Leyton, the Amateur up holders, were on view with practically last year's eleven at Claremont-road on Saturday, and the result was that the record crowd for the season had the pleasure of witnessing a display of football which, if maintained, will assuredly draw even bigger attendances to the Hampstead ground before the season is over. It is not an easy matter to reach the enclosure, but we understand that if there are signs of sufficient support, an effort will be made to meet the convenience of patrons by running conveyances to the ground.

Leyton won by one goal to nil, and, taking everything into consideration, may be said to have been slightly better than Hampstead to that extent, but many people went away quite confident that the home side had equalised from a corner kick taken well in the second half. The referee, however, ruled against Hampstead, but though we think he made a mistake, the Hampstead fellows bowed to his decision without anything in the nature of a demonstration. This is the spirit we like to see in football. Further, it appeared that by indulging in a little bit of bluff a Leyton player saved a penalty kick being taken. The ball, many allege, was handled in the penalty area but the offender fell to the ground apparently injured. When assisted to rise he was on the right side of the penalty line - at least for his side, and the referee gave an ordinary free kick, which was saved. One was glad to find the presumably injured player was not hurt, although if he did resort to a sharp practice he deserved censure rather than sympathy.

The goal obtained by Leyton towards the end of the first half was in the nature of a fluke, and was caused by Bucci slipping on the greasy ground after having stopped his man. The ball was sent across to the left wing, and G. Smith, in the inside position, could hardly fail to score. His namesake in the Hampstead goal was in a helpless position, and could be commiserated with having regard to the fact that he played another sterling game. He has performed no mean feat in keeping the number of goals down to two in four consecutive games, especially as Kingstonian, Redhill and Leyton claim to have forward lines above average merit.

Leyton, having won the toss, started off with great dash, but more than the usual time passed before either goalkeeper was even called upon to handle the ball. The first really good shot - one with great power behind it - came from Sherman, and Burr was no doubt glad to save at the cost of a corner. While they were not so strong in their kicking as the Leyton pair, Webb and Bucci prevented Smith from being seriously troubled, and Hampstead forced several corners. Burr, however, is a goalkeeper not easily beaten, and he dealt with a number of shots, which included a particularly good one from Moore, with the greatest confidence. Hampstead must have felt pleased when a Leyton player struck the bar. Had the shot been a few inches lower Smith would have been almost helpless. Good work by the Moore-Smy combination promised to bring results again and again, but the Leyton backs hardly ever made a false kick. Another strong man in the side was Wright at centre-half. Neil was not happy under his keen eye, and did not shine so well as in the previous match, but he was far from deserving some of the pointed remarks that fell from a part of the ground where one least expected to hear them. Among the best efforts of the Hampstead players were those from the wing halves. Burr just managed to reach Wardlaw's long shot (it would have beaten many men), and Young, with one of those shots that often remind us that he has been a forward, just skimmed the upright.

The bursting of a ball brought into operation one which had seen good service, judging by its appearance, and with this Ives almost brought down the Hampstead goal. The shooting, however, was not up to the standard one had been led to expect from such noted men, and Steele lost one beautiful opening. Towards the end of the first half, however, Leyton exercised great pressure, and just before the whistle blew for the interval Leyton scored their goal in the manner already mentioned. Bucci's fall was unfortunate, but he was more to be pitied than blamed. He had had a gruelling time and had borne the strain well.

The second half was well contested, and there was no falling off in pace. The working arrangement of the Leyton side was more effective than that of Hampstead's, their long passing often causing bewilderment to the home players. Hampstead, however, had an equal share of the play, and nothing was more gratifying than the manner in which Sherman, who is undoubtedly a "find", managed to work his way to the danger zone, although at times he was subjected to some hard knocks. Smy not only worked untiringly himself, but did his utmost to get everyone else to put forth a little extra effort in order that the clean record on the home ground this season should be maintained. One shot by Smy went claen across the mouth of the goal, this being only one of many fine efforts. Moore was almost through, and Neil did enough to silence the critics. There were cries of "Goal" from a corner kick, beautifully placed by Sherman, but the referee held another opinion.

The end came with Hampstead beaten by one goal to nil, but all exceptionally strong partisans must have left the ground feeling that they had had something more than their money's worth.

The standard of Hampstead's play may not have reached that seen in the matches with Kingstonian and Redhill, but there was little to cavil about. A centre-forward with goal-scoring abilities above the average might have made all the difference between a loss and a win for Hampstead, but Neil compares favourably with many others who have been tried there. When A. Owens has recovered from his injury it might be advisable to make a change, but meanwhile there does not seem much ground for tampering with the side.