Congratulations to Leamington on retaining the Birmingham Senior Cup, well done Paul Holleran and the team. Let's use it as a platform for next season.
To my regret, poor health meant that I could not go. A match report here: https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2022/05/04/1110586-leamington-3-1-stourbridge-brakes-secure-birmingham-senior-challenge-cup-at-villa-park.html
Unfortunately heavy rain which was at times ‘almost tropical in force’ kept the crowd at Old Warwick Road down to five or six hundred for the Birmingham Junior Cup semi-final against Bournville, a team from a higher level league.
They missed ‘a great game. The Town’s form against a team which is supposed to play a superior class of football was truly “an eye opener”. It was not, as frequently happens in cup matches, a case of the bigger team’s scientific play being at a discount against the less clever, if more successful, bustling, kick-and-rush tactics of the smaller side. Bournville had met in the Town a team quite equal to themselves in every department of the game and in some respects – forward work, for instance – their superior.’
The visitors won
the toss and chose to play with the wind in their favour in the first
half. Nevertheless, the Town had the
better of the opening exchanges.
Pritchard on the wing and star striker Gathercole were working together
well, but the first goal was scored by Reading in a ‘goalmouth scrimmage’. However, Bournville equalised, Allcock’s
dive being a fraction too late to make the save. Gathercole was unlucky not score from a free
kick outside the penalty area, but it remained 1-1 at half time.
In the second half, Town returned to the
attack. This opened them up at the
back, but Jonas was brilliant in defence.
Only Waters was thought to be below par.
The winning goal was scored 15 minutes from time by Reading, again from
a scrimmage. At this the Spa crowd lost
it and ‘there was an outburst of almost delirious applause which one rarely
hears from a Leamington crowd.’ Looker
On concluded, ‘I have never seen the Town play such a splendid game.’
There were concerns about whether the players might over indulge during the festive season. However, their performance away at Lord Street, this time in the league, allayed any concerns: ‘Judging by the way the Town forwards and halves rushed about, they must have rigidly eschewed the various good things with which we generally overburden our digestive organs at this period of the year. Whether the Leamington team’s obvious superiority was due to their absteimousness this festive season I do not know. At any event we know that boys will be boys, especially Coventry “bhoys”. ‘Nuff said.
’The next fixture was at home to Cradley Heath in the Birmingham Junior Cup. They were seen as being formidable opponents, having lost only one game in their league all season and having knocked out a team that won the cup twice in an earlier round. Town started to kick towards the Municipal School end and ‘it was one of the toughest struggles we have seen at Leamington this season.
It was not a brilliant or scientific game by any means. What was the point of trying to do clever things with a ball that rarely bounced, and utterly failed to respond to those delicate touches necessary for good dribbling?’ The score was 0-0 at half time, but in the second half Town ‘had the better end for shooting’ and their star striker Gathercole pounced to make it 1-0.
Then disaster
struck. The outside right for Cradley
had a violent collision with Jonas and broke his left leg. An immediate collection was taken for him
and raised £3-12-6d which was made up to £4 by Town players. (Nearly £500 at 2021 prices). However, Cradley then refused to continue
playing and the match had to be abandoned, to the considerable annoyance of the
large crowd of spectators. The referee
insisted that he had nothing to do with the decision.
Cradley refused to concede the fixture and it had to be played again. In the first half Leamington provided ‘a lot of clever passing’ and Gardner dribbled well. He might have scored if he had shown ‘more energy and dash’. However, both goalkeepers were on top form and there was little to choose between the two teams with the half ending goalless.
The crowd, however, remained quietly confident, knowing that Town were
‘great stayers’ and generally put in a better second half performance. ‘Leamington gradually asserted their
superiority after the interval and the ball was kept well within the visitors’
territory.
Town’s superior fitness levels decided the day
with them winning 2-0. ‘Cradley were
played almost to a standstill at the end of the game and the poor backs had
hardly a kick left in them. The Town
players, on the one hand, showed splendid stamina, keeping up the same fast
pace throughout the game.’
