"Are we downhearted?" shouted a supporter of Hampstead Town Football Club in St. Giles, Oxford, upon leaving the City of Spires on Saturday at 5.40, after seeing his team defeated by Oxford City in [Qualifying] Round 4 of the English Cup. As Hampstead Town had been beaten pointless by three goals, one would not have been surprised to find supporters downcast, but the emphatic "No!" to the question from nearly one hundred and fifty followers of the "Blue and Whites" showed them to be true sportsmen, men who can take defeat in the right spirit, and, further, that it was not their intention to allow a holiday to be spoilt by such a "trifling" occurrence as defeat on the football field.
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Punctual to the minute, five motor coaches left All Saints Church Institute, Child's Hill, at 10.30. Mr Bucci, an enthusiastic committee-man, had just served out hot drinks to "early birds". Notwithstanding threatening fog, and the knowledge that, through family bereavement, the team would be shorn of the new International, C. Wise, who made such a brilliant debut against Ireland on the previous Saturday, the party set off full of hope.
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The match was timed to begin at 2.30, and most of the party - one char-a-banc was a little late - were on the ground, by Folly Bridge, by 2.20. Spectators were rolling in, and it is estimated that 4,000 were present. As the lowest charge for admission was 1s. (a stand seat cost 2s. 6d.), Hampstead will find the match lucrative.

The slippery state of the ground affected the class of football, which did not reach a high standard, at any rate as far as Hampstead was concerned. Happily visibility was good, and the enclosure being on the small side spectators had no difficulty in following the play.

At practically no period of the game did Hampstead give much hope of running out winners. The absence of C. Wise was severely felt, and when L.P. Price, the outside left, received an injury in the first half hopes fell to zero. True, Price came on the field in the second half, and played pluckily, but he was practically a passenger.

There was no scoring in the first half, but P.E. Bruty in the Hampstead goal had far more to do than his 'vis-a-vis'. He certainly proved his worth as a custodian, repelling many excellent shots from the City team, which included several University players. S. Dunstone and H.G. Baxter, at back, and R.H. Barratt, at half, defended well, but the Oxford attack was so persistent that there was a great deal of satisfaction among Hampstead supporters that the scoresheet was blank at the interval. Now and again there was some good footwork by the front line, but it was nothing like so effective as the display in the St. Albans match.

The first goal came twelve minutes after the interval, Hartley scoring with a really good shot. Shortly after a penalty was awarded to them, from which Buckingham scored, and their third goal was registered by Hampstead's left half, H. Woodward, in an attempt to clear a dangerous movement.

Although outplayed, Hampstead played hard to the finish. Unfortunately it appeared to be forgotten that Price was injured. It would have been better had the play concentrated more on the right wing.

The game was fought out in a truly sporting spirit, and many complimentary references were heard concerning the cleanness of the play.

The story of the game was re-told at various tea tables in Oxford. The concensus of opinion - with which we agree - was that Oxford, on the day's form, deserved to win, but a display like that given at St. Albans a fortnight earlier by Hampstead would have worried the Oxford City defence.

[Report extracted from a much longer piece in the Hendon & Finchley Times; most of the omission covers the journeys to and from Oxford, and adds nothing to the match report.]