Historic Barking Programmes No 7 v Leyton F A Amateur Cup final 1927

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HISTORIC PROGRAMMES NUMBER 7

 

 

 

9-4-1927 BARKING V LEYTON F A AMATEUR CUP FINAL AT MILLWALL LOST 3-1

 

 

I apologise for having including this programme in briefer form in a previous season but I am working chronologically through my collection and, as this is one of our most important ever games in one of our most successful seasons , I do not want to omit it.

 

 

This was our only appearance in the final and we lost 3-1 to Leyton. On the way to the final our results were Kingstonian 6-1, Redhill 2-1, Maidenhead 3-1, Wycombe wanderers 3-2, South Bank 2-1 and the attendance at the final was 12,864. Leyton’s path to the final was Finchley 3-0,Oxford City 8-0,Northern Nomads 2-1,Nunhead 2-1,Southall 2-2,2-1.

 

 

Apart from the F A Cup we reached the final of every cup we entered.We started in the F A Cup in the preliminary round and reached the 1^st round proper, losing to Gillingham 2-0 after a 0-0 draw and played 8 games including Wood Green 6-1, Chelmsford 8-0,Great Eastern Railway Romford 7-4. We finished 3^rd in the Athenian League with results including Windsor and Eton 8-1,West Norwood 7-0,Sutton United 11-2. We beat Clapton Orient 6-0 in a friendly and reached the finals of the London and Essex Senior Cups. After beating Grays Athletic 10-0 in the Essex semi final we lost 2-1 to Ilford but we won the London Senior Cup, beating London Caledonians 4-2 in the final. Other results in the competition included Sutton Court 9-1,Catford Southend 7-6,Wealdstone 6-0, Enfield 7-1 and Leyton 6-3.

 

 

The price of the programme was one penny which is less than half a modern penny. We were known as Barking Town then and our shirt colours were blue and white hoops while Leyton played in white. Our team was E.T McCracken,J.S.Carman, C.Norrington, J.S.Kemp,A.J (Alf) Vango (captain),R.H.Young, A.A.Evans, J.F.Hawkins,T.Scarborough,W.V (Mickey) Guyton,W.S.Lucas. As was the custom until the early 1950s players were numbered 1 to 22 in the programme and I do not know how they were identified on the pitch –perhaps the numbers were pinned to their shirts . We were 1-11 and Leyton 12-22. Our scorer was Hawkins.

 

 

The programme noted that over 35,000 people saw the semi final and replay between Leyton and Southall and said that we had had a “splendid season both from a financial and a playing point of view.In the semi final versus South Bank at Bishop Auckland Barking gained the day after South Bank had taken an early lead through a penalty –an incident which might have had an unsettling effect.”

 

 

We were in the Athenian League while Leyton were in the London League . T.H.Cable ,the captain of Leyton “who formerly played for Barking assisted Queen’s Park Rangers occasionally while A.J. Vango has been identified with Gillingham.” This was the 1^st time that 2 Essex clubs had reached the final.

 

 

Millwall were then 3^rd in the Football League 3^rd Division behind Bristol City and Brighton & Hove Albion. The division included Merthyr Town and Aberdare Athletic. The programme commented that “ in the amateur field there is every cause for contentment for, despite all gloomy prophecies to the contrary, the great unpaid continue to flourish.Indeed fuller progress is only retarded by the increasing difficulty of obtaining suitable accommodation.” It also stated that the police have strict orders to eject any person encroaching on the field.

 

 

 

Entertainment was provided by the Deptford Town Band and the New Cross Empire advertised Jack Taylor’s new revue “The Wonder Show- the world’s most perfect revue”. Spectators were exhorted to “travel home by ‘Metro’ after the match- frequent service of fast electric trains to all parts of London from New Cross Gate.”