1953 – Football

Magazine Vol. 3 1953

FOOTBALL

FOREWORD

Dear Reader !

Do you miss more often than you score? Do you deceive your own side more than the foe? Are your great deeds performed in the mind as you dream during dull, hot afternoon lessons? If so, this section of the magazine will probably not mention you by name. But that does not imply that we have no respect for you, nor interest in your play. The reverse is true. Without you, School Football would be a failure. For one boy who plays for Gloucestershire, we need several dozen good boys to build up efficient School elevens. In turn, these useful sides rely on a solid foundation of effective house and form elevens. Our aim in School football is to organise well run games for all who wish to play and to make football so attractive that all who are able medically will wish to join in. The majority will never become stars but they will, we hope, enjoy the game. Therefore we dedicate the following section to the average player. Good luck to you, Sir!

SCHOOL FOOTBALL IN THE PAST

A selection of facts may cast the clearest light on School football. In 1932, there were two sets of jerseys in School, a few of which remain; now there are ten. There were six House rugger matches each term, now eighteen soccer; the team played four games with other Schools that season in contrast to a total of fifty, in 1952-53. The single School XI of 1932 stands beside four Xl's in 1953 each with a substantial list of fixtures. Our present journeys reach Malmesbury and Coleford which are more than forty miles apart.

The question of standard of play is hard to answer. The members of our present 1st XI average sixteen years of age, which makes comparison difficult with the fourteen year olds of 1932. But there were excellent sides before the War and only Ruston since 1945 can compare as a goalkeeper with H King, A Stopford and J. Cole who flourished at the same time. We have never had a better forward than R. Perkins, nor a half than E. Finch, with the single exception of P. Sawyer. It is impossible to argue from individuals, yet we cannot compare whole sides.

It is true that we have twice as many boys now, so the question of comparative skill must forever remain unsettled.

In 1932, footballers were an independent tribe who needed no persuasion to play. The Frampton boys have been very loyal always, so may we say that the same independence and energy in attending School to play still rules. Very rarely indeed-not three times in a season, does a player fail to appear.

Has the School any characteristic style of play? Before the War, the defence was, in the present writer's opinion, normally better than the attack, being marked by great determination. It was by no means wild kicking and heavy charging and tackling, of course, but a fair criticism would be that defence was better than attack. Since the War, forwards would seem to have become more prominent, which leads to attractive football.

The fixture list may claim a brief notice. In 1932, the then Gloucester Central School sent the only foreign foes, but an "under l4" XI played the Marling School. Then the School entered a team of Under 14 players in each section of the Stroud Schools League, while still playing Gloucester Central. About 1937, after- meeting the Central Schools of Bath and Bristol at Athletics, we played their Soccer Xl's in very keen matches. The post-war fixture list bears no resemblance to this. It falls into two parts-friendlies with the local Grammar Schools between the 1st and Colts Xl's, and the League matches against the Secondary Modern Schools, the descendants flow of our old Stroud District Schools. In 1932, the J. A. Stevens shield was played for by individual Schools and our own team was twice beaten in the Final by the Practising School, Cheltenham. About 1937, the conditions were changed to allow Associations to compete, and Stroud has three times won the Shield since the War. We entertained Bristol in a friendly at Rodborough about 1936 but only entered the Trophy Competition of the E.S.F.A. in 1949. As members of the Stroud Association we have supplied the following players since the War: M. Vick, J. Creed, H. Stafford, R. Ireland, R. Brown, W. Lewis, P. Coleman (Capt.), J. Coombes, G. Townsend (Capt.), C Gay and E. Smart as regular members with single appearances by M. Smith, G. Brown, S. Halliday and J. Summers. Before the War E. Cave, J. Durn played a Bristol. R. Ireland and L. Cook represented the Glos. P. and S.S.F.A. in County games, and G Townsend was in the Under 15 side against Cornwall in 1953. B Leadbeater played against Bristol University; P Sawyer and C Godwin played for the North against the South in 1947 and H Godwin was in the winning Junior North side, among whose foes was B. Priestley, then a stripling entering the field of representative football. (He still played against us in 1952-53.) Finally, E. Perkins played for England against Wales at Cheltenham in January 1940, the School's chief honour. As a professional Harold King played in the F.A. Cup against Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

The six-a-side competitions, which gave such good fun before the War, became impossible when new rooms decreased the size of the School field, but this season the Houses have played a knock-out competition between the Senior and Middle sides, followed by an invitation tournament on the first day of the Easter holiday.

FOOTBALL THIRTY YEARS AGO

Mr Ivor White, of Minchinhampton, whose son is a boy in the School recalls the season of 1922/23 He captained a side representing Gloucestershire, drawn chiefly from Gloucester and Stroud, against Somerset at Stroud on Holloway's ground. This is where the girls Technical School now stands The result was a draw and Douglas Brew of our School played at inside left, with a third boy of our school at back. A game which was impressed upon his memory more deeply, etched one might say, was a victory over Avening by 12-0. As no Staff travelled with the side, our XI celebrated by tolling the Avening school bell twelve times. On Monday the Head, Mr. Hall, who had heard of this bell ringing, gave the XI one stroke of the cane each, the Captain being distinguished by two strokes. Mr. White doesn't say, but it is believed that he was Captain. What are your views, Townsend?

The School won the Stroud League twice in succession without dropping one point, so were asked to withdraw for the sake of the other Schools for several seasons.