Coming to Southern clubs, probably Southampton have been the most disappointed club that has come into the list, especially through their great Cup-tie with Notts Forest, at the Crystal Palace, in the semi-final of the Cup. A great amount of correspondence was entered into at the time, and everybody really admitted that they were most unlucky to be beaten at the last minute in a blinding snowstorm. Many people will remember how this tie was stopped in the middle of the game, and after resuming it with only a few minutes before the finish the result was a draw. At almost the last moment Notts Forest broke away and scored a goal which many people considered should never have been allowed, simply because they did not see it. The snowstorm was heavier than when the referee stopped the game earlier on, but he allowed it to go on because he expected the game would result in a draw. Whether this is correct or not I cannot say, but the fact remains that the good people of Southampton still maintain that they had not their dues on that day.
Something has been written of late about a goalkeeper letting his side down in a final tie, but I cannot believe that any player, whether goalkeeper or forward, could or would let his side down.
I do not care to enter into the year when my old club, Tottenham Hotspur, won the Cup, but one of the biggest officials in the Football Association came along to compliment me, and said that my side gave the best display of football since Aston Villa won the Cup—indeed, he implied that it was even better than that given by the Villa, which compliment I naturally appreciated. It was indeed a great day at the Palace, and I do not propose to dwell upon the goal allowed by Mr. Kingscott to our opponents. Our players were sure that the ball had not crossed the line, but as we won on the replay at Bolton everything was forgiven and forgotten.
Another great match in the early days was at Manchester, between Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Everton, the previous Saturday, had sent a reserve team to Wolverhampton. They won quite easily. I cannot say what the score was, but it was four or five goals to nothing. In the final at Manchester, Everton were eventually beaten by a long shot in the early part of the game. There was no doubting their superior skill, but this result simply proved that cup-tie football is quite different from league football.
There are two clubs in the South that have brought Southern football to the front: Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur. To the latter all due credit must be given for winning the Cup, but the "Saints," as they are called, have done equally as good work as the 'Spurs. They were really the pioneers of professional football in the Southern League, and when one considers they were in the final in 1900, and again in 1902, when they were beaten by Sheffield United after a drawn game, it reflects great credit upon them. They do not receive the credit they deserve from their own supporters, and the severance of two of their best local players in 1906 was a severe handicap to the team. By the way, they were both born and bred in the district, and caused a great sensation in the League. Perhaps one of the biggest surprises in the finals of the English Cup was the great victory of Bury over Derby County. The former won by six goals to nothing, but this was entirely due to Fryer being far from fit to play and letting the first three goals go past him. If his knee had been all right it would never have happened.
My old friend, Charlie Campbell, often talks of his old Cup-tie experiences, and sometimes has referred to the meetings of his old club, Queen's Park, with Notts Forest and Blackburn Rovers. In my early days Mr. Campbell was to my mind quite a hero. He would go out of his way to advise and encourage juniors, and much of my success at Queen's Park and Everton was due to the advice which he gave me in those days. Talking about Tottenham Hotspur in the year they won the Cup, practically the best victory was over Bury, who were the holders of the "Little Pot" at that time. There was more enthusiasm shown over that match than I consider has been seen during any other Cup-tie that I have ever played in. The game was fought in a proper spirit, and when Bury scored in the first few minutes it was thought that all was over regarding Tottenham's chances. However, we got exceedingly well together, and won by two goals to one, amidst the greatest enthusiasm. It outshone the reception after the Bolton match, our victory over Reading, and all other great games the 'Spurs have distinguished themselves in. It is not for me to dwell upon the great reception the 'Spurs had on their return from Bolton. The only regret is that they have not won the Cup again, nor has another Southern club had that honour. Southampton, as well as the 'Spurs, have done much to uphold the prestige of the South in the Cup, and it now behoves the other clubs to gird themselves for the fray, and demonstrate that Southern football is quite capable of holding its own against the North. The winning of the Cup by a Southern club next April would be the best possible proof of this.
LAWS OF THE GAME.
Number of Players.—Field of Play.—The Ball.
1. The game should be played by eleven players on each side. The dimensions of the field of play shall be—maximum length, 130 yards; minimum length, 100 yards; maximum breadth, 100 yards; minimum breadth, 50 yards. The field of play shall be marked by boundary lines. The lines at each end are the goal lines, and the lines at the side are the touch lines. The touch lines shall be drawn at right angles with the goal lines[A]. A flag with a staff not less than five feet high shall be placed at each corner. A half-way line shall be marked out across the field of play. The centre of the field of play shall be indicated by a suitable mark, and a circle with ten yards' radius shall be made round it. The goals shall be upright posts fixed on the goal lines, equi-distant from the corner flagstaffs, eight yards apart, with the bar across them eight feet from the ground. The maximum width of the goal posts and the maximum depth of the crossbar shall be five inches. Lines shall be marked six yards from each goal post at right angles to the goal lines for a distance of six yards, and these shall be connected with each other by a line parallel to the goal lines; the space within these lines shall be the goal area. Lines shall be marked eighteen yards from each goal post at right angles to the goal lines for a distance of eighteen yards, and these shall be connected with each other by a line parallel to the goal lines; the space within these lines shall be the penalty area. A suitable mark shall be made opposite the centre of each goal twelve yards from the goal line; this shall be the penalty kick mark. The circumference of the ball shall not be less than twenty-seven inches nor more than twenty-eight. The outer casing must be of leather, and no material shall be used in the construction of the ball which would constitute a danger to the players. In International matches the dimensions of the field of play shall be—maximum length, 120 yards; minimum length, 110 yards; maximum breadth, 80 yards; minimum breadth, 70 yards; and at the commencement of the game the weight of the ball shall be from thirteen to fifteen ounces.