MORTENSEN GETS BLACKPOOL’S WINNING GOAL
But many chances were missed
SECOND-HALF RALLY
Grimsby Town 0, Blackpool 1
By “Spectator”
THE first question I was asked by the receptionist as I walked into the hotel last night was: “ Are the two Stanley's here?” I assured her they were. “That’s a good job,” she said, “otherwise there would have been a riot.” Half the population, she promised, would be at Blundell Park this afternoon.
That was an exaggeration, but as many of the population as could be packed into a ground which is allowed to admit only 25,000 past its gates were present nearly an hour before the kick-off.
There were queues outside the ground at noon, three and a quarter hours before the kick-off. A visit by Blackpool these days has become a sort of gala day in nearly every city and town.
Grimsby had take the field for the. first time this season without George Tweedy, their goalkeeper. Will Chisholm, who signed for the Town a year ago, was chosen as his understudy.
Teams:
GRIMSBY TOWN: Chisholm; Fisher. Hodgson, Penrose, Taylor, Blenkinop, Wilson, Clifton, Briggs, Cairns, Wardle.
BLACKPOOL: Wallace; Shimwell, Suart, Lewis. Hayward, Johnston, Matthews, Munro, Mortensen, McCall, McCormack.
Referee: Mr. R A. Mortimer (Huddersfield).
THE GAME
Harry Johnston won the toss and took whatever aid an almost negligible breeze offered.
Shimwell made an assured clearance from Wardle as the wing forward chased his partner’s long forward pass in the first minute. In the next Wallace fielded a high centre from this quarter.
STORMING START
Another half-minute and in a storming, confident opening by Grimsby before ever the Blackpool forwards had crossed the halfway line, the Town missed a goal by a cat’s whisker.
Briggs raced after a bouncing ball, resisted Hayward’s desperate tackle, and hooked out of Wallace’s arms a ball which spun beside an open goal by less than half a yard.
Nor was that the end of these early battering raids.
Wallace fell full length to a low swerving shot by Wilson as the pressure continued hammer and tongs on Blackpool’s goal.
It was five minutes before the Blackpool forwards escaped. Then Mortensen adroitly put McCormack in an open position from where the wing forward’s centre was crossed into a packed Grimsby defence.
It was exactly seven minutes before Matthew's, whom half the folk had come to see, was given the ball.
DIRECT FOR GOAL
There were no signs of the early Grimsby storm subsiding. Fast into position, direct on goal, were these Town forwards.
When Matthews crossed the first of two free kicks into Grimsby’s goal area, free kicks surrendered by a Town defence soon betraying a little panic under pressure, the McCall-McCormack wing raced into an offside trap.
The game was producing few shooting positions. When one offered itself at last, Lewis had to cross fast to an unguarded wing to halt Clifton.
Blackpool won the first corner in the 15th minute but it led nowhere, Chisholm beating Mortensen in a high leap to the crossing ball
NEAR THING
Wallace saves ball just in time
In the 17th minute the Town were near again to scoring.
Cairns gave Wardle a gem of ft pass. The wing forward crossed a high ball which curled into Wallace. The goalkeeper leaped almost casually at it, staggered as it hit the tips of his fingers, escaped his clutch.
He had to hurl himself backwards to retrieve the ball as it was bouncing about over the goal line.
Blackpool’s football was not impressive, gave everywhere the impression oi being disturbed by the Town’s pace in attack and hit-or-miss tackles in defence.
ENDING NOWHERE
Passes were still never reaching Matthews Raid after raid was being built on the left wing and ending nowhere.
It had been nearly a holiday for the Town’s understudy goalkeeper in the first 25 minutes.
Matthews crossed a free kick which eluded a swarm of men and reached McCormack who sent it back in front of a nearly open goal. McCall and Munro hurled themselves at it and missed it.
A minute later Mortensen shot over the bar.
At last Blackpool were entering the game as a team.
Another raid scattered the Town’s defence.
At last Matthews was given a pass. He walked past one man, lured another out of position, crossed a centre which Munro glided on to Mortensen, but the centre-forward shot over.
DEFENCE STOPPED
Blackpool had another chance to take the lead a couple of minutes later as the entire Grimsby defence halted, waiting for the offside whistle, leaving Munro to tear in on his own, but he shot wide with the goalkeeper deserted and diving desperately at his feet.
In the 33rd minute of the half Clifton was crippled, hobbled out of the game on his trainer’s shoulder.
Against-the Town’s ten men. Blackpool raided nonstop for a time.
It had been a peculiar half. The Town had dominated the first 20 minutes, afterwards had been repulsed, often completely outplayed.
In the last minute of the half Cairns shot inches wide, and with half a minute left Chisholm made a great clearance from Mortensen’s shot.
Half-time: Grimsby Town 0 Blackpool 0.
SECOND HALF
Hundreds of people were massed outside the locked gates at halftime, demanding admission in vain with a line of constables in front of them.
Clifton, whose right knee was twisted, limped out to the right wing when the teams re-appeared.
McCormack won a corner in the first minute, but it led nowhere.
Briggs hooked a centre into Wallace’s arms before Munro ran 30 yards before shooting a ball which Chisholm fielded' on one knee.
Munro was often in the game, racing here, there and everywhere, thrust on a ball which Taylor hooked away from Mortensen as the centre-forward raced in to meet it in a certain scoring position.
HIT POST
McCall headed Matthew’s centre against the post a half second before the offside whistle blew.
Hayward conceded a free kick a yard outside the penalty area.
Cairns shot into a wall of men called back desperately by Blackpool to defend a goal which was now again seriously menaced.
No, the Town were not being outplayed, were forcing the pace with 30 minutes left, still disconcerting Blackpool’s defence by the pace of their game.
It was one of those games' which one goal seemed destined to win.
In the 20th minute of the half MORTENSEN got that goal. No sort of peril seemed to beset the Grimsby goal. Munro, always lurking in the background for a loose ball, found another, passed it forward.
After it Mortensen raced into a big gap in the centre of the Town's defence, beat the advancing Chisholm in a race for it, calmly steered it into the open goal.
TONIC GOAL
That goal did Blackpool all the good in the world. Raid after raid followed it. The Town forwards were tamed at last, and the Grimsby defence was now in utter retreat.
Matthews was brilliant in the last 10 minutes, played Grimsby’s left flank of defence to a standstill.
Five minutes from time Clifton crippled himself completely, went off on a stretcher,
Result:
GRIMSBY TOWN 0
BLACKPOOL 1 (Mortensen 65 min)
COMMENTS ON THE GAME
The Town have no cause for self-reproach about this not unexpected defeat.
Blackpool’s forward line began to play as a line only in the last 30 minutes.
During the first hour the Town’s forwards battered at a Blackpool defence which was resolutely served by its two fullbacks.
The half-backs, however, were not as composed-and confident in the first of the Town’s hammering attacks.
Johnston, alone, gave his forwards the passes which forwards expect.
Because he always requires watching and was as fast and as aggressive as ever, I made Mortensen the best forward, but the industry of Munro awakened a line which too seldom called into its service an elusive Matthews who has still class in everything.
In the end Blackpool were winning everywhere, but it took a long time to establish this domination. It took, I think, too long.
NO LOCKHART DEVELOPMENTS YET
Still interested, but there are problems
By “Spectator”
NEARLY everybody I have met this week has asked one question: "Are Blackpool going to sign Norman Lockhart?"
I could not answer it. I cannot answer it now. Blackpool have been, and still are, interested in the Swansea Town outside-left, who recently refused to go to Newcastle at a fee reported to be in five figures, because he preferred a transfer to a First Division club.
That is not news in the “top secret” file.
It is common knowledge, too, that Manager Joe Smith watched the Town play at Walsall last weekend, and made his report to the board this week. But since, except for one or two telephone conversations, there have been no further developments.
“And.” I was told yesterday, "there may be none now.”
According to a South Wales report the Swansea directors may be prepared to talk business if Blackpool will offer Jimmy Blair, the Scottish international inside-left. in addition to a fee.
Back to football?
BLACKPOOL, I know, would part with Blair, who left Blackpool last April to go working down on a farm near Hereford.
He was seen by the Blackpool manager at the Walsall-Swansea game, and there. I am told, admitted frankly that he wanted to come back into football.
Whether he would want to re-enter it in the Third Division is problematical, although the Town, I think, would sign him. for he is still an accomplished footballer who could become one of the best inside forwards in the game.
Two questions
THE two questions, therefore. which still remain are:
(1) Would Blair agree to sign for a Third Division club?
(2) Assuming this agreement, would Blackpool pay the sort of fee which the Town might still ask for Lockhart.
“I would never vote for a fancy fee for a wing forward,” said Col W. Parkinson, J.P., the Blackpool chairman, when I was talking to him a few weeks ago about the £10,000 which one club was asking for another outside-left.
It all depends, I suppose, on what exactly is meant by a fancy fee.
Blackpool, I know, are signing no five-figure cheques, either for a wing forward or for the centre-forward which the public are now demanding after the failure of the front line with "The Two Stanleys” out of it last weekend.
No need for haste
I WROTE a fortnight ago that all those people who assert that Blackpool should not play Stanley Mortensen as a centre-forward seemed unable to produce out of the present staff an understudy for the position.
Now they say, “One should be bought!” But again Echo asks, “Where?” And is there, in any event, cause for any unseemly haste? You would think that England are playing every week, denuding Blackpool of its two keymen in the forward line for half the season’s fixtures.
Whereas a glance at England’s programme for the remainder of the season reveals that except for the game in Wales on October 18 - the date of Blackpool’s home game with Portsmouth - and the Scotland match way off in April, there are no other Saturday matches left.
So why go into a panic about it?
This Christmas -
NOTICED the strange Christmas programme in the Football League?
Most of the First Division teams are playing two games in the three days from Christmas Day to Saturday, December 27. But some are playing on two successive days. Others have been allotted Christmas Day and Saturday games, with Boxing Day intervening as a holiday.
Blackpool are among the latter. They have Stoke City as visitors on Christmas Day and go to Stoke on December 27. The loss of one of these holiday dates is one reason for the glut of early-season fixtures.
Jottings from all parts
BY "SPECTATOR" 27 September 1947
CITY WENT DOWN
WHEN Manchester City come to Blackpool next weekend it will be the first time the clubs have met in the First Division since February 19, 1938.
That match was a drama, culminating in a remarkable save by Alec Roxburgh from Eric Brook’s penalty shot late in the match with the final score at 2-1 for Blackpool.
Alec Munro and T. W. Jones scored for this Blackpool team: Roxburgh; Blair (D), Sibley; Farrow, Hayward, Johnston; Munro, Buchan (W.). Finan, Jones (T. W) and Hoyland.
Bottom of the league at that time, Blackpool two and a half months later escaped relegation. The City, who were in the middle of the table when this match was played, descended to the Second Division.
Nearly everything went wrong for them after losing this game.
TWO goals for Bobby Finan for Manager Frank Hill’s Crewe Alexandra last weekend. That makes three in two games.
Other news of ex -Blackpool men in the Northern Section: Hugh O’Donnell led, the Rochdale forwards in the Lancashire Cup- tie this week in a line which included Dick Withington, who has already played in three positions in the Rochdale attack this season.
Alec Roxburgh watched the Blackpool-Sunderland match. He had been crippled in a midweek game between Barrow and Bradford City.
Dick Burke scored a penalty goal for Carlisle United against Stockport County
Mapson’s message
JOHNNY MAPSON’S first call when he reached the Blackpool ground last weekend was at Mr. Joe Smith’s office.
Mr. Smith was not at home, but the Sunderland goalkeeper left a message: “Tell him I’ve been asking for him, and give him all my good wishes.”
Johnny has not forgotten that it was Mr. Smith who gave him his first chance at Reading and afterwards recommended him to Sunderland.
“MURDY” McCORMACK, the Blackpool wing forward - nobody ever calls him “Murdoch" is with his fifth club today.
No. 1 was a Scottish junior club, No. 2 was Hibernians, No. 3 was Dumbarton, No. 4 was the Rangers.
They all let him go.
Blackpool took a chance on him when they heard that Manchester City had offered him maximum terms after month s trial at the end of last season.
“Murdy” is one of the few present-day professionals who wear a moustache. Another is Gordon Kennedy, the Blackpool reserve full-back.
Is a new fashion coming in? Or an old fashion coming back?
BLANTYRE CELTIC are watching with interest the progress of Andy McCall at Blackpool.
Blackpool signed him for £250. The Celtic realise now that if they had waited a month or two they might have asked a four-figure fee.
Half a dozen English and Scottish clubs were interested, but Manage Joe Smith was first on the scene, and was given permission to approach the little Scot - who was in those days last spring still in the Army - and signed him while the rest were still running around in circles getting nowhere.
NOTE from Aberdeen states that the football public there asks always, “How’s Stan gone on?” as soon as the football papers come off the press every Saturday.
Stanley Mortensen played for Aberdeen during the war - and, among others, for Arsenal and Torquay, too - and became No. 1 idol at Pittodrie.
"How glad they would be,” comments my Aberdeen correspondent, “to have him back again” - and adds wistfully, “But what a hope they have!”
***
TOMMY REYNOLDS, the Sunderland outside-left who played his first game in the First Division at Blackpool last season and was again preferred to Eddie Burbanks in the team from the North-East last weekend, has the smallest feet in League football.
He wears size four boots. They had to have a special cast made when the Roker Park club ordered them.
SUNDERLAND, first visiting team to win at Blackpool this season - an achievement which no team accomplished last year until Grimsby Town won 3-2 on November 16 - field 11 Englishmen nowadays.
Such a team - an all-English team - playing in English football is these days almost a freak of Nature.
And seven of the 11 were born almost on the Roker Park doorstep.
***
TICKET matches at Blackpool are not ending with September. First of the October home games - the Manchester City match next weekend - will be a tickets-for-the-stands fixture.
***
OUR first big event of the season has been tentatively arranged for November 10 to November 15 at the Clifton Hotel, when Joe Davis will give a series of exhibition matches against amateur stars of the snooker and billiards world.
Club hut
It is hoped that the new hut at the back of the west stand will be ready for the use of members in week or two.
Membership
OUR membership although increasing slowly, is far from the desired number. Without your co-operation and support the club lacks success.
We appeal to all followers of the 'Pool to join the club. Send your 2s. 6d. to the treasurer (Mr. T.
Newton), at the ground immediately.
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