Wanderers FC v Clapham Common Club

A report from the newspaper "Sportsman" 29th September 1868

This match was played at Clapham Common on Saturday last, the 26th Sept., and the fact of its being the opening contest of the season caused an unusually large number of spectators to assemble to witness the play. The weather was all in favour of a good game, as a pleasant breeze blew straight across the line of play, and the ground, thanks to several heavy showers which had fallen on it during the course of the morning, though somewhat slippery, was in very fair condition.The Wanderers, who were two short of the required number at the commencement of play, won the toss, and elected to occupy the upper portion of the ground. The ball was kicked off at a quarter to four o’clock, and the numerical superiority of the home party soon enabled them to place the goal defended by their opponents in a state of seige, in which position it remained with but little variation until the arrival of the two missing Rovers placed the two sides on a more equal footing. Still the more perfect backing up of the Clapham team gave them a decided advantage, and caused the ball to be more frequently hovering in the neighbourhood of the Wanderers’ goal, which at length fell after a good run up by R.C.Franks, who was in no small measure indebted for this success to an unlucky slip on the part of the opposing goalkeeper. Sides were then changed, and the ball again started, the Wanderers evidently alive to the
necessity for speedy action, at once taking the offensive, and keeping up a heavy fire on the Clapham goal. Several times its fall had appeared imminent, one kick by C.W.Alcock just driving the ball over the post; but all attempts proved unsuccessful, until a short run by the side of the ground, followed by a somewhat flukey kick from the toe of C.W.Alcock, placed a goal to the Wanderers’ credit. The game was kept up with unabated vigour until five o’clock, but neither party had been able to secure any further advantage, and thus the match terminated in a draw.