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 verwijdering uit het elftal. Volgens hem voldeed Menzel niet als keeper en speelden ook Price en Heyder beneden alle peil. Voor het bezoek, op 27 november, van Harwich and Parkeston FC uit Essex, volgde kapitein Buffham deze suggesties. Menzel en Heyder verloren hun stek in de ploeg ten voordele van Seagrave en Cecil Jacobs. Veldspeler Martin Price daarentegen mocht zijn geluk gaan beproeven als doelwachter. Wegens ziekte werden ook Buffham en Chapman in extremis nog vervangen door Little en Berghl.
Wedstrijdverslag:
"This match, under Association Rules, took place at the plaine de manœvres, Antwerp, on Sunday 27th November, and I can safely assent that the Antwerp Football Club succeeded in their efforts to make the event a success, and arouse the interest of the Antwerp people. The fact of Harwich winning was no surprise to anybody; if anything, the smallness of their score, 3 goals to nil, was rather to be wondered at, and is very creditable to the Antwerp team.
Rivaz at back, played a capitol game, and was ably assisted by his partner Reynolds; Price, in goal was a great improvement on former arrangements, and on more then one occasion he saved very neatly.
There is no doubt but that the sudden change in the half-back division had a great deal to do with the poor show made by the forwards, Buffham and Chapman, having to be replaced at the last moment by Little and Bergl. Little is certainly a good man at Rugby, and I have seen him do good service as centre forward in Association, but on Sunday last he was not only out of condition, but never having played before with the team he was quite new to their style of play, and this in Association, handicaps a team severely, as it prevents combination. Bergl has not yet the strength or experience necessary for a half-back.
Yet, in spite of these drawbacks, there was no excuse for the forwards making such a poor show as they did . When playing Brussels, on the 1st November there was at the outset of the game at any rate, rather too much passing on their post without making sufficient headway down the field towards their adversaries' goal. The heavy state of the ground last Sunday may have been responsible to some extent for this slowness, but I feel sure these tactics would have answered admirably on fast ground like their own.
Why they should have suddenly thrown to the winds the short passing game they have been practicing for the last six weeks, and have suddenly adopted a rushing game quite unsuited to their light weight, I am at a loss to understand. I might have been better if the halves could have been depended upon, but, as matters stood, it was extremely rash. I certainly hope the captain will keep them to the short-passing play, and more over insist upon their keeping their places. They are continually running together in the middle of the field and thus lose not only all chance of a run down the wings, but allow their opponents free "right of way" to promenade up and down there.
The supper which followed in the evening, when the Harwich team, with their friends, were the guests of the A.F.C., passed off with the usual éclat." |
