Match Report:
The Halifax Daily Courier and Guardian: 13-09-1939 (Courtesy of Steve Bell)
.Leeds United to Visit the Shay on Saturday
SHAY ATTRACTION
Halifax resume football on Saturday when they meet Leeds United first eleven at the Shay in a friendly match, commencing at 3pm. The Chief
Constable of Halifax has granted permission for matches to be played. While efforts are being made by the Football League to oganize a war-timr
League for matches to be played in neutral or reception areas, plans have not yet been completed and meanwhile, clubs are arranging friendly games
between themselves
Saturday's match will probably be followed other friendly fixtures should the new League not have been formed and Mr J. H. Thomson, the Halifax
Town secretary-manager, is in negotiations with a number of First and Second Division clubs. Halifax Town meanwhile. have selected the following
players from whom they will choose their team to meet Leeds United: Briggs; Allsop, Clark; Green, Craig, Ruecroft; Worthington, Widdowfield, Baines,
Barkas, Wood, F. Stead. Leeds will announce their team tomorrow.
Match Report
The Halifax Daily Courier and Guardian: 14-09-1939 (Courtesy of Steve Bell)
Internationals at the Shay
Leeds United strong team
Leeds United will field practically their best team for the match with Halifax Town at the Shay on Saturday. Browne is an Irish International, while
Copping Stephenson and Hodgson have played for England.
Ainsley accompanied the England team which toured South Africa last summer. Brown, at outside-left, is the Third Lanark player, who joined
Leeds United at the beginning of the season, and was considered a great capture
The team is: W. Hampson; Scaife, Gadsby; Browne, Kane, Copping; Powell, Ainsley, Hodgson, Stephenson,Brown.
Match Report
The Halifax Daily Courier and Guardian: 15-09-1939 (Courtesy of Steve Bell)
Town's Formidable Task
Clash With First Division Oppositionr
The war has had the effectof promoting Halifax Town, at least temprarily (writes (T.T. Dickinson). Instead of meeting Rochedale at the Shay
they have Leeds United's first eleven as visitors and the Town Directors are hoping that a gate worthy of First opposition will turn up.
This match is a friendly, but need not lack keenness on this account, and, in view of the fact the Leeds side includes at least four internationals,
a good display is almost assured.
It is certainly a long time since such strong opposition was see at the Shay. for players like, Browne, Copping , Kane, Ainsley, Hodgson and
Stephenson are amongst the best known in football.
Untl the new war-time Leagues are formed these friendlies are to be continued, and the Halifax players are to play as amateurs until war-time
rates of pay are fixed by the League. Payments will then be retrospective
Town will field a strong side, the absentees from the usual League side being Doran, who has been called up, Bruce, who has returned to Ireland
and Jackson, who is unable to play tomorrow. The kick-off will be at 3.pm
Leeds United club have agreed that Season ticket holders be admitted free on producing their season tickets, but life members' and shareholders'
tickets will not be available. These friendly matches are being played on Cup-tie terms.
Teams:-
Halifax Town: Briggs; Allsop, Clarke; Green, Craig, Ruecroft; Worthington, Widdowfield, Baines, Barkas, and Wood.
Leeds United: W. Hampson (junior); Scaife, Gadsby; Browne, Kane, Copping; Powell, Ainsley, Hodgson, Stephenson, Brown.
Match Report:
The Halifax Daily Courier and Guardian: 18-09-1939 (Courtesy of Steve Bell)
WAR-TIME FOOTBALL
Town's Direct Methods Beat Leeds United
Scorers-Halifax Town: Barkas, Widdowfield, and Green-3 goals
Leeds United; Stephenson and Hodgson-2 goals
The first war-time game at the Shay was much more entertaining and exciting than one would have expected in view of the fact that there were no
League points at stake
Town won on their merit and in turning a two goal deficit into a winning margin accomplished a fine performance. Leeds, with practically their full First
Division strength on view, were squarely beaten by a side which showed more direct approach and was quicker on the ball.
After 15 minutes of even play, Stephenson gave Leeds United the lead, after Hodgson had resisted a tackle by Allsop in the Halifax penalty area and
when, three minutes later Hodgson put on a second with a fine shot from Powell's centre, it seemed as if Leeds were to win as they liked.
RENEWED CONFIDENCE
Town, however, played with increasing confidence, Barkas reduced the margin after 28 minutes, snapping up at the second attempt at close range,
after 36 minutes, Widdowfield applied the finishing touch to a raid in which Hampson stopped quick-fire shots from Wood and Baines.
Town had the better of a fast second half . They had a pull at half-back where Green, Craig and Ruecroft were extremely sound while the forward line
was often very lively with Barkas, Baines and Widdowfield particularly thrustful. Briggs in the Halifax goal, had not half the work of Hampson, the Leeds
United goalkeeper, and was generally well covered by Allsop and Clark.
The Halifax forwards often brought their wingers, Wood and Worthington, cleverly late play and many excellent moves were carrie through. It was
almost a fluke that tbrought the winning goal. Green tried a shot fro 35 yards-a high dropping ball-and to the surprise of the 4,000 spectators, the
goalkeeper allowed it to pass under the bar.
Outstanding in the Leeds team were fuu-back Gadsby at left-full, back, Kane, Hodgson and Stephenson. - T. T. Dickinson.
Match Report:
Yorkshire Post: 18-09-1939
Leeds United Lose to Third Division Side
A feature of the friendly Association football matches played as a war-time diversion on Saturday was the success of a number of home teams
against opponents who, in normal conditions, play in higher divisions of the League. Barnsley; last season in the Third Division, beat First Division rivals,
Huddersfield Town; Chesterfield were too good for Sheffield United, Luton Town beat Brentford, and Halifax Town, in the Northern Section of the Third
Division, beat Leeds United. Obviously the greater keenness of the teams playing before their own supporters more than counter-balanced the presumed
superior skill of their First Division opponents. The defeat of Leeds United at Halifax may be regarded as typical of these games. On a rough playing
surface both sides at the outset were crude in their methods; but at the end of a quarter of an hour Leeds scored twice ta quick succession, a goal by
Hodgson being a really magnificent shot.
United Fade Out
For about ten minutes, Leeds seemed likely to dominate the game and gain a runaway victory; but against the greater tenacity and speed of Halifax
the Leeds team wilted disappointingly, and the home side won deservedly by 3 goals to 2. Barkas, the Halifax captain, showed brilliant footcraft when
scoring his team's first goal, resisting two attempts to tackle him before shooting. W. Hampson, jun., keeping goal for Leeds, should have prevented the
winning goal by Green the right half, the ball from a long shot dropping over his head; but nevertheless Leeds should have done much better, the quality
of their play on the whole being poor. These friendly matches naturally lack the keenness, and excitement of League games, and unless the players intend,
as, compensation, to make them spectacular exhibitions, in which skilful manoeuvre and finesse are exploited, the public certainly will not be attracted.
The players must surely realise that these games afford, an opportunity for displaying whatever ballcraft they possess; but the type of football, seen at Halifax
was that usually identified with the village green; The receipts were about £120.
