Match Report – 02/02/1918

SOUTHPORT CENTRAL V LIVERPOOL

February 2, 1918, Lancashire Evening Post

The weather was ideal for football at Anfield to-day, were Southport were the visitors. The Seasiders were poorly represented. There was a crowd of 13,000. Teams: –

Liverpool: Bombardier Walter Smith, Ephraim Longworth, Billy Jenkinson, John Bamber, Walter Wadsworth, Donald Mackinlay, Robert Waine, Arthur Metcalf, Tommy Bennett, Harry Lewis, George Schofield.
Southport Central: Thomas Capper, Tom Dorward, Smith, Lol Abram, Jimmy Fay, Rigby, Burke, Billy Caulfield, Hilton, Crossley, A. Smith.

A late start was made, and Liverpool were soon attacking. They were a goal up in four minutes. Bennett and Waine, as the result of good football, took the ball through the Southport defence, and the former passed to Metcalf, whose shot was only partially cleared by Capper, Lewis scoring a simple goal.

Capper made an extraordinary save shortly afterwards off the foot of the post. Bennett, who was playing attractive football, increased the score with a fine drive, and it was followed up in less than a minute with a brilliant piece of feiting by Schofield, who showed his old side what he could do in the way of ball control. Although Lewis scored from the centre, the chief credit was due to Schofield.

The winger again made a brilliant solo effort, in which he outplayed the Southport defence, but it came to nothing. The home backs were then caught napping, Caulfield hotoking the ball into goal, Smith being beaten by a curling shot. Longworth had to leave the field, and in his absence Smith put in a long shot which struck the bar.

Half-time: Liverpool 3, Southport Central 1.

Metcalf scored in three minutes, and then the games dragged on, a lot of mediocre football being shown. Capper did as well as could be expected, but Hilton, the Southport centre, was outclassed. Mackinlay scored again for Liverpool with a fast drive, Capper being at the time unsighted by a crush of players