Tottenham v Bolton 1948 FA Cup Match Report

Tottenham and Bolton meet on Tuesday at White Hart Lane in their re-arranged FA Cup 6th Round tie which was abandoned  a week ago on Saturday because of the cardiac arrest suffered by Fabrice Muamba, the Bolton midfield player.  At the time as the medical staff worked with him on the pitch and as he was carried to the ambulance, there were very grave concerns about him but thankfully he has taken remarkable early steps in his recovery and all wish him continued progress in the coming weeks.

Bolton Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur  FA Cup 3rd Round 1947 - 48

While writing the previous article for this blog, Spurs FA Cup Record against Bolton, I came across this match report for their 1948 meeting in an old scrapbook which I had bought in an auction at Sportingold.  That season, Spurs who were in the old 2nd Division progressed to the semi-final where they lost out in extra time to Blackpool who had only equalised in the final minutes of normal time.  To reach that stage Spurs had defeated Bolton (a) 2 - 0 (aet), West Bromwich Albion (h) 3 - 1, Leicester City (h) 5 - 2 and Southampton (a) 1 - 0.

Bolton were in the 1st Division and the match was played at their old ground, Burnden Park, where Spurs had won the FA Cup Final in 1901 in a replay against Sheffield United.  In season 1947-48, the football authorities decided to dispense with replays so as to avoid unnecessary absenteeism from work in the early post war years.  As the game was level after ninety minutes, extra time was played.

The following is a transcript of the match report from a newspaper of the time.
10th January, 1948 

Scored When 

On His Knees  

Bolton Wand.  0  Tottenham H.  2 (aet)

Extra time produced the goals and 

most of the thrills at Bolton.  Up

 to the end of the first 90 minutes

 the game was of a rather mediocre

 kind with Spurs definitely revealing

 the greater craft and understanding.

Bolton put in plenty of pressure, 

but made no real impression on a 

strong defence in which Ditchburn 

and Woodward were in masterly form.

When extra time started Spurs 

would have taken the lead on their 

merits but for Brook heading Baily's 

shot away with Hanson yards out of goal.

Almost immediately afterwards, 

however, Atkinson missed his 

tackle and let in Duquemin who 

shot from a splendid goal after running 

30 yards with the ball.

Bolton's strenous efforts to get 

on terms and the constant danger 

from Tottenham breakaways made 

the game end on an exciting note 

and there was a dramatic finale 

when Duquemin went almost on his 

knees to head a second goal almost on time. 

Spurs's only fault was that they 

allowed this match to last too long.  

They were obviously superior to 

Bolton in football art, but with their 

greater speed in attack they should 

have had Bolton's shaky defence 

beaten well inside 90 minutes.

Baily, at inside right, was the 

cleverest forager on the field, and 

both Cox and Stevens were good on 

the wing although the latter faced 

Bolton's best defender in Roberts.

Team: Ditchburn; Tickridge, Buckingham; Nicholson, Woodward, Burgess; Cox, Baily, Duquemin, Bennett, Stevens 

The team contained five of the players who would be part of the successful Tottenham 'Push and Run' side at the turn of the decade - Ted Ditchburn, Bill Nicholson, Ronnie Burgess, Eddie Baily and Len Duquemin. 

When Has This Happened for Spurs?

When have Spurs ever benefited from refereeing decisions in a game to such an extent as happened against Stoke last weekend?  In almost fifty years of supporting the club I can't think of any examples.

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Now that the win over Sunderland has restored our equilibrium, I've been thinking about that loss at the Brittania Stadium and if there has ever been a similar example where Tottenham have been the benefactors of such a display of refereeing where so many mistakes went in our favour and handed us victory on a plate.

Stoke had a number of decisions which went in their favour, courtesy of referee Chris Foy and his assistants:

• Peter Crouch clearly handled the ball in the lead up to the first goal
• Younes Kaboul was dragged down as he jumped for the ball at a corner
• Shawcross handled the ball on the line from Kaboul's shot
• Emmanuel Adebayor's disallowed goal was two yards on-side
• William Gallas was fouled as he went to for a tap-in
• Another handball from a Defoe shot
• Kaboul's dismissal from two soft yellow cards with the second coming when the Stoke player advanced from an offside position
• Woodgate could have had a second yellow card in the first half for a foul on Parker 

Now some will say, "Move on - get over it," and I have but it's out of interest that I ask the question.

When have Spurs ever benefited from refereeing decisions in a game to such an extent as happened against Stoke last weekend?

Every team has been gifted a win where an offside goal was allowed or an undeserved penalty awarded or a crucial decision went in their favour but I'm thinking about times when it appeared that almost every decision was favourable and resulted in a Tottenham win.

It's appropriate to raise the topic a week on from the Stoke game as I was reminded when I was reading 'Vertigo' by John Crace at the weekend that our next opponents, Chelsea, had favourable decisions at Stamford Bridge last season which gave them the three points - the Lampard shot which Heurelho Gomes allowed to slip past him but recovered only for the goal to be awarded and then, their winning goal was offside.

It is undeniable that against Stoke, Spurs found themselves into a difficult position because of poor defending in the first half but the refereeing decisions prevented them from making a comeback and possibly winning the game.  It is also true that if Gomes had dealt properly with Lampard's shot - basic goalkeeping - then Chelsea wouldn't have had the boost of going in level at the interval and that his mistake was the cause of Spurs' downfall.

Our selective 'Spurs' memory always allows us to remember the mistakes that have gone against us while deleting those which were favourable but I can't remember any occasion when Tottenham benefited in such a dramatic way when winning a game since I started following them in 1965.

The one occasion that I do know of when they did have the advantage of poor refereeing which enabled them to win a game was as far back as April, 1952, a few months before my birth.  Spurs beat Huddersfield Town 1 - 0 at White Hart Lane thanks to a goal similar to the one Blackburn scored last month from a corner where Pedersen dribbled into the penalty area having been the only player to touch the ball.  His cross was then finished off by Junior Hoilett. 

Eddie Baily

In Spurs game Eddie Baily who later became Assistant to Bill Nicholson at Spurs, took a corner but the ball struck the referee and rebounded to Baily who crossed for Len Duquemin to head the winning goal.  The goal should have been disallowed as no other player touched the ball before Baily played it a second time.  Despite much protesting from the Huddersfield players the referee was unmoved and his decision stood giving Tottenham the two points for the win with Huddersfield suffering relegation at the season's end.

If anyone can suggest examples of occasions when Spurs wins have come about through controversial decisions by the officials, I would like to know about them. 

Spurs in History - 28th August

28th August, 1950

Spurs 4 Bolton Wanderers 2 (1st Division)

After winning promotion Spurs made a difficult start to life in the 1st Division. They lost their first game at home to Blackpool by 4-1 but then won at Bolton (4-1) and drew at Arsenal (2-2). They completed the ‘double’ over Bolton with goals from Len Duquemin(2), Eddie Baily and an own goal.

The results for the next few games were unconvincing until the ‘push and run’ team found its feet at the end of September when they commenced a run of eight successive victories.

Spurs v Huddersfield Town 1952 - Controversial Goal

The Huddersfield 'Goal' Controversy

The old football adage goes that ‘things even themselves out over the course of the season.’ In many cases this will be true – close calls for off-side, a goal given or disallowed or a penalty awarded for or against. However, Spurs still await retribution for the Mendes 'goal' at Old Trafford a few season's ago.

Perhaps, in the case of Mendes disallowed goal, the wrong will not be righted in a season – it might be more like a lifetime. Having supported Spurs for forty years I can not recall any occasion when something similar occurred either for or against Spurs. However, just three months before I was born Spurs benefited greatly from a referee making a serious mistake.

On Wednesday afternoon, 2nd April, 1952 Spurs were at home to Huddersfield Town who were bottom of the table fighting against relegation while Spurs as defending Champions were in fourth position. The game attracted the lowest attendance of the season, 22,396 and was playing out to an uneventful and dull scoreless draw when Spurs were awarded a corner in the final minute. The referee took up a position nearer the corner flag than the goal and when Eddie Baily took the kick the ball hit the referee and rebounded to him. Baily immediately played the ball a second time, putting in a cross which Len Duquemin headed into the Huddersfield goal. The referee awarded a goal which brought uproar from the Huddersfield players and officials but even after consulting the linesman, the referee stood by his decision.

The referee had made a serious mistake as Baily should not have played the ball twice without another player touching it. Huddersfield should have been awarded a free-kick from the position where Baily played the ball for the second time.

At first, the Huddersfield players refused to re-start the game but there was no mass harassment of the referee and although everyone knew there had been a mistake the result had to stand. In the next programme, Spurs commented on the incident, ‘The referee’s decision is final, and even if we have been the gainers in this instance there have been previous cases in which we have been the sufferers.’

At the end of the season Huddersfield were relegated by three points and while the point they lost that day did not relegate them mathematically, an extra point from that game may have inspired the players to greater efforts in the final six matches of the season. Spurs went on to finish second behind Manchester United and ahead of Arsenal on goal difference so for once Spurs managed to put one over their North London rivals as a result of that game.

Spurs in History - 2nd April

Eddie Baily who later became Bill Nicholson's Assistant, was involved in the controversial goal which defeated Huddersfield Town

2nd April, 1952

Spurs 1 Huddersfield Town 0 (1st Division)

Controversy surrounded the only goal scored by Len Duquemin and added to Huddersfield’s problems as they tried to avoid relegation. With only a minute remaining, the lowest attendance of the season saw an amazing goal to Spurs. From a corner taken by Eddie Baily, the ball hit the referee and rebounded to Baily who immediately centred for Duquemin to head the winning goal.

The goal should have been disallowed because Baily had played the ball twice without another player touching it. Huddersfield appealed but the result had to stand and they were relegated at the end of the season. The point that Huddersfield lost that day did not cause their relegation but if they had gained an unexpected point it might have inspired the players to greater effort in their final games.

Spurs in History - 22nd January

New Signing Danny Blanchflower inspired Spurs to victory over Sheffield Wednesday

22nd January, 1955

Spurs 7 Sheffield Wednesday 2 (1st Division)

In a transitional season for Spurs, two new signings played their part in this victory over Wednesday. Winger, Johhny Gavin had signed from Norwich city in October and these goals gave him six in fifteen appearances. Danny Blanchflower had joined from Aston Villa in December for £30,000 as a replacement for Bill Nicholson.

Spurs were a goal up after one minute when Johnny Gavin scored. Wednesday equalized but then Spurs went further ahead through goals from George Robb, Eddie Baily and Gavin.

In the second half further goals from Johnny Brooks, Len Duquemin and another from Brooks sealed Spurs victory although Wednesday scored a second.

Spurs, inspired by Danny Blanchflower, made light of the muddy conditions to put on a slick goalscoring performance against a struggling Wednesday side.

Team: Reynolds, Ramsey, Hopkins, Blanchflower, Clarke, Marchi, Gavin, Baily, Duquemin, Brooks, Robb

Talking of Mendes' 'Goal'

A Final Thought on that Mendes ‘Goal’
[Things do even themselves out - eventually!]

Article for CaDD – April, 2005

Eddie Baily Goal Wrongly Awarded Against Huddersfield in 1952

The old football adage goes that ‘things even themselves out over the course of the season.’ In many cases this will be true – close calls for off-side, a goal given or disallowed or a penalty awarded for or against. However, this season Spurs have suffered on a number of occasions with decisions that have obviously gone against them but as yet with eight games remaining there has been no sign of similar harsh decisions going in their favour.

The Mendes ‘goal’ at Old Trafford is the obvious one, harsh penalties were conceded at home to both Chelsea and United and at Bolton, but two obvious penalties were missed in the Cup defeat at Newcastle. All of these awards affected the outcome of the games, depriving Spurs of points in the League as well as possible Cup progress. If we accept the common view that such occurrences balance out during the season then Spurs are in for a very productive climax to the season.

A goal at Highbury awarded before the ball goes into the penalty area because the referee was certain it would beat the goalkeeper or a penalty when Kanoute is tripped near the corner flag because he fell so gracefully or a referee will take pity on Defoe and give a penalty because the defender looked as if he was going to trip him, these would help to balance out the injustices that have befallen Spurs this year. Sadly, such occurrences are unlikely.

Perhaps, in the case of Mendes disallowed goal, the wrong will not be righted in a season – it might be more like a lifetime. Having supported Spurs for forty years I can not recall any occasion when something similar occurred either for or against Spurs. However, just three months before I was born Spurs benefited greatly from a referee making a serious mistake.

On Wednesday afternoon, 2nd April, 1952 Spurs were at home to Huddersfield Town who were bottom of the table fighting against relegation while Spurs as defending Champions were in fourth position. The game attracted the lowest attendance of the season, 22,396 and was playing out to an uneventful and dull scoreless draw when Spurs were awarded a corner in the final minute. The referee took up a position nearer the corner flag than the goal and when Eddie Baily took the kick the ball hit the referee and rebounded to him. Baily immediately played the ball a second time, putting in a cross which Len Duquemin headed into the Huddersfield goal. The referee awarded a goal which brought uproar from the Huddersfield players and officials but even after consulting the linesman, the referee stood by his decision.

The referee had made a serious mistake as Baily should not have played the ball twice without another player touching it. Huddersfield should have been awarded a free-kick from the position where Baily played the ball for the second time.

At first, the Huddersfield players refused to re-start the game but there was no mass harassment of the referee and although everyone knew there had been a mistake the result had to stand. In the next programme, Spurs commented on the incident, ‘The referee’s decision is final, and even if we have been the gainers in this instance there have been previous cases in which we have been the sufferers.’

At the end of the season Huddersfield were relegated by three points and while the point they lost that day did not relegate them mathematically, an extra point from that game may have inspired the players to greater efforts in the final six matches of the season. Spurs went on to finish second behind Manchester United and ahead of Arsenal on goal difference so Spurs managed to put one over their North London rivals as a result of that game.

Many people accused Roy Carroll, the United goalkeeper, of not admitting that the ball had crossed the line but on that day in 1952 the Spurs team included such well respected players as Bill Nicholson, Ron Burgess, Eddie Baily, Len Duquemin and Sonny Walters but none of them suggested to the referee that he had made a mistake. In football you have to take what you get and take the rough with the smooth.

The consequences of the Mendes ‘goal’ are still unknown – will Spurs miss out on the financial bonanza of Europe by two points, will they be unable to attract top quality players because they can not offer European football, will Mendes who would have become an overnight hero at the club quietly return to Portugal at the end of the season or will technology be introduced to assist officials in these decisions? Only time will tell but it would be good to see Spurs getting some of the close decisions going their way in the important games in the coming seasons.

Seven years on those questions can be answered - and all responses are in the negative. The non-goal didn't have any bearing on Spurs position and Europe in 2005.  Technology was talked about in the immediate short-lived aftermath of this game and in spite of further errors by referees including England's defeat by Germany in the EWorld Cup Finals, they are no nearer using technology to assist the officials.

Spurs have suffered quite frequently this season, 2011 - 12, as they make a title and Champions League challenge.  Emmanuel Adebayor had had three goals disallowed for offside when clearly onside and the decisions affected the result of the match, referee Foy had a nightmare at Stoke costing Spurs their unbeaten record and the crucial game against Manchester City was decided by a last minute penalty, won and scored, by a player who should have been sent off for dangerous play and has since been suspended for four matches which is of no benefit to Tottenham who now find themselves eight points adrift of City at the top of the Premier League table.