Weymouth, Wells and scandals. 1893-94

With the bitter 1893 AGM behind them, things turned to matters on the field with the start of the 1893-94 season. Again Somerset league football with friendly matches jigsawed in. In reality it was more friendlies than league

Sherborne, minus the brilliant and future Yeovil player, Herb Seymour came over the hill on a cold, wet windy October afternoon for the first action of the season. The fixture hardly wetting the appetite of the football loving contingent in the town, as the match was sparsely attended. Yeovil, with a scratch side choosing several Reserves in an effort to test their metal. Confirmed when H.Arnold, the usual Yeovil bustling centre forward was the match referees. 

In an uninspiring match, affected by the wind and rain, Yeovil won 4-0 with goals from Ford with a brace, Davis, and Keir, whose goal was described such

 " Keir put in a long shot which one of the (Sherborne)  backs called for the goalkeeper to let go, which he did only for the ball to go on off the post "

The side for the opening match was

F. Palmer, Fred Bond (Captain), Sammy Sugg, F. Woodward, W. Keir, AN other, W. Mitchell, E. Davis, A. Arnold, J. Ford, Joseph Curwood 

Sammy Sugg, again in the back line, even with his  Somerset County appearance in goal at the end of the previous season. Curwood making his debut was an all round sportsman who played mainly for the rugby team and town cricket club. 

Two weeks later, Midsomer Norton arrived from the North. A club playing their first season in senior football with the 'classy' Matthew Brothers amongst their ranks. Unfortunately for the brothers, Smith, the Norton keeper had a nightmare of a match that saw him continuously stepping too far up the pitch, leaving the goal open, which the maroon shirted Yeovil players took full advantage of.  Yeovil winning 4-2 in front of a large crowd. 

Now, for football loving shopkeepers, cafe staff, and anyone else who had the misfortune of working on Saturdays, thus missing out on football action, a Thursday football club was formed. Thursday being half closing in the town. The club had an association with the main Yeovil Football club, their matches being played on the pitch at West Hendford. It was a club that was to run for many years, until a dispute with Yeovil Casuals over money raised at a smoking concert ended acrimoniously. 

With this said, it would seem that the normal football team hijacked the football deprived shopworkers and their Thursday team for their own benefit. Highlighted, in a match in October 1893, against Frome Shopkeepers. The Yeovil Thursday side was virtually the full Yeovil association side. A. Arnold, Sammy Sugg, Fred Bond, amongst others. 

Yeovil Thursday football club in 1912

In October it also seemed that the West Hendford pitch was becoming infamous amongst opposing teams. At the County Association meeting, Frome raising an objection to the use of West Hendford for a County trial game because of the regular occurrence of broken glass scattered on the playing surface. Yeovil promised another pitch would be found. 

November passed with its usual round of meaningless friendlies against all to familiar opposition. All poorly attended and leaving a feeling of the same old thing. A 3-1 home victory over Glastonbury in the league being the only exception from the norm. 

An away day out on a cold Saturday afternoon in December for a friendly with Weymouth didn't do much to inject any ' joie de vivre' into proceedings either . Weymouth scoring a 4-0 win. The Terras had gained a reputation for being one of the best sides South of Bristol, nearly sweeping the board the previous season of every Dorset cup going. Nonetheless a reputation of arrogance also. At the previous AGM of Weymouth FC they laid concerns of teams not wanting to travel to them when a result of a Weymouth win was a foregone conclusion. They muted with all seriousness the idea of losing some games in the hope of attracting teams to head South and play them. That arrogance would come to pass on their visit to West Hendford two weeks later. 

Joy was found a week later, for a short while anyway, on another coastal visit to Weston-super-Mare, to play United Schools of Weston in the league. Stone scoring to give Yeovil a satisfactory train journey home. Only for a couple of weeks later the 'Schoolers' to disband and the result was thrown in the bin! 

The Terras, with  their arrogance, packed in their kitbags, arrived at West Hendford two days before Christmas in 1893. Strong, cocky and self-assured of not just beating Yeovil but humiliating them. The Mayor and Yeovil Vice-President Dr. Colmer, took a day off from bar room autopsies and was in attendance to witness his twenty year old son Ralph Colmer, who had made his debut for Yeovil, a week before. 

A fast and furious game took place, with Weymouth having the upper hand, however at 'sucking lemons' it was 0-0. Weymouth came at Yeovil in the second half, even though kicking up the West Hendford slope. They scored! Yet, the referee disallowed it for offside much to the disgust of the Weymouth players. Yeovil scored! A shot from distance by Arthur Reid pinballing off several players before settling in the net, sending the large crowd into raptures. In desperation,Weymouth attacked and attacked but couldn't find the equaliser. On the counter and with time running out , Yeovil scored again from a long shot by Stone. Weymouth called for offside, the ref turned their objections down, the goal stood. 

This became too much for Weymouth, facing their first defeat of the season and first ever defeat by Yeovil. They walked off the field, in the hope one guesses of getting the match abandoned. Which it was! However, far be it for me to stand in defence of Weymouth. The referee? William Bond, ex-Yeovil player, Father of Fred the Yeovil captain, and a referee who it would seem had form in previous matches. when it came to biased decisions Yeovil's way. 

As for the dejected Weymouth team, one can guess the Yeovil fans feelings towards those boys in Terra Cotta, a feeling that has been passed down in the DNA to all Yeovil fans and still survives one-hundred and twenty years later. 

After Christmas had passed the season halted, it was a full month after the Weymouth game that they played again , a 3-0 defeat at Bridport. 

The town of Yeovil was gripped by a major scandal in February 1894, of a well-to-do and well-known Lady and Gentleman of the town who had left their spouses in the night and eloped together on the 11.20pm up-train to London. Scandals of the love nature were soon replaced with scandals of the football type though, this time involving the Town's Association football  team and there old nemises, Wells City. A team that they had previously met acromonsely on a couple of occasions in previous years. 

24th March 1894, saw Yeovil travel to Wells, one of the strongest teams in the league, and top of the league,jin a major upset Yeovil beat them 3-1. A fine result against the old enemy that was celebrated considerably. Wells being Wells, who in the last two seasons had earn the scorn of Yeovil for appeals against defeats and complaints against Yeovil at every opportunity,  decided that the win by Yeovil should be appealed against, as per usual, this time on the claim of Yeovil fielding an unregistered player. 

At a meeting of the Somerset County football Association a week later, the FA found in Wells favour and ordered the game to be replayed. Yeovil's reaction was one of fury. 

At a hastardly arranged meeting at Mr Maynard's restaurant, a large crowd assembled to see the Yeovil committees response to this awful accusation that Yeovil firmly denied. After a vote of those assembled it was agreed to withdraw from the league with immediate affect, with still three game remaining. The hatred of Wells doubled over night. 

With now empty Saturdays, meaning no gate money, a hurriedly arranged friendly was organised with Queens Park Rangers - London Observer Cup holders and conveniently already touring in the area. Although, not quite the draw that they would have today, however that day QPR became  the first professional club that upto then Yeovil had faced. 

The match was marred though by Yeovil's highest scorer that season, Stone, falling heavily on his arm and breaking it in two places. Immediately he was taken to Dr. Colmer to have it set. The good hearted fans sent a hat around the ropes for a collection for the unfortunate player, and a sizeable sum was reported. 

The match ending 1-1.

Apart from one last win against Dorchester  in a friendly that was it for the season. A season that could best be described as mediocre with the usual scandal thrown in. 

Of course, the season wouldn't really be complete without the traditional Club Dinner. The clubs now HQ the Three Choughs was the venue on the 2nd April 1894. In spite of the scandal of resigning from the league on the pitch, Fred Bond the captain considered it a complete success. With beating both the Dorset champions, Weymouth and the Somerset champions, Wells City. He felt it was only time before a Yeovil would be the capital of Association football in the County. 

Financially it had not gone well, with the club reporting a loss of £4.00. For the Gentleman of the club, that was the true signal of success, the financial one! However the Chairman of the proceedings, Dr. Kingston made quite a prophetic speech which included. 

"Football (association) is  amusement for the masses. The rich man had his hunting, which the poor could not afford. I therefore  consider football most necessary for a town like Yeovil. The men were pent up in factories for the greater part of the week. and the most recreation they could get was their game of football on Saturday. The rich in the neighbourhood ought to support such a national game, and then they could provide something good with their money by giving the workers good games, with good

clubs"

With that, they all headed home at  midnight after the usual round of songs, sang by players and committee alike and the traditional toast - not so many this year! 

Happy days! 

* for more seasons and stories check the archive