Saturday 15th March 1975
REF CALLS IT OFF – IN CASE SOMEONE SCORES
NORTHWOOD 1 VIKING SPORTS 1
Referee Mr D.W. Miles decided to abandon this Middlesex League Premier Cup tie 15 minutes before the end so that neither team lost by a farcical goal in the worsening conditions. According to Northwood manager Paul Byrne, this match should never have started in the first place.
Northwood had done enough to win the game as they had obviously learned a lot from the tactics employed by North Greenford United in similar conditions a week earlier.
They realised that the middle of the park was no place for pretty football, and the Woods’ midfield trio of Tidd, Evans and Clarke were employed as extra defenders and support attackers whenever necessary.
Despite making some early attacks, it was the Woods who went a goal down early on when Viking broke away in the seventh minute and scored through Evans.
Gary Cooper was playing particularly well at centre-forward, and it was fitting that he should grab the equaliser after Stone had forced Williams into making an error.
Gould, Mills, Cooper and Tidd all went close to outing the Woods into a deserved lead, and then Clarke hit a stunning free-kick from nearly 40 yards, only to see the ball hit the angle of post and crossbar.
The re-arranged date for this tie is expected to be Saturday 29th March.
Northwood: Kessell, Harland, Mills, Gould, Heslop, Tidd, Evans, Pearce, Clarke, Stone, Cooper.
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