Erith & Belvedere   8          Hillary 5, 10, 20, 25, 49, V Parker 28, Ruston 35, Sampson 47

Tilbury                       1          E Parker 16  

Corinthian League, 24 November 1956

 

Continuing the series counting down the 100 most memorable games in our history.  Today, a red-letter day for a player who’d had an arguably even more exciting one the previous summer.

 

Deres had had a mixed start to 1956-57, beginning with an opening-day 8-3 thrashing at Uxbridge featuring an inauspicious debut at centre-half by Dennis Crawford – who would go on to make more appearances for Deres than anybody else in a 15-year career.  November, which saw the crushing of the Hungarian revolution by the Soviet Union, the Suez crisis and the start of the Melbourne Olympics, epitomised Deres’ inconsistency.  On the 10th they won 3-1 at Tilbury, with young centre-forward John Hillary scoring twice.  The following week they were crushed 8-1 at Epsom Town – but that was the first of the most contrasting pair of successive results we’ve ever had.  Tilbury made a return visit on the 24th, and this happened…

 

DERES DAZZLE THE DOCKERS – Hillary and Davies in Brilliant Form

 

What a pity that there was little more than a handful of spectators at Park View, Belvedere, on Saturday, for the home team gave their best display of the season, dazzling and completely outplaying Tilbury to win 8-1.

 

Chief architect of the home team was Tim Davies, whose ball control completely nonplussed the opposing defence, and his understanding with John Hillary was perfect.  Hillary was at his happiest, scoring five goals.  He has improved out of all recognition since the opening match, and in this game was ever-ready to “have a go”.

 

Deres were forced to rearrange their forward line, Dick Crockford being injured.  Ken Tubby was moved inside and Ron Sampson was on the left wing.

 

From the kick-off Tilbury swept into the attack and Bernard Kinch intercepted a centre from the outside-right, heading the ball over the back line.  From D Barker’s corner kick H Fogg went close with a header, then Deres were away.

 

By the 10th minute Deres were two up, both from Hillary.  The first followed excellent combination between Dave Ruston and Davies, the latter putting the centre-forward through.

 

The second came from Tubby and Sampson interchanging, with the latter shooting as he converged on goal.  D Bailey stopped the shot, but dropped the ball and in trying to recover it as Hillary rushed in, he twisted a knee injured in a previous match.

 

It was tough luck for Tilbury, as he was off the field for 15 minutes, and although a mistake by Bernard Kinch let E Parker through in the 16th minute, Hillary twice beat Hockley, who had gone into goal, before Bailey returned to hobble on the left wing, where his nuisance value was immense.

 

In the 28th minute another excellent pass to the left found Tubby, who made ground and quickly swung the ball in to Hillary.  Tackled by Shovlar, the home centre-forward tapped it on to Vic Parker, who got terrific power into his shot although hampered by Lawson.  Hockley was unable to reach the ball.

 

Ruston, taking a long ball from Davies, rounded his back and scored on the run 10 minutes before the interval.

 

After the interval Bailey resumed in goal, but was beaten by a low drive from Sampson within two minutes, and two minutes later Davies, although tackled by two men, hooked the ball through to Hillary and as he was shouldered by a back he got in a scoring shot.

 

Deres might well have scored other goals, indeed nine minutes from the end Hillary ran forward to connect with a through ball from Davies and netted, but was given offside.  A doubtful decision.

 

The main reason why Deres did not score again was the rough play of Tilbury and midway through the second period Hillary was crippled, while for 13 minutes they were without Bob Penney, who was hurt in a tackle.

 

Deres: Alec Reith; Ron Cox, Bob Penney; Joe Graimes, Bernard Kinch, Vic Parker; David Ruston, Tim Davies, John Hillary, Ken Tubby, Ron Sampson.

 

 

So ended the best day of John Hillary’s Deres career.  John scored on debut in a 6-2 defeat at Maidstone United on Christmas Eve 1955, and his highlight that 1955-56 season was a hat-trick in the Woolwich Hospital Cup semi-final v East Ham United (won 6-2).  The final was played at the start of the following season, John scoring twice v Royal Ordnance Factory in a 4-3 defeat.  He scored 15 in all in 1956-57, including two in the 7-2 Amateur Cup first round thrashing of Ely City, but left the club in September 1957 with a record of 23 goals in 46 appearances.

 

But he will have had the dressing-room tale to top them all when the players assembled for 1956-57.  John was a teacher training student at Shoreditch College, Uxbridge, and in July 1956, as an end-of-term Rag Week stunt, he and some 30 others went to a house in Englefield Green to serenade its occupant with guitar music and flamenco dancing.  The occupant in question was Marilyn Monroe, who was in the UK to film “The Prince and the Showgirl” with Laurence Olivier.  The incident was alluded to in the 2011 Eddie Redmayne film “My Week with Marilyn”.  

 

So maybe that day when the Deres faced Tilbury, John was inspired by the sight of a familiar-looking Belvedere blonde in the crowd…?