Those Were The Days; 9th March 1968

[Les1949]

THOSE WERE THE DAYS
9th March 1968

Spartan League

Hampton 2 (Allen, Rowlands) Crown & Manor 0

Hampton;-
Joe Andrews; Alan Earl, Peter Minor, Don Aldridge, Graham Belcher, Ken Merry, Syd Carter, Mickey Garman, Peter Allen, Terry McCormack, Arthur Rowlands.
Sub; Gordon Morris

Hampton kept up their challenge for a fourth Spartan League Championship with a win over a Crown & Manor side who made life very difficult for them. The first half ended goalless and was described as ‘tedious’ – well, you can’t sparkle all the time! The two defences were definitely in charge, the ball going from end to end with very little play in the midfield. Earl was ever ready to get forward down the right flank but his crosses eluded the Hampton forwards. The visitors were looking to be a much better side than their league position indicated (15th out of 18). The second half saw Hampton wrest control of the game. In the 52nd minute Hampton broke the ice. McCormack ran on to a pass from Allen, but his shot was parried by the keeper, Brown, however, Allen had kept running and was on hand to strike the ball past Brown. A few minutes later it was 2-0, thanks to an individual goal by Rowlands. Rowlands received the ball on the halfway line, raced down the pitch and beat Brown with a right-foot drive – even the most mundane game can come with a highlight moment. Andrews collected a rare booking when he argued a decision over a disputed corner as things got a bit heated. Carter netted late in the game but it was ruled out for offside. Hampton remained in second place, behind Tring Town, where they would remain, finishing just one point in arrears.


The Old Historian