In The Days of 7 Forwards

[anthony.brown]

Old Corinthian Recalls Memorable Games
By Rev. Andrew Amos
(Cambridge University, Corinthians, and England)

In looking back to the football of the past many things that strike us today as being exceedingly strange, were matters of everyday occurrence.
As a boy I can just remember the old formation of a team, when there was a goalkeeper, one full back, two half-backs, and seven forwards. Every forward rushed, and when he got the ball dribbled until he was stopped; every back gained as much ground as possible by long kicks. The policy of distributing forwards across the ground, with close backing up, brought in two backs; short accurate passing led to three half-backs. The present two-handed throw in came in as against the former custom of throwing one-handed with a run up to the line, simply because half-backs learned to throw into the mouth of the goal from any point in their opponents' half of the ground. Heading was practically non-existent as a power to be reckoned with until the three half-back formation came into being, except as the last resort in defence.

A Curious Cup-tie
Even when things began to straighten out, curious things happened even in Cup-ties. Here a difficulty sometimes arose about balls. On one occasion the Old Carthusians went to Eton to play (I believe the name of the club was) the Eton Ramblers. The game was played on the Brocas, and when the teams took the field, the only ball found to be available was the one used in the Eton field game, one that is about the quarter the size of an ordinary Association ball. No other could be got, so the cup-tie in the English Cup was played with that ball.
Probably one of the hardest and most fiercely-contested matches ever seen was played at Kennington Oval in 1886, I think between Preston North End and Old Carthusians. It was the round before the semi-final of the English Cup, and the victors were due to play West Bromwich Albion the next Saturday in the semi-final. Preston North End had been carrying everything before them, and were regarded as very warm favourites for the Cup. The Old Carthusians had Wreford-Brown, better known afterwards in another position, in goal. The back division, including the brothers Walters, were thoroughly sound, but forward Cobbold alone was first class, though C.A.Smith, chiefly known to fame as Aubrey Smith the actor, was a very useful outside right. The gate of 15,000 was a large one for those days, and those composing it got wildly excited, for not until an extra half-hour was played, and even then only because a free-kick was given against P.M.Walters, was the North End team able to claim a victory by two goals to one.

A Heavy Charge
In this game occurred the heaviest charge I have seen when A.M.Walters (12st 9lbs) and F.E.Dewhurst (13st 2lbs) starting about 40 yards apart, made for the ball lying about half-way between them. They met shoulder to shoulder with a crash audible all over the ground, and Dewhurst went down; Walters got the ball, the game went on, for neither was a penny the worse. It is some evidence of the strenuous character of the match that the next week the two Walters and myself were playing for Casuals v Swifts in a London Cup-tie. Fortunately it was a fairly easy game for us, for not one of the three could get out more than a jog-trot, and we dare not charge anyone because we were black and blue in both shoulders. Most unexpectedly, too, West Bromwich threw out Preston in the semi-final of the Cup on the same date.
Something too may be said of the game which brought the Corinthians to the fore on Dec 15, 1884. It was played against Blackburn Rovers, who held the English Cup, at Blackburn. Blackburn were playing Forrest (at half-back), Lockwood (at outside right), and Arthur (in goal), all of whom played for England in that season. The Corinthians had Cobbold (at inside left), Dr Smith (Queen's Park) (centre), T.Lindley, B.W.Spilsbury, and myself, most of us then unknown to fame.
The game ended in a win for the Corinthians by 8 goals to 1; not a bad score against the international goalkeeper, and it was not his fault either.
Daily News (London) Saturday 29th December 1923

[Stuart]

A Heavy Charge
In this game occurred the heaviest charge I have seen when A.M.Walters (12st 9lbs) and F.E.Dewhurst (13st 2lbs) starting about 40 yards apart,made for the ball lying about half-way between them. They met shoulder to shoulder with a crash audible all over the ground, and Dewhurst went down; Walters got the ball, the game went on, for neither was a penny the worse.

"It were a 'ard game by crikey

I love this Anthony, really appreciate the time you spend finding and posting these reports .

[RST]

I agree - thanks Anthony