Reading 10 - 2 Crystal Palace

[Top Flight]

On the 4th September 1946 we smashed Crystal Palace by ten goals to two. That event happened 70 years ago.

Is there anyone who went to that game? I guess you would likely be in your late 70s or 80s now to remember that day?

[CountryRoyal]

I was there, I remember it was particularly chilly for early autumn/late summer game.

Honestly though, as a reading a fan, scoring 10 goals was fantastic. You got the feeling around the ground that it was a greater achievement than the Battle of Britain.

[Top Flight]

According to this Crystal Palace website, these were the line-ups that day.

http://rednbluearmy.co.uk/articles/04-0 ... tember-4th

Reading: Ken Groves, Gilbert Glidden, Jeff Gulliver, Tom McKenna, Bill Ratcliffe, Len Young, Wilf Chitty, Maurice Edelston, Tony MacPhee, Vic Barney, Jackie Deverall

Palace: Dick Graham, Robert Felton, Fred Dawes, Jack Lewis, Billy Bassett, Arthur Hudgell, Fred Kurz, Tom Reece, Ernie Waldron, Les Burrell, Dickie Girling

[Top Flight]

From a Palace website....

Wednesday 4th September 1946

Reading 10-2 Crystal Palace

Division Three South – Att: 8,241

Manager: George Irwin

This was obviously way before the Freddy Kruegar movies were made but as a headline, I am going with: ”Nightmare at Elm Park”.

This remains Reading’s biggest win to this day and it is tough to see them ever beating it. Post WWII was a strange time in the lower reaches of English League Football and many a thumping materialised. Reece and Waldron scored the Palace goals whilst at the opposite end the scorers were MacPhee (4), Deverall (2), Edelston (4) and Barney. A barney is no doubt what took place in the Palace changing room after this one and someone had to take the fall.

Step up Robert Felton, playing at the back for Palace. Apparently he would shoulder the blame for this defeat as this was the one and only time that he ever pulled on a Palace shirt.

Alliteration Watch: Gilbert Glidden is a name of beauty that overshadows the score line in this one for me.

Names that you definitely don’t hear in football anymore: Dickie Girling sounds more like a verb and a noun to me.

Reading: Ken Groves, Gilbert Glidden, Jeff Gulliver, Tom McKenna, Bill Ratcliffe, Len Young, Wilf Chitty, Maurice Edelston, Tony MacPhee, Vic Barney, Jackie Deverall

Palace: Dick Graham, Robert Felton, Fred Dawes, Jack Lewis, Billy Bassett, Arthur Hudgell, Fred Kurz, Tom Reece, Ernie Waldron, Les Burrell, Dickie Girling

[genome]

Gilbert Glidden
Wilf Chitty
Dickie Girling

They don't make names like they used to.

[arreff]

I was there on that day. If memory serves me still I think that the story at that time was that Vic Barney asked for a trial on that morning and they stuck him in the team and he scored two goals

[Top Flight]

Was the game played during the daytime? Probably we didn't have floodlights in the 40s.

To this day this game still remains our biggest ever victory, until Friday night perhaps.

Were Palace completely poor that day? Or did Reading play incredible football?

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Was the game played during the daytime? Probably we didn't have floodlights in the 40s.

To this day this game still remains our biggest ever victory, until Friday night perhaps.

Were Palace completely poor that day? Or did Reading play incredible football?

Some mad scores immediately after the war due to so many players being dead. Those that weren't had spent 6 years serving and not playing football. Standard must have been v poor. Booooo.

[Ark Royal]

Think kick-off times for midweek games pre-floodlight were around 6:00 pm.

[madstadblues]

More worried about this

http://www.royals.org/matdoc/210996.html

: (

[arreff]

As a follow up that match was played on a Wednesday. Three days later they played Southend and scored seven goals. In the days of Tony McPhee and Ron Blackman it was just a question of just how many they would score. Now its a question of will they manage to get a goal this week.

[From Despair To Where?]

More worried about this

http://www.royals.org/matdoc/210996.html

: (

I was certainly there for that one. One of the most spinelessly inept performances I have ever had the misery to witness. Nothing in the past 3 years comes close.

[Victor Meldrew]

I probably heard the goals going in that day (the 10-2 game that is) from my pram as I would have been at my nan's house in Hilcot Road (about 600 yards from the ground) and no doubt my Uncle Fred came in after the game and told me all about it, he being a season-ticket holder.

[Top Flight]

More worried about this

http://www.royals.org/matdoc/210996.html

: (

I remember that game. Wasn't Coppell Palace's manager that day?

[Gunny Fishcake]

According to this Crystal Palace website, these were the line-ups that day.

http://rednbluearmy.co.uk/articles/04-0 ... tember-4th

Reading: Ken Groves, Gilbert Glidden, Jeff Gulliver, Tom McKenna, Bill Ratcliffe, Len Young, Wilf Chitty, Maurice Edelston, Tony MacPhee, Vic Barney, Jackie Deverall

Palace: Dick Graham, Robert Felton, Fred Dawes, Jack Lewis, Billy Bassett, Arthur Hudgell, Fred Kurz, Tom Reece, Ernie Waldron, Les Burrell, Dickie Girling

I remember Maurice Edelsten's sports shop opposite Reading station !

[Old Biscuitman]

As a follow up that match was played on a Wednesday. Three days later they played Southend and scored seven goals. In the days of Tony McPhee and Ron Blackman it was just a question of just how many they would score. Now its a question of will they manage to get a goal this week.

I remember as a 9 year old seeing that Palace result in newspaper sports pages and feeling thrilled. Didn't get to Elm Park until a 4-0 defeat of Exeter in 1947.

The team sheet is familiar, except for goalkeeper. Never heard of Groves. He was replaced by Jock McBride and then Vic Marks.