Match Report

Hendon
0
RAF Uxbridge
2
Date:
Saturday 10 March 1928
Competition:
Middlesex Senior Cup
Attendance:
2000
Venue:
Hampstead

Match Report

{N.B. Much of the Hendon & Finchley Times report of the match is unreadable, owing to a large amount of white as a result of poor photocopying of the report. It has been decided not to use any of the H&FT report until or unless a better copy can be accessed.]

From the Uxbridge & West Drayton Gazette, 16 March 1928 (includes teams) :

The R.A.F. (Uxbridge) team again confounded the prophets when on Saturday they defeated Hampstead in the semi-final of the Middlesex Senior Cup at Hampstead. They thus added another to many notable victories this season, which have included two wins over Botwell Mission and Staines Town. Now a prominent Athenian League Club is added to their list of "victims."

The first to arrive at Hampstead's fine enclosure were the large number of Airmen who had travelled from Uxbridge by special train, determined to give full vocal encouragement in the Depot team's efforts. The coffee stall man was kept very busy, and having sold out had to get further supplies before the home team supporters turned up to make a gate of 2,000. At 3 o'clock the ground appeared to be in quite good condition, but a blinding snowstorm during the next half-hour made the surface very treacherous, and this no doubt accounted to a large extent for much poor ball control, passing and shooting.

Winning the toss, Hampstead elected to kick with the wind behind them. The Airmen were the first to become aggressive, and Ewers and Baldwin several times provided the wingers with excellent long passes, and although the latter did well in getting the ball close in, the finishing touches were generally weak. On three occasions Conway, when well placed, kicked behind tamely when it was obviously his intention to provide passes for Ewers. Cowley sent in a good shot which the home keeper, hard pressed by the Airmen, had difficulty in getting away. For a while the home team took the play to the visitors' end, and a bad miskick by Jarvis let in Smy, the pressure being luckily relieved by a free-kick for a foul on Chaston. Reinke was presented with a good chance of scoring, but his shot was well "off the target." Then it fell to the lot of Neil to miss a "sitter." In fielding a centre from the home left wing, Chaston slipped and practically placed the ball at the feet of the Hampstead centre, a few yards out of goal, who, however, ballooned it well over the bar. Later Reinke met a fine centre from the left with the wrong foot and sent yards wide. After half-an-hour's play Ewers secured the ball near the half-way line, and outpacing the backs, cleverly placed the ball in the net to give the Airmen a one-goal lead.

Although for a period at the beginning of the second half, Hampstead were pressing, occasional bursts by the visiting forwards seemed much more dangerous, as at no time did the home forwards get in a shot which seriously troubled Chaston. The Airmen's superior stamina eventually had the effect of transferring most of the play in the closing stages to the home half. Theobalds and Conway were much in the picture at this stage, the latter testing the home goalie with the best non-scoring shot of the match. Smith saved brilliantly at the expense of a corner which, however, proved abortive. Warwick went close to scoring when, after making Smith drop the ball, he tried a shot from an awkward position. A few minutes from the end Ewers added a second goal with a delightful shot from the left. Result: R.A.F. (Uxbridge), 2 ; Hampstead, 0.

In the final at Southall on Easter Monday, R.A.F.'s opponents will be the Metropolitan Police, who on Saturday beat Lyons Club 2-0. The Police are another "surprise" team. This is their second season in the competition. They have gained some notable victories, and that they possess remarkable stamina was shown in their match with Wealdstone, when, during extra time, they scored no fewer than four goals.

Hampstead

1
Sid Smith
2
Jimmy Shorland
3
Albert Owens
4
Freddy Young
5
Percy Moody
6
Bob Wardlaw
7
Oscar Reinke
8
Harry Shearcroft
9
Billy Neil
10
Jimmy Smy
11
David Levy

Match Events

A/C Ewers
31''
A/C Ewers
87''

RAF Uxbridge

1
A/C Chaston
2
L. A/C Jarvis
3
Cpl. Squirrel
4
L. A/C Barnes
5
Cpl. Baldwin
6
A/C Merritt
7
A/C Theobalds
8
A/C Conway
9
A/C Ewers
10
A/C Warwick
11
Sgt. Cowley