Victoria Hospital Cup Returns Home

The Victoria Hospital Cup, which had so long been at Goodison Park that it became nearly an exclusive possession of Everton, returned to Bloomfield Road when Blackpool defeated the holders 2-0 on 7 May 1934 in the final game of the season.

Blackpool met a First Division side for the first time since relegation at the end of the 1933/34 season and in a game "of variable quality", which declined completely in the last 20 minutes, won with two goals in the first half.

And it was a reserve centre forward that masterminded Everton's downfall. Albert Brallisford, who had played only two League games for the club in his first season, scored both goals in Blackpool's win when the comment was that he was "always on the move again, missed several chances, but by his acceptance of two proved that he is a leader, in spite of his small stature, who requires guarding". Despite the encouraging comment he was to play only 10 League games in his second and final season at Bloomfield Road.

Blackpool took the lead after 15 minutes when, from one of Jock Wallace's gigantic free-kicks Brallisford was put in possession and without hesitation he headed for goal and shot a ball from just outside the penalty area wide of the unprepared Sagar who dived too late to his right to intercept it. And then after 44 minutes Brallisford scored his second when Bert Thomson raced to the by-line and crossed for the centre forward to shoot into the roof of the net with the Everton defence once again scattered.

The second half was a different affair for, once victory was assured, Blackpool's game became as casual as that of Everton and the game drifted towards its conclusion. The two plus points for Blackpool were that "sufficient was seen of Richards in the first half to indicate that this forward from Llanelli many one day be a fine constructive half back" and that "Shipman again established that he is a player who, during the season that ended last weekend, has made a greater advance than any other on Blackpool's books". Ironically Gordon Richards was not to make the first team at Blackpool and was transferred in December 1934 while Shipman played only eight more times in Blackpool's first team over the following two seasons.

After the match the directors of the Savoy Café entertained both sets of players and officials to dinner at the Savoy Café on the Promenade. Sir Lindsay Parkinson presented the Cup and medals to the winners and runners-up medals to the beaten side. He thanked the Everton directors for their generosity in allowing their team to visit Blackpool and to play in the charity match and told them that since the trophy was first played for in 1925 the sum of £2,000 had been donated to Victoria Hospital. Sir Lindsay finished by thanking the directors of the Savoy Café for their kindness in donating the Cup in the first place and also for entertaining the players. Mr Kelly, an Everton director, responded and then Mr F R Boydell, in the unavoidable absence of the Savoy's chairman Mr John Hacking, said that the Savoy directors were always pleased to do what they could in the interest of football and sport generally. He ended by thanking Mr H Dedman, the referee, and his two linesmen for their voluntary services.

The teams were: Blackpool - Wallace, Witham, Shipman, Dougall, Watson P, Richards, Thomson, Finan, Brallisford, Doherty, Smailes; Everton - Sagar, Williams, Jones, Britton, Gee, Thomson, Geldard, Higham, Dunn, Stevenson, Stein.