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Season 1932-33. Manchester League Manchester League Champions Owing to the lack of public support for the second team, and the expenditure
incurred by the entertainment tax, the accounts of Droylsden Football club for season 1931-32, showed a deficit of £38. At
the annual meeting of the club on Tuesday, June 14 at the Butchers’ Arms Hotel, it was decided to discard the second team. “The entertainment tax has hit us very heavily,” said Mr. Willet, the
secretary. “Out of the total amount of gate receipts of £376, we have had to pay £45 tax. I don’t think it should be
charged on a small club like ours.” Mr. Willet however, was looking forward to another good season and said that as
well as re-signing all the players from the season just ended, the club had already brought several new faces to the club. J
Pennington had been signed from Halifax, J Sullivan from Glossop, J Towers (formerly of Man Utd), Odenrode (Ashton
National), Warner (Stockport and Stalybridge Celtic), Armstrong (Manchester Central), Dickinson (Glossop) and Davies
(Openshaw). He appealed to Droylsden’s many new resident’s to give their support to the club, and by so doing, they
would enable the officials to provide a higher standard of football – which was their ambition. Shortly after the season got under way, on Monday, November 28, a meeting was held at the Cooperative Hall with a view to forming a supporters club, and a large number of people attended. Mr. F Moore, who presided, appealed for support so that Droylsden FC could maintain its high standard of football and uphold its great traditions. Much enthusiasm for a supporters club was shown by Mr. Greenhough, a founder member and general secretary of the Manchester United Supporters Club, who spoke of the great benefits a supporters club could bring to Droylsden FC. Mr. Greenhough then gave a lead to those present by becoming the first member of Droylsden Supporters Club. Mr. Gilcryst, secretary of the Manchester League, and Mr. Parkinson, deputy chairman of the Manchester League, also spoke on behalf of Droylsden FC. Forty people became members of the Club after the meeting. Committee’s of men and women were formed. The men’s committee was composed of Mr. Fryer (Chairman), Mr. Spencer (Secretary), Mr. Walker (Treasurer), and Messrs, Barnes, Jones, Collins and Mathews; and the ladies committee of Mrs. Walsh, Miss Egan, Miss Vagg, Mrs. Ellis and Mrs. Radcliffe. In the meantime, the new season had kicked off and Droylsden had made a good start. Another new signing had been made by this time, Simpson, a goalkeeper who had left dirt-track racing at Belle Vue Speedway to play football. At the end of September, Droylsden played in the quarter final of the Ashton Challenge Cup against Stalybridge Celtic at Bower Fold, the match ending 4-4, after Droylsden had led four times. The replay was set for the following April. At the turn of the year, Droylsden were top of the league table with Glossop a close second, and at the beginning of February the two teams met at Glossop’s ground in a vital match, however, Droylsden suffered a setback to the championship hopes as Glossop convincingly won the game 3-0. That defeat, as demoralising as it must have been, didn’t deter the Droylsden team, but sparked off a run of victories which saw the rest of the field drop further and further behind. Home wins were recorded against Barnton Victoria, 5-1; ICI, 3-1 and Ashfield, 5-3, whilst away from home Droylsden collected 8 points from their last four away games; Pendlebury were beaten 4-1, Barnton Vics, 3-0, Stockport County ‘A’, 7-0, and McMahon’s 3-2. The championship was back at Droylsden. Manchester League 1932-33
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Local
Press, April 1933. ”The popular victory of the Droylsden team over Stalybridge Celtic on Wednesday evening pleased a crowd
of 3,000 spectators on the Market Street enclosure. Droylsden and Stalybridge Celtic had previously met at Stalybridge in
September under the auspices of the Ashton Challenge Cup, the result being a draw of four goals each. Droylsden will now
meet Hyde United in the semi-final at National Park. It was a typical cup-tie, full of thrills, as the following positions
will indicate. Droylsden lead 2-0 at the interval. Celtic get level in the second half and take the lead when a Droylsden
player puts the ball through his own goal. Droylsden score again and at full time the score reads 3-3. Fifteen minutes each
way extra time is played. Celtic take the lead from a penalty, then along come the boys from the Butchers’ Arms Club, they
put on four more goals and win handsomely in a light which made it impossible to see the players. As one man remarked coming
from the ground, ‘120 minutes of football and eleven goals, all for sevenpence….you can’t beat that for a good night
out.’” The
semi-final was played on a Friday evening in late April in front of a 4,890 crowd. Hyde United won the match 3-1, though
according to some local press reports, Droylsden could, and should, have had the game won by half time, but they were now
out of the competition. In the second round of the Manchester Junior Cup, Droylsden met Hurst at Hurst Cross in yet another
replay, the first match being abandoned at half time owing to a snowstorm. The replay took place in March, the game
attracting 2,300 spectators. It turned out to be a game full of incident, some of which included; three penalties, play
suspended while the referee administered a general caution regarding rough play, the Droylsden goalkeeper ordered off the
field, and the scoring of seven goals. Those were the outstanding features of what could be termed a ‘typical cup-tie’. Droylsden
were beaten 4-3, though it should be remembered that Hurst, like Stalybridge Celtic and Hyde United, were members of the
superior Cheshire League, and Droylsden had given the three of them a game to remember, especially so the Celtic club.
Against Hurst, Droylsden were 0-2 down at half time but came back strongly in the second half, reducing the arrears after
nine minutes with a goal by Gillibrand. Droylsden then proceeded to bombard the Hurst goal in search of an equaliser, which
came when Murphy, the Droylsden outside-left, was fouled in the penalty area. The spot kick was converted by Gillibrand. It
was here that tempers became ruffled and rough play crept into the game, with the result that the referee stopped play,
called the players to the centre of the field and issued a general caution. With ten minutes to go, Letchford brought down a
Hurst forward in the area and Hurst restored their lead from the resultant penalty kick. Soon after there was a mad scramble
in the Droylsden goalmouth, from which Hurst scored their fourth goal, and it was here that Pennington was concerned in an
incident for which the referee sent him off. In the last few minutes, the Hurst left back handled the ball in the area and
Gillibrand completed his hat trick with a second penalty goal for Droylsden. Final score: Hurst 4 Droylsden 3. Droylsden
team: Pennington, Letchford, Woodcock, Knowles, Sullivan, Scanlon, Odenrode, Warner, Gillibrand, Dickenson and Murphy. A
medal presentation was held at the headquarters of Droylsden FC at the end of May 1933, on the occasion of Droylsden’s
jubilation at having won the Manchester League championship for the second time in the past three seasons. The happy social
gathering however, was tinged with regret that the public’s support of the team was considerably less than that warranted
by its success. Councillor Barnes expressed pleasure at the local Council being well represented at the gathering. Their
support, he remarked, would give a lead to the Droylsden public. The club, he continued, greatly needed the support of the
public. The success of the club in winning the championship was overshadowed by its financial plight. As
the club’s new president, he appealed to the public to relieve the committee of the anxiety caused by the club’s
liability of £108. “Just as during the war the munitions workers had to back up the men at the front, so must the public
back up the club. Their support, just as was that of the munitions workers to the army, is vitally important to the club.”
Mr. Willet, the secretary, paid high tribute to the team for its fighting spirit. The team was the smallest in the league,
but what it lacked in height and weight, it made up for in endurance and pluck. Ernie Gillibrand finished his second season at the club with a total of sixty-three goals. |