Nadat Antwerp FC op 1 november 1892 haar jaarlijkse partij tegen Brussels FC met 2-0 had verloren, was “Athlete” weer uitermate scherp in zijn beoordeling. Het verlies was volgens hem te wijten aan drie minderwaardige spelers, waarna hij openlijk aandrong op hun ver-wijdering uit het elftal. Volgens hem voldeed Menzel niet als keeper en speelden ook Price en Heyder beneden alle peil.
Wedstrijdverslag:
"This match was played, under association rules, on Tuesday afternoon, November 1st , in wretched weather, before a very fair attendance. Antwerp, winning the toss, Brussels kicked off at 3.15, but were immediately pressed by Antwerp, who continued to do so for the first twenty minutes, when, from a good kick by Pilkington, Jenkins notched the first point for Brussels. The ball was again put in motion by Jacobs, when some very even play ensued till just before half time, when Antwerp got dangerously near the Brussels goal, but the danger was averted in the nick of time by Bennett. When half-time was called, the score remained unaltered,- one goal to love in favour of Brussels.
Antwerp then restarted the game, when it was kept in the vicinity of the Antwerp goal, Bennett at this time being especially conspicuous. Several corners fell to Brussels, but nothing resulted from them Rivaz playing very well at back. About ten minutes before time Bennett passed the ball to Cherry who then scored with a clicking shot, making the score two goals to love in favour of Brussels, after this nothing of more importance happened, and when the whistle sounded the cessation of play, Brussels left the field victorious by two goals to love.
For Brussels, Bennett, Cherry, Tautz, Jenkins and Edwards were especially conspicuous; while for Antwerp, Rivaz, Jacobs, Hermann, and Chapman played best.
Although the result of the Brussels - Antwerp match was hardly in accordance with my forecast, still the two goals scored by the former can scarcely be taken as representing the true condition of the game, which was, as I predicted, very evenly contested.
Brussels most certainly deserved the goals scored in the second half, but I must pronounce their first goal as rather "flukey"; it was simply the result of a bad pass toward his own goal by an Antwerp man. Their forward division played up in grand style and merit all praise; Bennett also at back did wonders, and, considering the state of the ground, he put in some marvelously long kicks; taken all round though I should say the Brussels backs were not equal to those of Antwerp. The Antwerp forwards require a lot of "sharpening up", and this also applies to their goal-keeper, who was decidedly "of colour". I shall await with interest the return match on Antwerp ground between the two teams." |
