UNITED'S CUP CAMPAIGN OF 1901
— Ernest Needham | 11/01/1913 —

With the Cup filling every football enthusiast's thoughts to-day, I have been asked to include in this article something about my views on the best tactics for Cup-fighting. Well, I can sum up my views very briefly in this piece of advice to any team which is out for success: "Don't waste a moment in getting to business." There is nothing like a real good start, though, as the experience of Sheffield United showed very often, a real good finish comes in a capital second.

I might liken a football field to a very wide road which leads direct into a very narrow one, the narrow one of course being the goal. It stands to reason that if a team makes progress by short passes, and tries to reach the narrow road by pushing straight down the middle of the wide one, the effect will be to concentrate the defenders of that narrow road into its mouth. And then there is a difficulty about pushing through.

The best game is to swing the ball rapidly from centre to wing, or even from wing to wing, and thus draw the defence over as wide an area as possible. Then when the ball is finally and promptly centred, there is room for the man to whom it is given to dash through and shoot.

UNITED'S FINEST CUP-TIE.

The finest example of Cup-fighting football which I ever saw United give was at Wolverhampton against the Wolves in the campaign when we reached the Final for the second time. This match was in the third round, but I will describe it at once, to show how this type of football can make a good defence as near helpless as may be. Everybody said that ou match with the Wolves would be about the toughest of the round. On League form the pair of us were well matched, and although in those days we were always animated by a wonderful spirit of confidence, we ourselves expected to be very severely tried indeed.

Before half-time had arrived we were four goals up and the match was practically over. We had no need to bother in the second half, and I may just quote two remarks which were made to me. One was by an old footballer, who said, "I never saw such football playing in my life." The other was by Tom Baddeley, the Wolves' famous International goalkeeper. He said, "What chance has a fellow against such forward play as that?"

"What's the matter, Tom?" said I.

"Why," he said, "we ought to have had two goalkeepers."

DOES DEFENCE WIN TIES?

There was really only one moment at which the Wolves seemed to have a chance against us. Thta was after Fred Priest had scored thefirst goal, and they were awarded a penalty against us. But Foulke stopped it, and we were at them again without delay, shooting for all we were worth. In the last ten minutes of the half, Hadley scored, while a temendous shot of Bennett's was turned into the Wolverhampton goal by their man, Barker, and Bennett slammed in a fourth. One of my shots was described as nearly knocking Baddeley into the net, and that was an example of the sort of thing he had up against him.

It was a great thing in our favour that we settled down to our game so quickly. I wish I could give a "recipe" for that sort of thing, but, of course, nobody can. The only thing to say is that it is the idea to aim at, and if it can be carried out, along the lines of play which I have indicated, there is no knowing what wonderful things can be accomplishe, even against the best defences.

You often hear it said that is is defence which wins Cup-ties. I must say I regard it as rather a "soft" argument. Admittedly several Cup-winning teams one can name have gone through principally because of their fine defence, and it is obvious that when you have a good defence, you must stand a chance, because there is alwways the possiblity of the forwards getting a straggling goal somehow.

But is is clear that in any long series of games, each lasting an hour and a half, there must come times when the best defence will crack under the strain. From the public's point of view I can hardly imagine the idea of winning ties by defence alon being a pleasant one.

THE MOST IMPORTANT MEN.

To my mind the most important essentials of a Cup team are a good centre-halfback and a good centre-forward. If the other men can play at all, then you have a good Cup team, but all must be triers, and willing to play hard and determined football for the whole of the match. "No resting," is a fine mood for a side out for honours.

In support of my contention for the long-passing game I need only quote the case of Newcastle United, who in their long sequence of unsuccessful appearances in the Cup Final were as a side in a class by themselves. Yet time and again they were beaten becuase their opponents swung the ball about and made them run, while they tried to work through by clever dribbling and short passing. It is no use fiddleing about with the ball in midfield in a Cup-tie. Take the quickest way to goal and have a pot. In short, don't stand on the doorstep shouting, but go!

Having thus given my notions on how Cup-ties should be won, I come to the story of how we lost the Cup in 1901. Things do work out like that sometimes! However, I may say at once that United did not fail in 1901 because their tactics were wrong. It was simply a combination of circumstances, the first of which dated back to what should have been the occasion of the first round. We were then in special training at Tynemouth, having been drawn against Sunderland, but shortly before the days fixed the country was staggered by the sad news that Queen Victoria was dead, and in token of respect the Football Association ruled out all football for that week.

THE STORY OF JOHN LEWIS.

The ties were postponed from January till February 9. League fixtures having, of course, to be re-arranged accordingly, and later in the year wo felt the full effects of the congestion which arose. We were withdrawn from Tynemouth for the time being, but were in good fettle when we played at Roker Park. I was able to play. I whereas I could not have done so, owing to an ankle injury, on the original date. It was a very hard tie, in which Lipsham opened the scoring for us, and McLatchie equalised after a penalty kick had been saved by Foulke. Then Priest got the winning goal, and Sunderland practically threw up the sponge.

Those were days in which you had to do a fair amount of appealing to get what you wanted. Nowadays players leave it more to the referee. I don't believe in unnecessary appealing, but I say appeal when you think you have a chance. and it happened in this match that Mr. John Lewis, who was refereeing, found me correct in fair number of appeals.

After I'd appealed he would blow his whistle and give us the decision. Then Sunderland would appeal, and Mr. Lewis would say Play on." Sunderland didn't like it, and after a while their captain said to the referee," Look here, Mr. Lewis, how is it we can't get a decision, when every time Needham appeals you blow your whistle?"

"Ah, well," he said in his pleasantest tone, I've got the whistle!"

THE "CART-HORSES."

For the second round we trained at Skegness, having to meet Everton at Bramail Lane. Ever ton were very confident, for they had beaten us in a League match on Christmas Day, and they had half a dozen men who were either internationals then or were going to be, while Jack Sharp was just "coming." We beat them 2—0 ou a heavy ground, and one of the Liverpool papers described us as "cart-horses," the idea being that we were better suited by the conditions than the "light mettlesome steeds" of Everton. I think we gave 'em a good doing all the same, and one goal by Bennett was a wonder, for he was within inches of the line when he got in a terrific shot at a goal which must have looked about a foot wide to him.

Then came the match at Wolverhampton, which I have already described. I might mention, by the way, that this was Tom Morren's last season with us in the first team, for Bernard Wilkinson was just coming on, and he was very much the same player in style that he is now, though of course he has improved with experience. But Bernard is as keen and anxious on the field now as he was then, and that is the keynote of his success. He played pretty often for us in this season.

Well, the semi-final with Aston Villa was the next thing on our plate. They had a great chance of beating us in the first match, which took place at Nottingham. The fact was that for once we seemed to have lost heart a bit. While we were away training — I think it was the day before the match — the news came through that Harry Thickett had lost his wife, so of course he could not play, and we were all very much upset. You cannot help feeling like that when one of the men you have most faith in is taken from you. Moreover, Peter Boyle was not very fit having been unable to play for some weeks, and we did not play up to form. Still the Villa missed their chance, for we drew with them 2—2, and when we met them again at Derby, with Thickett back in the side, they found us a very different lot.

SMASHING THE VILLA.

We simply walked away with the match, winning by 3—0. My chief opponent in that match was the great "Bobby" Templeton, and we had some keen tussling, though I think I gave him a fair amount to think about. He was wonderfully clever with the ball, but used to waste a lot of opportunities by being too clever when near the corner-flag.

I have said before that I pride myself on being able to look back on a record of clean play, but I remember that in that match I did absolutely trip up one of the Villa men. He was a friend of mine, and at once I ejaculated, "I'm sorry — I don't know what on earth made me do that!" Luckily he wasn't hurt, and he just laughed and said "All right, Ernest." As a matter of fact we were then winning comfortably, but however careful one may be there are times when one forgest oneself on the field.

Our Final with Tottenham Hotspur was one of the most memorable ever played, partly because it ended in the solitary success which has attended a Southern club's efforts in the competition for many years past, and also because it attracted the greatest attendance ever seen at a match in England. There were over 110,000 people for our first meeting, at the Palace.

We stayed near the Palace, and strolled down to look at the ground during the morning. Even then there were lots of people present, and i shall always remember seeing mothers there who were suckling their babies. I am used to football enthusiasm, but I have often wondered what it really was that brought them there, and whose supporters they could possibly be.

THE "RECORD" FINAL.

General Buller was among those present at the Palace, and we found the 'Spurs a very good, well-balanced team, for they possessed men who had had plenty of experience. Priest opened the scoring for us, and Brown equalised before half-time. Then Brown gave them the lead, but Bennett equalised again with a point which has aroused a tremendous lot of disputing. The ball went off Claley's legs, and the 'Spurs claimed that it never crossed the line.

Right to the day of his death Walter Bennett declared that it was as good a goal as was ever got, however. He said he could have kicked the ball into the net, but seeing that it had crossed the line he was satisfied. So of course was the referee, Mr. Kingscott.

I think the result was fair at the Palace, though perhaps the 'Spurs were a shade better than ourselves, but there could be no doubt that they were better than us in the re-play, which took place on the following Saturday at Bolton. The fact was that one or two of our men were not really fit to play, owing to injuries, while with League matches and Cup-ties together we had been working overtime for quite a while, whereas the 'Spurs rested their men from Southern League matches, and concentrated on the Cup. The ground being hard, our fatigue became very evident in the second half.

As at the Palace, we were first to score, Lipsham taking a pass from me after I had dribbled through, and crossing to Priest to score. But we could not stand the pressure in the second half, and first Cameron, then Smith, and then Brown scored for the Londoners. One of their players was Jack Jones, who had formerly understudied me at Bramall Lane for some seasons. "I'm not going to sympathise with you, Ernest," he said, when I went in to congratulate them, "I'm jolly glad we've won!"

And so ends the story of our second Final, in which we had the same defence as before, but owed a lot in attack to Priest, who had now come inside-left instead of outside, and Bert Lipsham, who was on the wing, and also to "Charlie" Field at inside-right. Priest had weight, and was a very determined player — how he stuck to the ball against the Villa! — while Lipsham was a very fine player, whose one fault was that he centred a bit too fast. For general quality there would not be much in it between him and "Bob" Evans, of the present team.