Erith & Belvedere   3          Heritage 22, West 40, Neylen 50

Pegasus                   3          Jackson 3, 5, Ogden 70

FA Amateur Cup 1st round, 21 January 1961

 

Pegasus                   2          Randle pen 116, Ogden 117

Erith & Belvedere   0

FA Amateur Cup 1st round replay, 28 January 1961 – at White City

 

Continuing the series counting down the 100 most memorable games in our history.  Today, an epic cup-tie and replay against the backdrop of football history developing on and off the pitch.

 

Earlier in the series we looked at our 1949-50 encounter with Pegasus, the team of Oxbridge Blues who would be a power in the Amateur Cup, winning the trophy in 1951 and 1953.  Pegasus only existed from 1948 to 1963, so we met them early in their existence and now 11 years later we met them towards the end.

 

BATTLING DERES GAVE PEGASUS A GREAT FIGHT

 

To the strains of the Eton “Boating Song” (Pegasus supporters’ version), glamour team Pegasus trotted confidently on to the Park View pitch on Saturday for their FA Amateur Cup first round tie.  For 10 minutes they looked like cruising down the river at Erith’s expense as they steered smoothly and confidently to a two-goal lead.  But by the end of this thrill-packed, nerve-tingling game, Pegasus were anything but confident and cocksure.

 

Instead of a cruise, they had been all at sea in a storm initiated by Erith, who fought back with a ferocity that would split wide open any defence other than Pegasus’ well-drilled rearguard.

 

No-one would have blamed Deres if they folded after being two goals down in five minutes, but that vital asset, team spirit, held them together.

 

Two sharp thrusts down the centre and Pegasus’ centre-forward, Jackson, had put his side two goals ahead.  It looked like a runaway Pegasus victory, as their forwards tore holes in an unsure defence.

 

But one man stopped the rot – centre-half Joe Hurlock.  Dominating the middle effectively to snuff out the dangerous Jackson, he became the rock on which Pegasus foundered, and the anchor that held Deres’ defence firm.

 

The tide turned and, prompted by a neat schemer in Barry Martin, and led by the zestful, tireless West, Deres’ forwards pounded away at the visitors’ goal.

 

But somehow Pegasus’ 4-2-4 formation – in which Dougall and Saunders did sterling work – rode out the storm.

 

The Deres reduced the arrears in the 22nd minute, however, when Fred Heritage shot home through a crowd of players.

 

Further broadsides by Deres were dealt with by the brilliant Wakefield, but he had no chance in the 40th minute when West rounded off a fine inter-passing movement, with a peach of a goal from just outside the box.

 

Deres rose to the heights in the second half when, inspired by a fifth-minute goal from Neylen, who scored from close in, they hammered ceaselessly at the Pegasus goal.

 

Shots went wide, hit defenders or were kicked hastily away by the full-stretch Pegasus defence.  In fact that ball went everywhere but in the net.  Try as they might, the gallant Deres, who covered themselves in mud and glory, just could not score.

 

The final blow fell 20 minutes from time when left-winger Ogden broke away, moved inside, and beat the eel-like Jarrett with a shot from 10 yards.

 

Even Deres’ enthusiasm was jolted by this unexpected goal, and although they continued to try hard, the earlier pep and bite had gone, and Pegasus held on for a somewhat fortunate draw.

 

Deres deserve every credit for their refusal to be downhearted by those two early goals.  Their courage, enthusiasm and spirit endeared themselves to the thousand or so spectators, most of whom normally cannot be bothered to turn up at Park View.

 

DERES: Harry Jarrett; Bob Dack, Dennis Crawford, Fred Heritage, Joe Hurlock, Ray Danks, Terry West, Barry Martin, Colin Neylen, Danny Shreeve, Ken Jenman.

 

 

The replay on the 28th was notable for two things, one immediately apparent, the other only in retrospect.  The first was that, for the first time, E&B played in a 4-2-4 formation, with Hurlock and Crawford as dual centre-halves, Heritage and Danks in midfield, and reserve Bill Brown at full-back wearing a number 10 shirt!  Sadly it was Brown who punched clear a goal-bound shot four minutes from the end of extra time to enable Pegasus to take the lead with a penalty, and they added a second immediately afterwards to win 2-0.  Pegasus went out in the next round, however, and the Amateur Cup went to Walthamstow Avenue, who beat West Auckland Town 2-1 at Wembley.

 

The other notable aspect of the replay was the venue, White City: when France played Uruguay there in 1966 (because it was on a Friday and Wembley wouldn’t give up its regular Friday greyhound meeting), it became the only venue to have hosted both a Deres game and a World Cup match!