fast and of a very even character.

Arnold, who was early in the thick of it with hard tackling and strong kicking, drove in a high shot from a long way out which S. Smith was lucky to pull down and get away.

The home team were putting any amount of enthusiasm into their play and Sellars, on the left, tried a cross-shot which S. Smith only partially stopped, but the goalkeeper recovered and cleared his lines. After a quarter-of-an-hour the City deservedly took the lead when a corner was forced by the home team. R. Smith placed the ball to the far side of goal and Sellars met the ball with his head. S. Smith, the visitors' goalkeeper, caught the ball but failed to hold it, and it rolled behind him into the goal. As the sun was directly in his eyes, he may not have seen the ball until it was almost too late.

Encouraged by this success, the City were playing strongly, and a shot from Follitt was luckily charged down by a Golders Green defender. Five minutes later the City increased their lead when a visiting defender was penalised for hands just outside the penalty area. James took the kick and scored with a glorious low drive, the ball traveliing through a crowd of players into the net well out of the reach of S. Smith.

The City were playing irresistable football and goal followed goal. A long pass down the centre found the visitors' defence all at sixes and sevens, and Brookes and Jones raced after the ball with S. Smith advancing from his goal to meet them. Brookes got there first, and circling round Smith put the ball into the empty net. Three goals in half-an-hour was good going for the City, and their play had fully justified such a lead. They, however, did not appear to be content, for S. Smith was repeatedly in action from shots from R. Smith, Randall and Arnold, which all tested him to the full.

Golders Green, however, were not beaten by any means, and in one of their spirited attacks Drinkwater, who had hitherto been comparatively idle, obtained possession and despite appeals for offside from the City players went on to put an ideal centre across. Rowe met it with his head and put past Simmonds, but was temporarily knocked out in a head to head collision with James, who had tried to frustrate him. Five minutes from the interval Evans was going through the centre and was palpably brought down in the penalty area by James. Spalton took the kick, but the City goalkeeper brought off a good save.

Half-time : Oxford City 3 ; Golders Green 1.

The City opened strongly in the second half and Brookes and Follitt combined in a nice movement which brought them into the visitors' goal area, but S. Smith nipped in and brought off a timely clearance.

At the other end the City goal had a narrow escape when the ball travelled along the crossbar from a shot by Drinkwater, and Breagan missed the goal by inches only with another effort.

Playing well together, however, Golders Green were fighting back in no uncertain manner, and five minutes after the resumption they further reduced the lead. Drinkwater got clear away on the left wing and his centre was again met by Rowe, who scored his side's second goal with a neat header.

The City were now on the defensive and Arnold saved a certain goal when he came across to push out a shot from Breagan which was going in. The exchanges were now getting very lively. Jones experienced hard luck when a header of his struck the bottom of the goalpost, and at the other end Rowe had an easy chance of doing the hat trick.

The City were not nearly so effective this half as they had been before the interval, and had it not been for some good work on the part of the defence, coupled by sound goalkeeping by Simmonds, Golders Green would have got on terms. Arlett saved another goal when standing on the goal-line, and the melees round the City goal were very frequent.

Simmonds saved well from Drinkwater and Rowe, and at the opposite end Jones looked to have a chance of scoring, but drove the ball straight at S. Smith. It came as no surprise when at the expiration of 35 minutes of the second half Golders Green drew level. Simmonds saved a shot at full length, but before he could recover the ball went to Drinkwater, who, standing unmarked, scored at close range. Hardly had the ball been centred before the City were making tracks for the visitors' goal, and a surprise first-time shot by Sellars beat S. Smith, regaining the lead for the City.

While this goal was scored Breagan was off the field, having been hurt in a tackle. This completed the scoring, although Golders Green were pressing at the end, and in the opinion of many people should have been awarded a penalty kick.

The home team just about deserved their win. They were seen at their best in the first half, but almost lost their advantage after the interval by indifferent play.

We do not wish to impugn the referee's rulings. We like to give every official the credit of doing his best, but whether deserved or not, there seemed to be an unusual number of free kicks awarded against Golders Green, while Oxford City escaped very lightly.