Erith & Belvedere   4          Beswarwick 10, Peake 30, 40, 50

Wealdstone              4          Hoskins 15, Hannam 31, 55, Champion 75

London Senior Cup 4th qualifying round, 14 December 1929

 

Wealdstone             4          Goddard, ???

Erith & Belvedere   4          ????

Replay, 21 December 1929

 

Wealdstone              5          Hoskins 20, 33, 37, 75, Smith 44

Erith & Belvedere   0                     

2nd replay, 27 December 1929 – at the Spotted Dog, Clapton

 

Continuing the series counting down the 100 most memorable games in our history.  Today, a three-match London Senior Cup epic which ended in heavy defeat.

 

Deres switched league for the first time in 1929, from the Kent League to the London League, and had a mad opening game at Whyteleafe where we lost 6-5 after being 5-3 up with ten minutes to go.  We did OK in the first half of the season, lying third behind Mitcham and Grays Athletic by December, at which point we came up against Wealdstone, and it was quite a cup-tie.

 

EIGHT GOALS AT PARK VIEW

 

On a “sticky” ground, with a strong wind blowing towards the Erith end goal, Erith and Belvedere met Wealdstone in the fourth qualifying round of the London Senior Cup at Park View, Belvedere, on Saturday afternoon.  After a good and satisfying match, the teams retired with the scores equal, at 4-4.

 

The Deres were the first to score, held the lead for most of the time, and deserved, perhaps, to have won.  They were a tough team but met tough opponents, and the opportunity to fight out the issue again, while rather inconvenient, was really a suitable result to the game.

 

The Deres made two last-minute changes to their usual half-back line, Bowles going to centre-back in Manning’s place, and R Horne coming in at Bowles’ place at right-half.  Horne played a very good game, and gave promise of fine possibilities.  It is to be hoped that he will be seen again in the first team.  T M Peake was at centre-forward, and did well throughout, gaining a deserved “hat-trick”.  Beswarwick scored the Deres’ other goal.  There was not a very large crowd to see the game, though probably the adverse weather conditions and the attraction at Charlton accounted for that.  The Park View match was really worth seeing, and the replay should supply some excitement, even though Wealdstone will have the advantage of ground.

 

Deres kicked off but Wealdstone were the first to attack.  They had the wind in their tails but these early efforts were easily resisted by the Erith defence.  Then suddenly right-winger Goddard centred, and Peake and Beswarwick made valiant efforts to get in shooting range.  The goal was almost undefended when the latter knocked the ball over the goal line.

 

Wealdstone took better advantage of the wind and were pressing for several minutes.  After 15 minutes’ play, while Wealdstone were continuing their pressure, Hoskins, their clever centre-forward, ran in and scored the equalising goal.  The Deres failed to reply successfully, and the visitors continued to have most of the play.  Less than ten minutes after this equalising goal, Hannam took the ball from his feet and scored from an offside position.  The ball went into the net but the referee rightly disallowed the goal.

 

The Deres then took a turn at attacking, and after a few minutes’ hard work against the wind and a clever defence.  Booker, the left-winger, centred for Peake to shoot into an undefended net.  The Deres thus took the lead once more but kept it for only a minute, for Wealdstone attacked immediately from the restart and Hannam sent the ball into the net, so equalising the score.  The Deres did very well following this reply, and Peake earned well-deserved applause for his performance. 

 

In the last five minutes of the first half, the Deres scored a third goal.  Beswarwick ran in and centred.  Begeant, the Wealdstone goalkeeper, came out for the ball, and Peake ran in to get it.  This had the effect of making Begeant throw up the ball, and he sent it into the net.  Half time came with the Deres leading by the odd goal in five.

 

Resuming, the Deres attacked at the first, and during a melee a little to the right of the goal Beswarwick sustained an injury which caused the referee to stop the game for a period.  From the bounce-up, Peake gained a good opportunity and ran in to complete his hat-trick, making the score 4-2 in the Deres’ favour.  Only for 5 minutes did the Erithians keep this two-goal lead intact, and after a series of promising attacks Hannam scored the seventh goal of the game, making the score 4-3. 

 

The Deres, who now had the wind in their favour, went away to make a series of impressive attacks, but they did not do much, and eventually the visitors took the ball to the other end, and after a few minutes Champion scored the equalising goal.  There were now about 15 minutes to go.  Excitement ran high in the closing stages of the game, and both sides did their best to score the winning goal.  Ansell saved the Deres from defeat by a magnificent save from Hannam, who shot with considerable force. 

 

Deres: Dick Ansell; H Lewenden, George Carpenter; Bob Horne, Billy Bowles, Bob Hutton; Horace Goddard, Harry Vanner, Tom Peake, Reg Beswarwick, Jack Booker.

 

 

The replay the following Saturday remarkably produced another 4-4 draw.  Deres were without goalkeeper Dick Ansell, and with no reserve keeper available Jack Booker deputised in goal: he played heroically and saved a penalty in the second half.  Fringe player Alf Cordjohn took Booker’s place: he “was hardly up to the class of the rest but as a deputy did not do badly”!

 

Deres led at one period of the game by 4-1.  Wealdstone came back largely because Deres went “on the defensive after having gained such a substantial lead”.  The brief match report names only one goalscorer, “young Goddard” who “greatly distinguished himself”, but adds that Tom Peake was at his best.

 

 

The second replay was on the Saturday after Christmas at the Spotted Dog, Clapton.  

This time Deres were heavily beaten but “fought well for honours and acquitted themselves quite creditably”.  They played the first 15 minutes with ten men, as H Lewenden, one of the backs, “failed to put in an appearance”.  Reserve back J Dewey was eventually sent on and “probably this change accounts for the very poor defence”.  Dick Ansell was still out and reserve goalkeeper J Griffin took his place.

 

Hoskins scored the opener after about 20 minutes, and soon after Deres’ best chance of the first half from a free-kick, added a second from a scramble and completed a hat-trick seven minutes before half-time.  From a breakaway centre-half Smith added a fourth and “half-time came, therefore, with the Deres losing by the rather threatening margin of four clear goals”.

 

Deres did a little attacking in the second half “but were seldom a real danger”.  Hoskins got his fourth and Wealdstone’s 5th midway through the half and the game petered out.  “All were glad when the final whistle went and it was possible to seek more adequate shelter from the melancholy drizzle and wind”.

 

Deres (2nd replay): J Griffin; J Dewey, Carpenter; Bowles, Billy Manning, Hutton; Goddard, Vanner, Peake, Beswarwick, Albert Shaw.