Orpington                 0         

Erith & Belvedere   9          Makepeace 10, 40 pen, 60, Fuller 20, Scott 30,

                                                            Crane 50, Hillier 70, 90, Burnett 80   

FA Amateur Cup 1st qualifying round, 30 September 1922

 

Continuing the series counting down the 100 most memorable games in our history.  Today, the 6th ever Erith and Belvedere match and one that wrote the record books.

 

As you’ll know, the Deres are approaching their centenary.  Our first ever game was on 26 August 1922 and will feature further on in this series.  Five weeks later came our second ever Cup-tie and our first in the FA Amateur Cup – and remarkably our sixth ever game remains our biggest ever cup away win.

 

NINE-NONE!  Erith and Belvedere Swamp Orpington – a team versus eleven units

 

The meeting of Erith and Belvedere and Orpington on the White Hart Meadow, Orpington, on Saturday, in the preliminary round of the English Amateur Cup, was a “wash-out” as far as being a contest was concerned.  There was only one team in it.  Erith and Belvedere played like a “team”, while of Orpington it can only be said that they were represented by eleven units.  On their part there was an entire absence of team play, and their individual efforts were not sufficiently clever to have any result.  Scoring with regularity about every ten minutes, Erith and Belvedere recorded four goals in the first half and five in the second.

 

Orpington were unfortunate in being weakly represented.  Corben, their clever centre-forward, was absent owing to injury, and W Salmon at the last moment preferred to throw in his lot with Cray Wanderers.  The composition of their team was in doubt till they got onto the field, and then there were three changes from the team as given me in the dressing-room.  In the circumstances a disorganised game was the natural result. 

 

It was like putting the clock back a good many years to see Jack Saunders as their outside-right.  It must be about twenty years since Jack made his debut at the White Hart ground, and he has still a lot more football in him than a lot of the youngsters.  He did not have much chance of showing it on Saturday, as he did not get the ball more than about three times, and the little girl who seems Orpington’s keenest supporter was a good judge of possibilities when she entreated the other players to put the ball “up the hill” (where Jack was cooling his heels).

 

Another interesting personality was W H Swayne, the Belvedere centre-half, who was a colleague of Saunders in the old days with Tufnell Park.  He was in the Northfleet team last season, and although in the veteran stage, is still a force to be reckoned with.  He played an ideal centre-half game, never neglecting the duties of attack or defence.  He had little difficulty in suppressing the Orpington forwards, and so was able to ply his own front line with many delightful passes.

 

Many of those present would have liked to see Boon in the Belvedere goal, but he was ineligible for this competition.  He was an old favourite in the Cray district, as was Allack, who played last year for the Wanderers.

 

The Belvedere team seemed sound all through, and it was only their good play which made the match at all tolerable.  Orpington were always trying, but it was effort without method.

 

Good runs on both the Belvedere wings preceded the first goal, which came after nearly ten minutes’ play.  Scott put in a good centre, and Thatcher ran out and caught the ball, but instead of getting rid of it he ran with it for about a dozen yards.  Orpington left their goal open for the free kick, and when Swayne gently tapped the ball forward Makepeace had an easy task in sending it into the net.  Orpington made an occasional incursion, Annett being the hardest worker, but their attacks came to nothing. 

 

Belvedere’s second goal was a very soft affair.  Makepeace centred, and Fuller sent the ball slowly forward.  Thatcher seemed to have plenty of time to get to it, but it gently rolled just inside the post.  Hodge made Orpington’s best attempt, a good shot just missing the upright, and this was followed by clever forward and backward passing between Swayne and Scott, which resulted in the latter beating the goalkeeper with a cross shot.  Banham made an attempt to break through, but was unlucky, as a hard shot rebounded off an opponent onto his face, and gave him a nasty blow. 

 

Again Orpington’s rush was followed by a goal to Belvedere.  Thatcher had just got his fingers to a low shot, and before he could recover the ball was returned, and Saggers was adjudged to have handled it.  Whether he did, or merely attempted to do so, is a matter of opinion, but the referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty kick, which was successfully taken by Makepeace. 

 

Before the interval, Saunders put in a low shot, which Jones got away, and the home goal had one or two narrow escapes, but there was no further scoring, and the teams retired with Belvedere leading 4-0.

 

The second half was very similar to the first, with the difference that Belvedere scored one more goal.  Orpington started well, the first mistake that the Belvedere defence made – a miskick – leading to a centre by Hodge, which was not cleared without an appeal for hands in the penalty area.  Another centre by Hodge was missed by the inside forwards, and then Belvedere were at it again.  They went straight for goal, and with Thatcher running out, Crane rolled the ball in. 

 

After another brief Orpington attack, Crane put the ball out to Makepeace, who scored the sixth goal, and another sortie by the home team, during which Wilson did some good headwork, was followed by the seventh goal, Hillier getting clear and scoring with a beauty.  Just previous to this, after twenty-five minutes had elapsed, Jack Saunders had his first kick of the half.  Following a corner the ball again went into the Orpington net with three players following it, but no goal was recorded, as the ball had gone over the line from the flag kick before any other player touched it.  The eighth goal was not long delayed, however, as Burnett found himself with a clear opening, of which he took full advantage.  Saunders then had his second chance, forcing a corner which he placed well, but Annett shot by.  The Orpington defence was again left standing, and Hillier, with only the goalkeeper to beat, registered the ninth and last goal.

 

Orpington:  RG Thatcher; T Saggers and RM Owen; Jim Smith, SF Hutchings and Jim Saunders; Jack Saunders, AT Banham, HH Lipsham, E Annett and F Hodge.

Erith and Belvedere: C Jones; Tom Allack and “Tug” Wilson; Charlie Fuller, Billy Swayne and A Chard; H Scott, Clifford Burnett, Charlie Crane, Stan Hillier and Harry Makepeace.