Bromley                    3          Brown 6, 43, Ruddy 24

Erith & Belvedere   1          Gurr pen 87

Kent Amateur Cup Final, 19 April 1947 (at Bromley)

 

Continuing the series counting down the 100 most memorable games in our history.  Today, a sickener of a defeat to a whole bunch of familiar faces.

 

If Bromley were arch-rivals from 1938, when they beat us in the Amateur Cup Final, the rivalry was never keener than in 1946-47.  No fewer than seven Deres left for Bromley in the close season of 1946.  A disgruntled supporter asked why the club didn’t just become the Bromley nursery club, which led to slanging matches about  lack of communication with the supporters’ club.  Meanwhile the team was reaching the Kent Amateur Cup Final: beating Sidcup United 1-0, Sheppey United 2-0 after a 0‑0 away draw, and the Royal Naval Depot 6-0 in the semi-final.  In the final they played Bromley AT Bromley by order of the Kent FA…

 

KENT AMATEUR CUP – DERES LOSE IN FINAL

 

Having the disadvantage of playing on their opponents’ ground, Erith and Belvedere lost 3-1 to Bromley in the final of the Kent Amateur Cup on Saturday.  The first half, when Bromley scored all their goals, was uninspiring but the later stages proved more interesting.

 

It took Bromley exactly six minutes to score their first goal, with one of the most polished forward movements seen this season.  Ruddy, on the left wing, found the goal well-packed with defenders when he brought the ball down.  A long pass sent it to Martin over on the right wing.  Martin passed to Scott, who transferred to Brown, who slammed it in.

 

McNally spearheaded the next Bromley attack, but his long shot went bouncing over the Deres’ goal.  It was thirteen minutes before the visitors made their first organised attack, and the Bromley defenders halted it successfully but were slow to clear the ball.

 

Fright and Scott formed a combination that was nice to watch, but Scott later went off form, though he remained a hard working player throughout the match.  Ruddy and Brown, of Bromley, had an exciting encounter with the Erith defence, but Brown was not quite quick enough to capitalise their advantage.

 

With 24 minutes of play gone, Bromley scored their second goal.  Without wishing to detract from Ruddy’s success, no one expected him to score and one suspects that he was just as surprised as the crowd.  T Fuller put the ball over to Ruddy, who was well out on the left wing, nearly down to the goal line.  Ruddy shot for goal and the stiff breeze gave it a gentle curving trajectory that hoaxed the goalkeeper completely.  Scott and Brown then each menaced the Erith goal while Barron remained more or less idle.

 

After 33 minutes of play Bromley were continuously attacking, and their third goal was expected when Scott passed to Martin, who sent it across to Brown.  But Brown’s shot was well held.  The Erith and Belvedere men were skilled defenders, and it took all of Bromley’s skill to overcome them.  Scott missed two chances in a few seconds, but two minutes from the close of the half, a slick header from T Fuller gave Brown the ball, and he headed it into goal.  The ball had been brought up on the left wing by Scott and Ruddy.

 

As soon as the second half opened Bromley went into the attack and took the ball well upfield.  For the first ten minutes they attacked vigorously, until Parker made a series of attempts to score for the Deres.  His first hit the net on the outside, his second was taken low by Barron, and his third hit the crossbar.  Parker showed himself as a dangerous centre-forward, and only bad luck stopped him from scoring with that third attempt.

 

It was obvious now that Bromley did not intend repeating their Maidstone performance, and at every opportunity they were chasing the ball upfield.  The Deres had increased their pace, and the game was now fast and more even.  Parker took many shots at the Bromley goal in quick succession, and with 20 minutes of play gone Erith relaxed their pressure slightly and play moved into their half.

 

The hard-fought struggle continued, both Parker and Brown pressing the respective goals.  Until the last five minutes Bromley had slightly the better of the half.

 

With three minutes to go Gurr, the Erith and Belvedere inside-left, successfully took a penalty shot, the penalty being given against T Fuller who handled the ball in a goalmouth tussle.  But no one was greatly concerned and the game ended with Bromley running out good winners.

 

The shield and medals were presented immediately after the match by Mr R R Geddes, treasurer of the Kent County Football Association, who said that it had been a game worthy of the occasion.  They had seen the two finest amateur teams in Kent, and it had been a well-deserved win for Bromley. 

 

Bromley: G Barron; G Aldous, G Stevens; M McNally, C Fuller, E Fright; C Martin, L Scott, G Brown, T Fuller, M Ruddy.

Deres: Bill Pearson; Jack O’Brien, John Smith; John McCullough, Arthur Warboys, Tom Firminger; Jack Novis, Jim Cullum, Vic Parker, Harold Gurr, Jim Townsend.

 

Only three of the Bromley line-up – Fright, Martin and Brown – had not previously played for Deres.