westhamacademy

1955 - 56 Second Division

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Campaign

SEASON TICKET: Match Day Ticket

B Block = £5.10s
C Block = £7.10s
D Block = £5.10s

Ground: 2s. 0d.
Terrace: 3s. 0d.
Enclosure: 3s. 6d.
B, D and E Blocks: 4s. 6d.
C Block 6s. 0d.

4th year running No increase on Season Ticket prices

Pre - Season Friendlies

FIRST PRACTICE MATCH

Club Colours v. Blues
3-2
Upton Park
6th August 1955

Club Colours: Blues:

Chiswick
Bond
Ginnaw K. (Amateur)
Johnstone
Nelson
Lansdowne
Franklyn
Moore
Stone R. (Amateur)
Foan
Nash S. (Amateur)

Rhodes
Wright
Kinsell
Smith J.
Roberts P. (Amateur)
Obeney (Amateur)
Stroud
Adams W. (Amateur)
King N.
Pyke
McDonald

SECOND PRACTICE MATCH

Club Colours v. Blues
4-1
Upton Park
13th August 1955

BEXLEYHEATH & WELLING : Ted Fenton Trophy

Bexley
4-1 (Lundstrum C. 2, Hughes, Lewis)
20th August 1955

Maguire G.
Marshall K.
Howe A.
Neale D.
Roberts P.
Smith J.
Harrison R.
Geddes G.
Lundstrum C.
Hughes C.
Lewis D.

AVELEY : Friendly

(Away)
1-3 (Mitchell)
20th August 1955

Hough, Fenn, Barraclough, Crokett, Swann, Round D., Baker, Winters, Jackson, Mitchell, Milton

SORRY NO IMAGE

ROTHERHAM UNITED : Football League

Upton Park
1-1 (Dare)
20th August 1955
Att: 19,000

Taylor
Wright
Cantwell
Malcolm
Allison
O'Farrell
Stroud
Bennett
Dare
Dick
Musgrove

HARWICH AND PARKESTON : Eastern Counties League

Royal Oak Ground
1-4 (Moore)
20th August 1955

PORT VALE : Football League

Vale Park:
1-2 (Allison)
22nd August 1955
Att: 19,241

Taylor
Wright
Cantwell
Malcolm
Allison
O'Farrell
Stroud
Moore
Dare
Dick
Musgrove

MILLWALL : Friendly

The Den
4-2 (Hooper, Dare 2, Moore)
31st October 1955

Gregory
Bond
Cantwell
Sexton
Allison
O'Farrell
Hooper
Andrews
Dare
Moore
Tucker

Apart from Brian Moore taking Les Bennett's place we fielded the same First XI for Monday evening's floodlight friendly at The Den against our old rivals—Millwall—there being a sparse attendance of just over 4,000 on a very cold evening.
A comfortable 4—2 win was the outcome of a game in which we held the upper hand from start to finish and there was no doubt this margin could have been greater had our XI extended themselves for the whole of the 90 minutes.
Hooper put us ahead soon after the start and then Dare added two more from the right-winger's openings to put us 3—0 ahead. Unfortunately some feeling crept into the game after this, but it calmed down following the Lions reducing of the arrears with a penalty (although we were of the opinion that an indirect free-kick for obstruction would have been a more just award). However, with a little over a quarter-of-an-hour to go Moore made it 4—1 and five minutes later a header gave Millwall their second and final tally.
With almost the last kick of the match Malcolm Allison sustained an ankle-sprain.

ROMFORD : F.A. Youth Cup (Second Round)

Brooklands
4-1 (Fenn 3, Barrick)
5th November 1955

Rhodes, East, Swan, Pyke, Roberts, Lewis, McDonald, Lundstrum, Fenn, Smith J., Barrick

SORRY NO IMAGE

Our Colts visited Romford Colts in the Second Round of the F.A. Youth Cup at the Brooklands ground. The Hammers were inclined to be rather casual until their opponents took the lead in the first half, but once stirred into action they won fairly comfortably by a 4—1 margin, after holding a 3—1 interval lead. The most notable feature of the game was a " hat-trick " by Fenn, our other scorer being Barrick.

WATFORD : F.A. Youth Cup (Third Round)

Vicarage Road
1-0 (Fenn)
10th December 1955

Rhodes
Howe A.
Marshall
Pyke
Roberts
Hamblyn
McDonald
Lundstrum
Fenn
Smith J.
Barrick

Our Colts paid their second visit to the Vicarage Road Ground within the space of six days when they opposed Watford Colts last Saturday. This was in a Third Round tie of the F.A. Youth Cup, and our XI was out to repeat their previous success against the Hertfordshire club in the Southern Floodlight Tournament.
Owing to non-availability of some players the Hammers' line-up showed changes from that which gained the earlier victory, although we again came through safely (this time by the only goal) the game was not so good as the earlier meeting which ended 5-3. However the 1,500 attendance had an entertaining afternoon despite the gusty wind spoiling some of the movements. Fenn scored midway through the second half and our defence was quite adequate to the task of helping to maintain the advantage to the end.
The Hammers are now in the last 16 of the competition, and they will go into a draw which embraces an equal number of clubs from the North and the South, among whom our opponents will come from clubs such as Bristol City, Luton Town, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Briggs Sports, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur

CHELSEA : Southern Junior Floodlit Cup (Final)

Upton Park
1-2 (McDonald)
3rd January 1956

Rhodes
Howe A.
Marshall
Pyke
Roberts
Obeney
Mcdonald
Lundstrum
Fenn
Smith J.
Barrick

Although rated as a 100-1 on chance by Daily Mail reporter Doug Wilson. Chelsea Colts had a difficult job to force a 2—1 win in the Final of the Southern Junior Floodlight Cup. Indeed, the visitors could consider themselves fortunate to gain the spoils in a game that provided first-rate football, despite the heavy mist spoiling the match as a spectacle for the 5,000 present.
First-time tackling by the Hammers' defence and a fine goalkeeping performance by Rhodes kept the much-vaunted Chelsea forward-line at bay until Nicholas equalised in the 64th minute, and it was an in-off-the-post shot by Allen three minutes from time that gained his side the day when he evaded Roberts for the first real chance he had
At the other end our forwards gave the visiting goalkeeper several anxious moments, and Medlock brought off the save of the match when he turned a " blaster " from Smith round the post. McDonald hammered the ball home in the 20th minute after Barrick and Lundstrum had seen their efforts charged down, and the Hammers' front-line compared extremely favourably with their rivals'.

CHELSEA : F.A. Youth Cup (Fourth Round)

Upton Park
1-3 (Fenn)
8th February 1956

Rhodes
Howe A.
Marshall
Pyke
Roberts
Obeney
Macdonald
Lundstrum
Fenn
Smith J.
Barrick

This F.A. Youth cup game was played before a 1,500 attendance, after being postponed nine days earlier through the ground being unfit. With the exception of a change at outside-right for Chelsea, the teams were the same as those which met in the final of the Southern Junior Floodlit Cup on 3rd January.
The Young Pensioners won that earlier clash by 2-1 and they completed a double by secring a 3-1 nargin in this second meeting. However, it was unanimously agreed that lost chances cost us the verdict on this occasion, as from the territorial point of view we had more of the play than our opponents (indicated by our 10-4 margin of corner-kicks).
All three of the Chelsea goals came from opportunist efforts. The first in the opening minute, was the outcome of a long pass to the right winger, who raced away to the goal-line and pulled the ball into the centre for Allen to side-foot it home. Right winger Baker also had a hand in the other two, as on each occasion he sent in a shot from an angle which Rhodes could pnly parry, and Nicholas (40 mins) and Allen (74 mins) added the finishing touch.
Despite the disappointment of having a first minute goal against them, our youngsters were on equal terms in the fifth minute, Fenn lobbing the ball over the advancing goalkeeper's head after good approach work by Obeney and Barrick. From thence onwards until the visitors again went ahead the Hammers were on top, Obeney and Pyke opening up the play with some excellent through-passes. However, we failed to capitalise on these, even to the extent of missing a glorious opportunity to equalise after the interval and consequently paid the penalty.

READING : Southern Floodlit Cup (Semi-Final)

Elm Park
3-1 (Dare, Grice, Dick)
4th April 1956
Att: 5,000

Gregory
Bond
Cooper
Bennett
Nelson
Parker
Grice
Foan
Dare
Dick
Wragg

The Semi-Final of the Southern Floodlight Cup at the Elm Park Ground found the following lineups taking the field: Reading: Jones; McLaran, Smith; Penford, Davies, Leach; Wheeler, Cross, Kirkup, Forrester, Quinlan. West Ham United: Gregory; Bond, Cooper. Bennett, Nelson, Parker; Grice, Foan, Dare, Dick, Wragg. This was Fred Cooper's debut in the First XI and he did very well.
Before an attendance of about 5,000 there was a first-minute shock for us, as Forrester put the home side in front after a clever move. It took us another 24 minutes to equalise, but the end of a very good downfield swoop (prompted by Bennett) found Dare giving the finale.
Nine minutes after the interval Grice opened his scoring account for the Hammers, and from thence onwards we remained well on top. The Biscuitmen made gallant efforts to stem the tide, but a further tally by Dick sealed tfieir fate with five minutes to go.
We have now to meet Aldcrshot in the Final on a ground and date to be arranged.

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY : Football League

Upton Park
3-3 (Dick 2, Dare)
7th April 1956
Att: 17,750

Gregory
Bond
Cantwell
Parker
Allison
O'Farrell
Dare
Matthews
Blackburn
Dick
Tucker

The game against the Owls provided a very interesting afternoon's entertainment for an attendance of around 18,000. With radio and press reporters all keyed-up to pass on the news that Sheffield Wednesday had gained promotion to Division I, it seemed at one time that they might well have the opportunity to do this. However, a combination of results sufficed to delay what now appears to be a near-certainty, not the least of these being a fighting rally by the Hammers after they had twice been in arrears. Indeed, had fortune swayed a little more our way, the Wednesday might well have returned North with no points at all. Like many others present, we did not feel that we had been very generously treated by some of the decisions, the Wednesdays second goal being as the result of a twice-taken free-kick (after they had apparently been quite contented to put the ball in motion even though our players had not been the requisite distance away at the time) indeed one wonders what the Owls' supporters would have said had Finney sent in a successful shot before the whistle blew for play to cease.
After suffering this second reverse from a free-kick in the opening 19 minutes, we saw an uphill tussle which was not rewarded until almost the last kick of the first half—but what a kick ! Johnny Dick's drive was certainly a scorcher, and Mclntosh had no chance with it even though it came from 25 yards out. Our equaliser followed comparatively quickly after the interval, and Billy Dare was on the spot to put the ball on its way to the back of the net despite a Wednesday defender's efforts to prevent it. However, once again the visitors took advantage of a chance to go ahead; and although not everybody thought our lads could once more even it up against a side so determined to succeed, the wearers of the claret-and-blue were obviously not of that mind, for they not only came back to make it 3—3 but might well have gained full spoils.

KAISERLAUTERN (Germany) : Friendly

Upton Park
2-4 (Blackburn, Grice)
11th April 1956

The 23,000 who were here on Wednesday evening saw a most entertaining exhibition of soccer, and the reception accorded to the Kaiserslautern team at the end of the 90 minutes indicated the satisfaction of the spectators. The colourfully-clad Germans showed us that the reports of their prowess were well-founded, and their clever touches and skilful play contributed much to the evening's pleasure.
However, it could be fairly said that for a large part of the game the Hammers also put up a splendid show, and several combined movements had our opponents in a defensive tangle there was no question that the two goals were the finest of the game, and Alan Blackburn proved his versatility by cracking the first home with his left foot from 25 yards and agilely heading the second from Mike Grice's cross pass.
Unfortunately the same could not be said for any of Kaiserslautern's four tallies, as in all cases they should have been prevented. However, such are the vagaries of soccer, and as a result we finally succumbed by a 4—2 margin when we ought to have at least been credited with a draw.
The " stars " of the visiting side were very much in the ascendant, and the performances of Eckel, the Walter brothers and Schmitt all had the hallmark of top-class about them. Eckel was described very fittingly by one of our players as " a human dynamo," and his well-taken goal proved what a fine attacking half-back he is; the Walters showed their fraternal understanding and ability to manoeuvre in a confined space; whilst Schmitt, although off the field for ten minutes with an injury, returned to play on the left-wing (and headed a goal) to prove the German national coach's views about his ability to put up international performances at other positions than full-back.

Piczo