Figure 20: The Burnley Bulldog cartoon.
The FA Cup Third Round
Despite being unbeaten since Christmas Day and after the recent victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford, not everyone was happy. In the week prior to the big Third Round Cup-tie, there had been local demonstrations about the Turf Moor admission price increases held during the Reserve teams last game at Turf Moor, aimed at the Burnley directors. There was a good deal of bad-feeling among some supporters over the decision to double the ground admission prices from sixpence to a shilling (5p). (Supporters knew this had happened in previous years whenever Burnley had reached the same stage of the competition.)
Several letters were published in the Burnley newspapers. One irate Burnley supporter wrote to the editor of the Burnley Express,
“May I be allowed to express my contempt at the scurrilous treatment of the football public by Burnley Football Club. It is nothing but a most dirty attempt to exploit the workers to the last farthing.”
Turf Moor would only be open on three sides as construction work on the terracing on the Cricket Field End had been delayed due to the winter weather. The Burnley team meanwhile had spent the week in Cup-tie preparation training at Lytham. The players were all reported fit and would return from the seaside on Saturday morning and have a light lunch at their local headquarters, Cronkshaw’s Hotel in Burnley before the game.
The Manchester Evening Chronicle had reported that several Bolton players were suffering from injuries though they would be at full strength. Bolton were third in the League table, one place above the Clarets. Following the 0-0 and 2-2 draws in the League at Turf Moor the form book suggested this would be a tight game.
Ticket News
After a big gate in the previous round against Derby County, an even bigger attendance was predicted at Turf Moor, despite the price increases. The tickets were even advertised in the national papers.
FA CUP THIRD ROUND TIE
BURNLEY v BOLTON WANDERERS
Gates Open 12:45 pm. Kick-Off at 3:15 pm.
Tickets: 1 shilling Adults, Boys 6d.
Enclosure 2 shillings, Stand C 3s, Stand B 4s.
(Manchester Guardian 20/2/1914)
“At Turf Moor the game between Burnley and Bolton is arousing more interest than any cup tie ever played in Burnley. Applications for tickets have poured in from a very wide area – from Nottingham, in the Midlands, to Carlisle. Over 2,000 reserved seats at 4s and apart from 180 these had all been disposed of. There are 2000 seats at 3s on the unreserved portion of the stand but these along with tickets for the enclosure which holds 6,000 people will only be sold on the day of the match. Officials are confident it will hold 50,000 people. (The Times)
Figure 21: The Burnley and Bolton Mascots
Overnight rain in Burnley continued into the morning making the ground soft but by noon the rain ceased and the sun came out. The Turf Moor turnstiles opened at 12:45 pm and from then onwards a steady stream of spectators flowed into the ground, paying their shillings right up to kick-off time. Sportsman reported on the crowds heading to the stadium, “The streets leading to Turf Moor were thronged, club favours were extensively worn and a few rattles and a bugle or two heard. Greeting the teams, the Burnley mascot for the day, was a man dressed as a dog, wearing claret and blue and carrying a matching umbrella, advertising a well known brand of dog biscuits. The Bolton mascot was a small boy on a bicycle who seemed by all accounts, to be terrified of the dog-man.”
In Bolton the mills had closed at 11:00 am to give the locals time to travel over to Burnley. Ten thousand Bolton supporters were said to have made the journey by fourteen special trains, plus charabancs, motor-buses, taxis, horse-drawn vehicles and some even walking it.
Brunbank in the Express reported that, “sheep’s feet were tied to vehicles and another evidence of the ‘Trotters’ invasion was the raid made on local tripe shops for pig’s trotters.” The sound of concertinas could be heard around Turf Moor, wheezing out the latest tunes like ‘I didn’t want to do it’, as spectators headed down Brunshaw Road to the ground. All around Turf Moor, vendors were selling all manner of coloured favours of both teams. Brunbank noting that, “one of the favourite decorations was a metal cup with the Burnley colours attached, the stallholder shouting, “Ere y’are, the winners colours.”
Burnley v Bolton Wanderers FA Cup 3rd Round, Turf Moor, Saturday 21 February 1914 Kick-Off 3:15 pm
The Teams lined up:
Burnley: Dawson, Bamford, Taylor, Halley, Boyle, Watson, Nesbitt, Lindley, Freeman, Hodgson, Mosscrop.
Bolton Wanderers: Edmondson, Baverstock, Feebury, Glendenning, Fay, Rowley, Donaldson, Jones, Lillycrop, Smith, Vizard.
Referee: Mr T. P. Campbell (Blackburn)
At just before 3:15 pm, the teams took to the field from under the Brunshaw Road stand. Bolton appeared first wearing their white shirts and dark blue shorts, followed by Burnley in claret and blue shirts and white shorts. Tommy Boyle lost the toss and the Bolton captain, Bert Baverstock, played with the wind as Wanderers kicked off attacking the Bee Hole End. The first attack on goal was made by the visitors, Dawson saving a low shot from George Lillycrop, Tommy Boyle’s old team mate from Barnsley. Then, a solo run by Bert Freeman, some three-quarters the length of the field, resulted in his shot just clearing the Bolton crossbar. At the other end, Jerry Dawson pulled off a fine save from a Joe Smith effort. The deadlock was broken on twenty-nine minutes. It began with a run by Billy Nesbitt into the Bolton half. Nesbitt was tackled by Rowley but he got up quickly and won the ball back. Nesbitt continued his run, this time beating Feebury before releasing the ball to Freeman who bore down on the Bolton goal. Freeman dribbled, left, right, left and finally veering to his right. Edmondson in the Bolton goal came off his line and ran toward Freeman thinking the Burnley centre-forward was about to shoot low to his left. Edmondson went down too early. Freeman saw the keepers’ move and chipped the ball over the outstretched goalkeeper’s body and into the Wanderers net! It was a cheeky goal but a superb finish by Freeman.
Shortly before the interval, a Ted Vizard shot struck the middle of the Burnley crossbar, the ball bouncing safely on top of the net and going clear. And at half-time in the Cup tie, the Clarets led 1-0.
Burnley were quickly on the attack as the second half got underway. Bolton’s captain, Baverstock, was hit in the stomach and winded by the ball while blocking a Teddy Hodgson effort which put the visitors down to ten men temporarily. With sixteen minutes of the second half gone, Dick Lindley had the ball in the centre-circle. Lindley fed Nesbitt on the wing. Nesbitt’s cross found Hodgson who timed his run perfectly, got past Baverstock to beat Edmondson with a low hard shot. Two-nil to Burnley! There were great cheers from all around the packed terraces and you could have heard the noise all over the town. Time and again the Burnley forward line attacked in numbers overwhelming the Bolton defence. Boyle switching his team’s tactics from one wing to the other to confuse the Bolton backs. “The Bolton defenders were run off their legs” wrote the Manchester Courier correspondent. Eddie Mosscrop then had the ball in the net only for it to be ruled offside. Thirty four minutes into the second half, Jerry Dawson took a goal-kick. Dick Lindley won the ball and dribbled toward the Bolton goal but his final effort missed the target. The ball came out to Nesbitt and he had a shot that was cleared before Mosscrop on the other wing had a similar chance. Boyle pushed his half-backs forward and a Billy Watson strike was saved by Edmondson. Edmondson’s clearance found George Halley still forward. Then Halley by clever, cool, calculating work got the ball and dribbling close in, sent the ball past several players and into the net. At 3-0, the game was safe now and Burnley eased off a little. Bolton had two good opportunities of their own in the last ten minutes of the game but they were saved by Jerry Dawson, one a fine save from under his crossbar. And with no further action Mr Campbell from Blackburn brought the game to an end, Burnley winning 3-0 and progressing into the Fourth Round.
At Full Time: Burnley 3 (Freeman, Hodgson, Halley), Bolton 0
Attendance: 32,734 (Gate receipts £2,153,10s)
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FA CUP Third Round Results
Matches played Saturday 21st February 1914
|
Match |
Home Team |
Away Team |
Gate |
|
1 |
Aston Villa 2 |
West Bromwich Albion 1 |
65,000 |
|
2 |
Blackburn 1 |
Manchester City 2 |
41,000 |
|
3 |
Birmingham 1 |
Queens Park Rangers 2 |
33,000 |
|
4 |
Burnley 3 |
Bolton Wanderers 0 |
32,734 |
|
5 |
Millwall 0 |
Sheffield United 4 |
18,500 |
|
6 |
The Wednesday 3 |
Brighton & Hove Albion 0 |
39,000 |
|
7 |
Sunderland 2 |
Preston North End 0 |
34,000 |
|
8 |
West Ham United 1 |
Liverpool 1 |
16,000 |
Third Round News
Burnley were now the only Lancashire side left in the Cup. Bolton, Blackburn and Preston all losing and going out. The biggest crowd of the day, 65,000, was at Villa Park to see the Cup holders beat local rivals West Bromwich Albion 2-1. Sheffield United had the best away victory of the day, winning 4-1 away at The Den. Last years finalists Sunderland reached the Fourth Round again at the expense of Preston. Liverpool drew at West Ham to force a replay at Anfield to be played later this week.
In Other News
Pickpockets were busy at some grounds in Cup day. At Burnley, a man who was unwise enough to attend with 20 sovereigns in his purse paid the penalty.” (Manchester Guardian 23/2/1914)
The draw for the Quarter-Finals paired the following teams,
Manchester City v Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday v Aston Villa
Liverpool v Queens Park Rangers
Sunderland v Burnley
Punished in the Capital
The Burnley team set off by train on the Sunday morning after the Cup match from Burnley Bank Top station to London for their re-arranged League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur. The Clarets, unbeaten now in 11 games, were without the services of George Halley (injured in the Cup-tie) and Eddie Mosscrop (teaching). Levi Thorpe and Jimmy Bellamy came in as replacements.
Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley, White Hart Lane, Monday 23 February 1914 Kick-Off 3:15 pm
The teams lined up:
Tottenham Hotspur: Joyce, Clay, Cartwright, Weir, Steel, Grimsdell, Walden, Minter, Cantrell, Bliss, Middlemiss.
Burnley: Dawson, Bamford, Taylor, Thorpe, Boyle, Watson, Nesbitt, Lindley, Freeman, Hodgson, Bellamy.
Referee: Mr D. H. Asson (West Bromwich)
Spurs won the toss and kicked off. Cantrell had the first opportunity to score but his shot was cleared away by Dave Taylor. Burnley’s first attack saw Bert Freeman go close but his effort was cleared by Clay. The first half was a fairly mediocre affair with only odd goal attempts from either side. The most amusing incident was when Tommy Boyle mistakenly charged the referee and both had to be attended to by the trainer. Cantrell got in a shot for Spurs that Dawson caught before Dick Lindley missed a good chance with a header from a centre by Bellamy. At the interval the score was 0-0.
Tottenham resumed the second half with only ten men, their centre-forward Cantrell injured. Burnley pressed home their advantage, forcing an early corner which was cleared. At the Burnley end, a Walden shot went just over Dawson’s crossbar. Then a Burnley attack with Bellamy and Freeman broke down, but Bellamy later got in a good centre which just went over the Tottenham bar. A goal-bound Middlemiss effort was cleared off the line by Tommy Boyle’s head. Burnley’s best opportunity fell to Bert Freeman whose dribbling run and shot looked a certain goal, the ball hitting the inside of the Tottenham post which Joyce never saw, before re-bounding back into play. Following up, Freeman’s header went just over the Spurs crossbar.
Twenty minutes into the second half, Cantrell returned to the field and was soon in the thick of the action. Ernie Edwards the Burnley trainer attended to Teddy Hodgson after he was hurt in collision with Clay which then put Burnley down to ten men. A Burnley move begun by Dave Taylor set Billy Nesbitt off down the left to centre for Freeman who shot just wide.
Tottenham now with the advantage in numbers pressed forward and Taylor fouled Cantrell in the penalty area. Mr Asson had no doubt and pointed to the spot from which Walden stepped up and made no mistake to give Spurs the lead. With ten minutes remaining, Burnley pushed forward and a Billy Nesbitt shot was just cleared by the Spurs ‘keeper. With only minutes remaining, Spurs sealed their victory when a fast shot from Bliss from twenty yards out caught Dawson off-guard and couldn’t stop the shot despite getting his fingertips to the ball. The game finished 2-0 to Spurs, Burnley suffering their first defeat since Christmas Day.
At Full Time: Tottenham Hotspur 2 (Walden pen, Bliss), Burnley 0
Attendance: 18,000
--xxx---
A Crazy Game Of Two Halves
Following their defeat at Tottenham, Burnley returned to Turf Moor for another Lancashire derby, this time against Preston North End. Before the match, Preston were bottom of the League and had won only once on their travels. Burnley were fifth in the table and had not lost at home since Christmas Day. Burnley gave a home debut to George Milligan following Teddy Hodgson’s injury at Spurs and Eddie Mosscrop returned to the Burnley side in place of Jimmy Bellamy.
Burnley v Preston North End, Turf Moor, Saturday 28 February 1914, Kick-Off 3:15 pm
The teams lined up:
Burnley: Dawson, Bamford, Taylor, Halley, Boyle, Watson, Nesbitt, Lindley, Freeman, Milligan, Mosscrop.
Preston North End: Taylor, Broadhurst, Rodway, Holdsworth, Broome, Dawson, Ford, Toward, Osborn, MaCauley, Barlow.
Referee: Mr L. N. Fletcher (Bury)
Around 2,000 Preston supporters made the journey to Turf Moor making it the best ever attended derby at Turf Moor between the two sides. Tommy Boyle won the toss and Burnley attacked the Bee Hole End. The Clarets had much the better of the preliminary phase, Eddie Mosscrop coming close on two occasions. Mosscrop and Billy Nesbitt were Burnley’s’ most prominent forwards in the first twenty minutes but it was North End that drew first blood shortly after. Ford got away from the Burnley defence and centred for MaCauley who met the ball and steered it into the net with his hand according to Jerry Dawson. Neither Mr Fletcher nor his linesmen saw the offence and awarded the goal to jeers and booing from the home crowd. Burnley immediately sprung into action. From the re-start Eddie Mosscrop won a corner. Mosscrop’s centre was cleared, the ball coming out to Tommy Boyle whose fierce shot struck Rodway’s arm. ‘Penalty’ cries went up around the ground and Mr Fletcher pointed to the spot. Boyle putting the Clarets on level terms from the penalty kick. From then on Burnley dominated. A forward-run from George Halley saw his shot fly just over the Preston crossbar. On forty minutes, Burnley won a direct free-kick on the edge of the North End penalty area after Bert Freeman was fouled. Tommy Boyle lined up the shot and struck the ball through the North End defenders to put Burnley ahead. With the interval approaching, George Milligan’s pass found Billy Nesbitt who’s long centre found Mosscrop who stole in between the defenders and scored Burnley’s third to give the Clarets a deserved 3-1 lead at half time in the derby.
Home supporters were confident that the Clarets would improve on their score in the second half based on the dominance shown toward the end of the first half. Preston North End had other ideas. Burnley began the second half well but Preston adopted Boyle’s tactics of swinging the ball to either wing and switching the attack. Sixteen minutes into the second half, Ford got in a centre from which Osborn netted to reduce the arrears, “letting the ball glide off the side of his foot” according to Sportsman. Now 3-2 to Burnley. Eddie Mosscrop had a glorious chance to put the Clarets further ahead but his chance was cleared by Rodway. With fifteen minutes to go and the light fading, some supporters were already setting off for the trams home. Bert Freeman was judged to have fouled his opponent close to the corner flag in the Burnley half. From Toward’s free-kick, the ball dropped behind Boyle, rolled between Dave Taylors legs and in snuck Osborn to put Preston on level terms, 3-3! With the seconds ticking down it looked as if Burnley had thrown away another point. Preston redoubled their efforts. Only two minutes remained when North End were awarded a corner. The ball came across and Dawson saved it but a scuffle took place in the goal-mouth. Dave Taylor found himself on the floor, “a player trod on or kicked his face above the eye inflicting a nasty cut and leaving another mark.” Taylor staggered to his feet, Toward got to the loose ball and shot, the ball striking the crossbar and over the line and into the Burnley net. The referee was not listening to Boyle’s complaints despite Taylor being kicked and covered in blood. He merely pointed to the centre-circle having awarded Preston the goal. Taylor then collapsed and had to be carried off, “in a dazed condition by the ambulance men.” This was the last real incident of the game, with bottom side North End doing the double over Burnley and taking all the points.
At Full Time: Burnley 3 (Boyle 2, 1 pen, Mosscrop), Preston 4 (MaCauley, Osborn 2, Toward)
Attendance: 20,000 (Gate receipts of £460)
--xxx---
This wasn’t the best preparation for next match, the FA Cup Fourth Round Cup tie against Sunderland at Roker Park in only seven days time. Burnley were mauled in the newspapers for turning a 3-1 half-time lead against the League’s lowest side into a 4-3 defeat. The Clarets had not let four goals in at Turf Moor in over five years! Worse than that was the walking wounded count. Doc Hodges was busy most of the weekend patching up half the Burnley team; Dave Taylor, George Halley, Tommy Boyle, Billy Watson and Bert Freeman, all nursing cuts, sprains and bruises.
The following Monday, the Burnley players left for their training base at Lytham. Eddie Mosscrop was teaching and trained with Southport Central in the evening. Mosscrop was often seen doing his running along Southport promenade. By Wednesday, news on the injured players was much better and John Haworth named the same Cup team for Sunderland that had defeated Bolton. Levi Thorpe would travel with the team to Roker Park as reserve.
The Athletics News presented the portraits of the eight Quarter-final captains. Burnley’s Tommy Boyle would again meet the formidable Charlie Thomson.
Figure 22: The Quarter-Final captains
Top Row L to R: Boyle (Burnley), Ferguson (Liverpool), Hughes (Man City), Bache (Aston Villa)
Bottom Row: Thomson (Sunderland), Mitchell (QPR), Utley (Sheff. United), Brittleton (Sheff Wednesday)
The FA CUP Fourth Round
Sunderland v Burnley
After Sunderland had knocked Burnley out at the Semi-final stage in 1913, they went on to lose to Aston Villa in the infamous 1913 Final. Sunderland had never won the Cup. Their local rivals Newcastle had and Sunderland were desperate to take the trophy back to Roker Park. They had reached the semi-finals four times and the Final once and were desperate to win the trophy this time. Having lost in the Final in 1913, their supporters thought that surely it would be Sunderland’s turn? The teams had met twice in the League already this season, during the festive period, Sunderland winning on Christmas Day, 1-0 at Turf Moor and Burnley managing a 1-1 draw at Roker Park on Boxing Day.
Reigning League Champions Sunderland were third in the First Division but recent results had damaged their hopes of retaining their title. In their last League game at Roker Park, they had lost 0-1 to Bradford City and over the last seven matches had won only three times. Tommy Boyle and his men knew they had to massively improve on recent performances to get any kind of result at Roker Park or their Cup journey would be over. Roker Park would be screaming cauldron of noise cheering the Wearsider’s into the Semi-Final.
The day before the match, the Burnley players returned from Lytham to Burnley Manchester Road station on the 10:15 am train where they were joined by club officials before setting off for Sunderland. On Friday evening, the Burnley party were invited to the Sunderland Empire as guests of the Sunderland directors.
Burnley supporters could travel to the north-east in style in a first-class saloon car for six shillings return (30p) with match entry an extra shilling. The match itself was a sell out with all the tickets sold. Burnley took four thousand supporters to the north-east in four football specials that departed from Burnley’s five railway stations from seven o’clock on Saturday morning.
Sunny weather greeted Burnley’s travelling supporters on their arrival when they disembarked at Sunderland Central railway station at noon. Along the route to Roker Park, local cafes and pubs soon filled and the street vendors near the ground were selling all manner of items; badges, rosettes, photos of the players and teams, long coloured feathers and “squeakers” in the clubs colours. Injuries to the Burnley’s players from the previous week had healed. Both teams would today be at full strength. Burnley would be unchanged for their fourth successive Cup tie, and a lucky omen.
Sunderland v Burnley, Roker Park, FA Cup Fourth Round, Saturday 7 March 1914 Kick-Off 3:15 pm
The teams lined up:
Sunderland: Butler, Hobson, Ness, Cuggy, Thomson, Low, Mordue, Buchan, Conner, Holley, Martin.
Burnley: Dawson, Bamford, Taylor, Halley, Boyle, Watson, Nesbitt, Lindley, Freeman, Hodgson, Mosscrop.
Referee: Mr J. Talks (Lincoln). Linesmen: Mr A.S.W. Conroy (Sheffield) and Mr A. Denton (Leeds).
At 3:15, the match referee, the diminutive Mr Talks, standing just four foot six inches tall, brought the two captains, Charlie Thomson and Tommy Boyle together to toss up. Boyle beat Thomson to the toss and elected to play with the sea breeze behind his team.
The game began at a frantic pace. Thomson conceding a corner in the first minute from a Dick Lindley effort. At the other end, Jerry Dawson pulled off a fine save from a Martin shot. Then Cuggy lost the ball to Eddie Mosscrop in who worked his way down the right wing only to be cleanly tackled and robbed on the edge of the Sunderland penalty area before he could shoot.
Bert Freeman won the ball in the centre and set Billy Nesbitt going on the left but the winger held onto the ball too long, his centre being cleared. On twelve minutes Burnley had a good opportunity from a Mosscrop centre and George Halley and Dick Lindley both tried to get the ball in the net through a crowded penalty area. The ball came out and Teddy Hodgson put the ball back in, but it was cleared. Then Billy Nesbitt had another good chance to score but his effort was cleared by the full-back, Hobson. Another Burnley attack saw Freeman and Nesbitt bang into each other in their eagerness to put the ball in the Sunderland net. Sunderland attacked through Martin but his effort was halted by Halley’s right boot. The Burnley defender then had an excellent chance of his own, but Halley’s fierce shot skimmed the crossbar. Mr Talks later admonishing Butler for “pulling the crossbar down.” Two of Sunderland’s forwards, Buchan and Mordue combined to create an opening but their effort was broken up by Taylor and Bamford, clearing Mordue’s centre. At half time the score remained goal-less.
The second half began with a swift Burnley attack. Boyle set Nesbitt off but the little wingers centre had no one on the end of it and the ball went straight into the arms of Butler. Six minutes into the half, Dick Lindley going forward put the ball in the Sunderland net only for his effort to be ruled a yard offside. A Tommy Boyle foul on Conner led to a Holley free-kick but his shot sailed high over the Burnley crossbar. Then Teddy Hodgson and Dave Taylor were both injured in separate challenges but both resumed play after the trainer’s aid. Bright afternoon sun shone in the Burnley players’ faces and a Sunderland attack on the Burnley goal led to Jerry Dawson being unfairly charged after taking the ball with both hands. At the other end Freeman, Lindley and Nesbitt combined in a forward move but Nesbitt’s shot went over the crossbar. The pace of the game picked up in the last quarter of the game as both sides sought the winning goal. With fifteen minutes remaining, Burnley’s best effort of the second half came when a pass and move between Hodgson and Lindley broke down close to the Sunderland goal. A late Dick Lindley run saw him ‘laid out’ by Holley and there was a lengthy stoppage while the trainer brought him round. A Sunderland attack saw Bert Freeman back defending, the ball striking his chest. Sunderland supporters behind the goal cried, “Penalty” but Mr Talks was having none of it and gave a corner instead, Charlie Buchan’s header from the corner going over the bar. Burnley pressure was put on the Sunderland goal but Butler had already fisted away Mosscrop’s centre when Lindley, ‘knocked him into the net.’ The last real effort from Sunderland saw Jerry Dawson run out of his area to head the ball into the crowd as Mr Talks brought proceedings to an end.
Burnley had played well and had not lost. They had a replay and another chance at Turf Moor the following Wednesday afternoon. The players on both sides had one or two knocks but all would hopefully be fit for Wednesday. The big question Burnley supporters were asking on their return to Lancashire was would winger Eddie Mosscrop be given permission by the Southport School Board to play mid-week?
At Full Time: Sunderland 0, Burnley 0
Attendance: 34,581 (Gate receipts £2,196)
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FA CUP Fourth Round Results
Matches Played Saturday 7th March 1914
|
Match |
Home Team |
Away Team |
Gate |
Receipts (£) |
|
1 |
Manchester City 0 |
Sheffield United 0 |
35,738 |
1,447 |
|
2 |
The Wednesday 0 |
Aston Villa 1 |
56,991 |
2,302 |
|
3 |
Liverpool 2 |
Queens Park Rangers 1 |
45,000 |
1,794 |
|
4 |
Sunderland 0 |
Burnley 0 |
34,581 |
2,196 |
Figures supplied by The Times
Fourth Round News
Only three goals were scored in all four matches played on Saturday. Cup holders Aston Villa progressed through to the semi-finals winning at Sheffield in front of the biggest crowd of the day, almost 57,000. Liverpool beat Southern League side, Queens Park Rangers at Anfield. The gates were closed at Manchester City an hour before kick-off in their tie with Sheffield United which ended goalless.
The draw for the semi-finals of the competition had paired the following teams.
Aston Villa v Liverpool, to be played at White Hart Lane
Manchester City or Sheffield United v Burnley or Sunderland.
Venue - This Semi-Final tie to be played at either at Old Trafford if Sheffield United were left in, or at Ewood Park, Blackburn if otherwise.
The FA Cup Fourth Round Replay
Burnley v Sunderland
Long queues of supporters seeking tickets for the replay began forming early on Monday morning outside Burnley secretary John Haworth’s office. All the Brunshaw Road stand tickets had gone by Monday evening. The newly built Cricket-Field End terracing was ready to be used for the match, albeit without a roof. That end of the ground would accommodate 3,000 spectators. Efforts had been made to increase the cinder banking on the side opposite the Brunshaw Road stand with more material brought in over the weekend. The directors estimated that 50,000 people could be accommodated safely if needed and there should be no need to close the gates.
The Burnley players and officials returned from Sunderland late on Saturday evening. Dave Taylor, Billy Watson, Teddy Hodgson and Dick Lindley, who were all injured on Saturday, were all reported fit. Eddie Mosscrop had managed to secure his release from teaching duties at Southport and would occupy his usual berth on the right-wing.
The Sunderland players had also recovered from Saturday and had journeyed down to Lancashire on Tuesday. The team had stayed in Manchester overnight. The Wearsider’s enjoyed lunch at Burnley’s Bull Hotel before arriving at Turf Moor at 1:30 pm.
Local collieries, factories, foundries and many town centre shops closed on Wednesday from 1:00 pm until 5:30 pm, calling a ‘half-day’, which was normally on a Tuesday in the town. At some mills, the weaver’s wives had offered to take their husband’s places so they could attend the match.
The Turf Moor turnstiles opened at 1:00pm and from then on a steady stream of spectators paid over their shillings as kick-off time approached. Three thousand Sunderland supporters made the journey south, most of them wearing red and white and thousands of Burnley supporters wore their club colours. Brunbank in the Burnley Express, described the scene in and around Turf Moor before the match,
“Burnley for five hours was a pandemonium. Trams, trains, motors, motor charabanc’s, motor-cycles, bicycles came like a fleet and all the streets flanking Brunshaw road were used as open-air garages. So great was the crush it was impossible to get through the Culvert, most people using Finsley Gate. The Sunderland contingent advertised themselves with penny buttonholes, decorated hats, umbrellas, tommy-talkers, speaking funnels, squeakers and painted rattles. One Sunderland man brought a black cat with red and white ribbons around its neck. On the ground the man dressed as a dog returned and Walter Place’s son was again the Burnley mascot along with another Burnley youth dressed fully in claret and blue.” The massive crowd took its toll on some people. One girl collapsed in the crush and there were other reports of people fainting. Brunbank reporting later that, “the crush was tremendous.”
Figure 23: Burnley Supporters Sit On The New Cricket Field End Wall
Burnley v Sunderland, Turf Moor, FA Cup Quarter Final Replay, Wednesday 11th March 1914. Kick-Off 3:00 pm.
The teams lined up:
Burnley: Dawson, Bamford, Taylor, Halley, Boyle, Watson, Nesbitt, Lindley, Freeman, Hodgson, Mosscrop.
Sunderland: Butler, Hobson, Ness, Cuggy, Thomson, Low, Mordue, Buchan, Conner, Holley, Martin
Referee: Mr Forshaw (Birkenhead)
The weather was perfect for football by kick-off time as Mr Forshaw the changed match referee, brought the team captains together to decide ends, Tommy Boyle winning the spin. The noise inside Turf Moor was deafening with almost 50,000 filling the ground. Burnley kicked off, attacking the Bee Hole End with the sun and a light breeze at their backs.
It was another blistering start from Burnley with Eddie Mosscrop getting away down the wing, his first centre was too long, the ball going out of play. Sunderland cleared up field and attacked but the opening moments of the game were all Burnley. A more determined Burnley. Five minutes into the game Tommy Boyle had the ball in the centre of the field. His long sweeping pass out to the left found Billy Nesbitt in space. Nesbitt beat his marker and put in a good centre. Bert Freeman got on the end of it and his header rattled the Sunderland crossbar. The ball came out to Teddy Hodgson whose shot also hit the crossbar! Sunderland couldn’t clear the ball and Hodgson’s smart move found a gap in the crowd of players to weave the ball through a sea of legs to find the net for the opening goal. Sportsman in the Burnley Express, “whereat a mighty cheer rent the air.”
The goal settled Burnley’s nerves and had shocked the visitors. It put more fire into the Burnley attack and the Clarets had the greater part of the play in the first half. Bert Freeman and Billy Watson had good chances to increase Burnley’s lead, both missing with good shots. Both Burnley wingers were enjoying the occasion. Nesbitt had an effort that hit the Sunderland post. Then Mosscrop came close to scoring with a fine run into the Sunderland penalty area, Butler clearing away the danger for the visitors. After that attack, the visitors slowly came into the game forcing consecutive corners. Throughout the first half, Jerry Dawson was the quieter of the two ’keepers with only two shots to stop, both from Martin and at half time Burnley led Sunderland 1-0.
Sunderland were expected to pick up their game in the second half and they did, showing a better quality of football than the first half. But it was Burnley who showed more steel and desire to win. The visitors found the Burnley defence on top form said Sportsman, “The intermediate trio (Halley, Boyle and Watson) especially Boyle, who was seen at his best, were ever on the alert in circumventing the in-roads of the visitors.”
Fifteen minutes into the second half, clever work on the ball from Eddie Mosscrop, found Teddy Hodgson. Hodgson dribbled into the Sunderland penalty area where he was fouled by Ness. The crowd rose for a penalty but Mr Forshaw pointed to a free-kick just outside the Sunderland area. Boyle’s free-kick was cleared but the ball quickly returned. Then Bert Freeman was fouled in a similar position as Hodgson was. Another free-kick was awarded. This time when Boyle took the kick, he sent the ball out to Mosscrop whose centre was cleared by Butler and the danger averted. Twenty-one minutes into the second half Burnley won another free-kick in a dangerous position after a foul on Lindley by Ness. The ball was sent out to the left and Mosscrop, who had switched wings with Nesbitt. Mosscrop twice beat Hobson and put a good centre into the Sunderland area. The Turf Moor crowd watched as Mosscrop’s centre sailed to the far post where Dick Lindley was running in. Lindley timed his run perfectly, met the ball with his forehead and headed it into the far corner of the Sunderland net to make it 2-0 to the Clarets.
At this point Sunderland captain Charlie Thomson changed his team’s tactics. Conner went to outside-right, Mordue went inside-right with Buchan in the centre. It was Burnley however who came close to scoring a third goal when a Teddy Hodgson strike went just wide of Butler’s post. For the final fifteen minutes the Burnley defence was tested as Sunderland threw all their big men forward. It was at this point Sunderland lost Cuggy and down to ten men, Thomson had to re-arrange his side again. Then Billy Watson was badly fouled by Buchan in a challenge and needed attention. Jerry Dawson was the busier ’keeper in the closing minutes as Sunderland sought a breakthrough with only ten men. With only two minutes left on the referees watch, Conner pulled a goal back for the visitors. Burnley took their time but from the restart, Sunderland won the ball and raced forward in an effort to force extra-time. Boyle pulled all his men back to defend and the Clarets halted a barrage of attacks from the visitors. Finally, Mr Forshaw blew the whistle to the relief of the Burnley supporters who saw their team through the Semi-Finals for the second season in succession.
At Full Time: Burnley 2 (Hodgson, Lindley), Sunderland 1 (Conner)
Attendance: 49,737 (Gate receipts of £2,858, 9s (Burnley’s biggest ever gate at the time.)
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What the Papers Said.
Daily Mirror, “Sunderland are a bigger lot than Burnley, but they would have done better if they had saved their weight against the humouresly elusive Burnley.”
Manchester Courier, “Burnley were on their toes from the start, the whole side was enthused and they practically ran Sunderland off their feet.”
Manchester Guardian, “Burnley were excellent!”
Burnley’s Semi-Final Opponents
The Manchester City v Sheffield United quarter-final replay was played at Bramall Lane on the afternoon of Thursday 12th March. The Burnley team without Freeman, Taylor and Mosscrop travelled over to Sheffield and the players watched the match from the stands, which went to extra-time and ended 0-0. A second replay was held at Villa Park, Birmingham on the afternoon of Monday 16th March. Sheffield United winning 1-0 to reach the Semi-Final.
Thunder, Fire and Storm
Three days after their victory over Sunderland, Burnley were back in League action at Turf Moor facing another side who had won through to the Semi-Finals, Liverpool. Injuries forced three changes for Burnley. The Scottish youngster Billy Pickering, who had been scoring well in the reserves, made his Burnley debut at centre-forward replacing an injured Bert Freeman. Levi Thorpe came in for Billy Watson and Bob Reid came in at full-back for Dave Taylor.
Burnley v Liverpool, Turf Moor, Saturday 14 March 1914 Kick-Off 3:00 pm
The teams lined up:
Burnley: Dawson, Bamford, Reid, Halley, Boyle, Thorpe, Nesbitt, Lindley, Pickering, Hodgson, Mosscrop.
Liverpool: Campbell, Longworth, Pursell, Fairfoul, Lowe, Ferguson, Sheldon, Banks, Miller, Dawson, Nicholl.
Referee: Mr G. W. Drewery (Hull)
The afternoon began with a strange incident prior to kick-off. The two teams emerged from the tunnel, but Burnley were not in their familiar claret and blue strip. Sportsman in the Burnley Express explains, “When the teams turned out Burnley were wearing blue and white striped jerseys, but owing to the similarity with those worn by the Liverpool team, whose jerseys instead of being red where black and white stripes, Burnley returned to the dressing room and donned their familiar colours!” When normality had resumed, Tommy Boyle won the toss and decided to play towards the Bee-Hole End. The high-tempo start that had been seen in recent games featuring Burnley, continued right from the first whistle.
The game was only three minutes old when an Eddie Mosscrop centre found Dick Lindley unmarked whose header found the back of the Liverpool net. Shortly after the re-start, Teddy Hodgson should have scored Burnley’s second goal but his shot just missed the target. Burnley were constantly on the attack. Shots from Boyle and Levi Thorpe keeping Ken Campbell the Liverpool ‘keeper busy. On twenty minutes Teddy Hodgson had the ball in the Liverpool penalty area when he was fouled. Mr Drewery never hesitated and pointed straight to the penalty spot. Tommy Boyle stepped up and placed the ball past Campbell to put Burnley 2-0 to the good. Following the Burnley goal, Liverpool came more into the game. On thirty minutes, Liverpool’s Sheldon got away and centred for Banks to score to make it 2-1. It was a more even game toward half-time, Burnley holding on to their 2-1 lead.
For the first fifteen minutes of the second half, Burnley dominated the game. The Liverpool full-back, Longworth had to clear two certain goal-chances from off the Liverpool goal-line. Longworth then handled the ball in the area following a Lindley shot and Burnley claimed the penalty but Mr Drewery instead gave a corner. Eighteen minutes into the second half a lapse in concentration from the Burnley defenders let Miller in whose shot was parried by Jerry Dawson. The ball came straight back out to Nicholl who tapped in. 2-2. Liverpool pressed sensing the advantage and for ten minutes, they saw more of the ball. Around this point the light worsened and rumblings of distant thunder could be heard. The wind rose and the play which was fast and exciting according to Sportsman, was punctuated by flashes of lightning and more thunderclaps. There was a terrific downpour of rain during which Dawson made a fine save from Miller. It became difficult to see the ball in the cloudburst. The pitch started to hold water as huge pools of water appeared. On thirty minutes, Levi Thorpe splashing up field, let loose with a cannon of a shot from twenty yards out which Campbell never saw coming through the rain at speed to restore Burnley’s lead. The playing conditions worsened and the Turf Moor pitch turned into a mud bath as the heavy downpour eased. Seven minutes after Thorpe’s goal, Eddie Mosscrop won a corner. Running in, the debut-making Billy Pickering headed his first League goal and put the Clarets 4-2 up. Burnley were fully on top by the closing stages and four minutes from time George Halley began a move which was finished masterfully by Mosscrop. Mosscrop dribbling his way toward Campbell took aim and his shot struck the inside of the upright before crossing the line. On a stormy afternoon the soaking wet, mud-plastered Clarets ended worthy winners over Liverpool 5-2.
At Full Time: Burnley 5 (Lindley, Boyle pen, Thorpe, Pickering, Mosscrop), Liverpool 2 (Banks, Nicoll)
Attendance: 16,000 (Gate Receipts of £329)
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Athletics News 16 March:
“The winners were well served by their reserves. Boyle was obviously suffering from the effects of the gruelling game with Sunderland.”
The FA Cup Semi-Finals
The revised Semi-final draw had paired Burnley against Sheffield United following their 1-0 victory over Manchester City after two replays. Tickets were now on sale at Turf Moor for the match which would take place in two weeks time on the 28th March at Old Trafford, Manchester.
Aston Villa v Liverpool at White Hart Lane
Burnley v Sheffield United at Old Trafford
Mosscrop For England
Burnley’s Eddie Mosscrop was selected for the full England side for the forthcoming International match against Wales in Cardiff on Monday 16th March. It was Mosscrop’s first full cap.
“Mosscrop was magnificent against Sunderland. One excursionist from Wearside paid the little man a deserved compliment when he said, ‘please teacher can we score a goal?’
His resource with the ball, his speed and his accuracy of centres combined with his unselfishness stamped him as an artist.” (Athletic News 16/3/1914)
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