C O M M E N T S
/  H I G H L I G H T S

CL

Position 3rd out of 14

FAC

Pr

Dulwich Hamlet

2-4

AC

1st

Dagenham

3-4

LC

2nd

Uxbridge

1-2

SSC

2nd

Dulwich Hamlet

3-4

SSS

SF

Woking

1-3

Home
Ground:

West Street, Ewell

President

Alderman G.C.A.Mann

Chairman

Grant (HG) Sherman

replacing FM Stewart

Secretary

Ernest Fletcher

Manager

Selection Committee

Treasurer

AM Thompson

Player/Coach

Pat Lynch

Committee
elected on 23/6/52: Sid Bristow, JE Greenleaf, RH Gurr, G Osborne, Ted (CE)
Wheal, DD Rice, SJ Rose,

EJ Blair,
George (GE) Mason, G Deighton, KW Mansey, AE Taylor, VV Tatlock, Bill (WV)
Townsend

Kick off
usually 3.30 but sometimes earlier for a big FA Cup tie v Dulwich (3.15) or
in winter (2.30)

Club Colours

Red & Black v Slough 23/8/52 and Erith
& B on 11/10/52+ 25/4/53 but usually Light & Dark Blue

Supporters
Club Secretary

A.G.Bradley

Supporters
Club Chairman

W.C.Taylor

Harold Wright
looking after club canteen with his wife, but by Feb is advised as Secretary
and Treasurer of Supp club.

Woodcote Side
Laundry - Official launderers of Epsom FC.

Additional
First and second team records in THE BOOK

27/5/52
Supporters Club AGM. New Hon Sec AG Bradley the year before had helped
improve matters and the finances

were now
healthy. Venue unknown.

There were
only 158 members of the Supporters Club, and only 20 of them were at this
meeting. Cheque presented to

Chairman FM
Stewart for 21 guineas, in addition to £10 donated earlier in the season.
Relations between the parent

club and
Supporters Club were much better now. In mid 1951, Don Proctor had been
appointed as a liaison, but quit

mid season
declaring the task "useless". Not enough co-operation. Chairman WC
Taylor was happy with the support

from Ernest
Fletcher in his first year. Also a President of the Supporters Club was
appointed, as GE Berridge took the

post, the first to hold it for three years.
Chairman Taylor, Secretary Bradley and Treasurer AT Hall were
re-elected.

Club balance
of £33.

May 52 Future
Secretary John Mitchell is Sec of West Ewell Athletic.

May 52 Reg
Walker leaving for Carshalton Athletic says Herald.

June 52 Pat
Lynch (31) joins Epsom after 7 years as captain of Hendon. Rep honours:
Athenian League

He had in
fact started playing in 1937 for Tufnell Park at the age of 16 in Isthmian
League! He had a Schoolboy

International
trial, captained London and Middlesex Schools and played in two Red Cross
finals at Wembley, and was

also captain
of Tufnell Park in the Herts and Middx League before joining Golders Green FC
in 1945, before they

changed their
name to Hendon. League scouts came to watch, but were looking for younger
players, and he appeared

older as he was losing his hair at this
time, despite being only 22!. He is 31 now.

240
appearances and eleven goals for Hendon (Golders Green)

AGM 23/6/52
Monday evening. Pat Lynch declares "I will be playing for Epsom next
season. I resigned from Hendon

last week and
told them I was coming to Epsom"

GCA Mann was
re-elected as President. Further arguments about the membership fees
increase. Supporters Club

are against
the idea, but Mr Grant Sherman scoffed at the idea that supporters couldn't
afford the two guineas required.

He explained
that it was also including entry to ground and stand, and that people managed
to visit the cinema two or

three times a
week. For Chairman, FM Stewart lost the vote to Grant (HG) Sherman. Stewart's
re-election was

opposed by Mr
Mansey, who proposed Mr Sherman instead.

AM Thompson
(Treasurer) said that in 50/51 the club lost £57 3s 2d and in 51/52 lost £43
15s 1d, but back in 1938

when
"the average weekly gate was 2,500" the club lost £590 7s 6d.
Largely due to ground loans at West Street.

Ernest
Fletcher and AM Thompson were re-elected with Mr W Mansey (Asst Sec) and HG
Wright (Asst Treasurer),

while Mr
Mansey was also Publicity Officer. Committee elected above:

July 52
papers ask whether Pat Lynch can do a "Tommy Lawton" (left Chelsea
for little Notts County and got them

promoted).
Pat "has had some very good instructors including Ted Drake and Laurie
Scott, plus many years of

first class
football" . "I am very optimistic about the future at Epsom.

Jim Allen,
previous club captain assured him of their full support and consideration.

Other new
players are Frank Lee from Walton & H and Jim Crane (27) from Hawker
Athletic. Not related to Bob Crane.

Lee had
scored twice for Walton in the Amateur Cup QF v Crook last season, while
Crane Rep honours: Surrey.

According to
Ray Chenery and Geoff Porter, Crane lived in Kingston Road, and was quiet,
but solid and a good worker.

Ray Chenery
also remembers Pat Lynch as the player who brought down Arsenal's new playing
formation, where they

had used it
at Hendon. Geoff Porter says he was a good coach, and is more complimentary
about him than of Doug

Whitehead, his
successor. Pat would have them running in the streets for ages!

Plans
announced by Supporters Club secretary for a stepped terrace on East side of
West Street

Also more
shelter requested. Was this the cover at the South (New Clubhouse) end?

Rebuilding of
the shelter alongside the dressing rooms required.

22/7/52
Training starts at 7pm.

July 52 Epsom
are granted permission to use the Borough crest on their shirts.

July 52 Nescot
being built.

July 52 Walton
& Hersham are very sorry to see Frank Lee leave for Epsom.

Private
trial  9/8/52. Public trial 16/8/52. No
admission for public trial "in accordance with current custom"

Aug 52 Tommy
Rochester appointed captain of the Reserves. He is 42 said papers, but he was
actually 37, soon to be 38.

Aug 52 Vic
Legrand at Worthing as is Eddie Dukelow.

Aug 52
Reference to Dorking's new ground at Meadowbank, but it isn't ready for
another year. Still at Pixham Lane.

Aug 52 Lionel
Hanton playing for Dorking, while Eric Bristow is at Leatherhead res.

Aug 52
Supporters Club talk about erecting a façade at the front of the ground. FM
Stewart is made vice-president

of the
Supporters Club.

16/8/52 At
trial, it emerged that ex-Sutton player Reg Walker would be at Epsom instead
of Carshalton, as he

had
originally announced. Ken Elbrow also remains with club, despite interest
from an unnamed Isthmian club.

Ernie Watkins
also played at trial after spending part of last season with Leatherhead.

At the public
trial Les Ford and Peter Hayward both played for the possibles v the
probables. Both came from

Cheam Village
Warriors. Gordon Sanders was another new player who did well. He came from
Elmwood OB.

David Forbes
also played for the possibles, and will play for reserves until he leaves for
National Service.

Aug 52 Mention
of Epsom High Street being widened further at clock tower end, with post
office being moved

back, but it
would never happen.

Aug 52
reference to Bedington Corner playing at the Irrigation Farm Ground. Was that
where they played in the thirties?

23/8/52
"One of the best attendances since before the war" say papers. Pat
Lynch and Frank Lee both

received
telegrams from their previous clubs, wishing them a successful season.

Aug 52 AG Bradley, Chairman of the Epsom Supporters Club
advises they are looking for a membership of 1000. President is

GE Berridge and Vice-Chairman is F.M Stewart a future
Chairman of the Club. 100 signed up as members at the public trial and

there is also
mention of the club considering the erection of a façade at the entrance to
the ground.

Aug 52 Jim
Crane joins from Hawker Athletic

Aug 52 42 year
old Tommy Rochester is now in charge of the Reserves as Player/Coach.

30/8/52 Ken
Elbrow played really well, but Honey and Ford both picked up injuries that
reduced their mobility.

Hoy hit the
post with a penalty, but the ref said that the keeper moved, so he scored
from the retake.

Aug 52 Denis
Ford is a van driver. Has an eye injury at present though.

31/8/52 Epsom
FC defeat Ewell Court Cricket Club in a friendly by 45 runs. Ernie Watkins
got 54 in 45 minutes.

Epsom FC 167-9
dec - Ewell Court C.C. 132 All Out.

Sept 52 AM
Dawe of Hazon Way writes, asking for Pat Lynch to be given a free hand in
selection, as there were too

many changes
last season. "Pat knows best"

Sept 52
Official confirmation that the juniors have discontinued due to National
Service.

6/9/52 Denis
Ford is fit for the match despite an eye injury that is keeping him from work
as a van driver! He got

the black eye
at Tilbury the week before.

September 52
reference to a reorganised Epsom Football & Athletic Club, which is
responsible for the catering and

social
amenities at West Street. Has done well, largely due to Harold Wright and
George Mason. The clubhouse is

now a
comfortable place where members may take their refreshment.

6/9/52 Reg
Walker injured ankle. Unavailable, so Jim Crane deputises.

Future player
Chick Hinshelwood playing for Eastbourne.

There were
nearly 4000 in attendance at Eastbourne.

Following
6/9/52 game v Eastbourne, Epsom went top of the table on goal average from
Hounslow.

Sept 52, Jan
Sorensen signs amateur forms for Fulham.

13/9/52 Epsom
are superior to Dulwich but had to settle for a draw. Dulwich helped by 250
supporters in crowd

out of crowd
of 3,000. Hamlet keeper George May had "an excellent game".

17/9/52
Dulwich programme refers to Charles Pettitt being around at the Epsom game
three days before

Dulwich FA Cup
replay kicked off at 5.15 on the Tuesday evening.

20/9/52 Future
keeper Charlie Mutimer played in goal for Devas, and played well.

20/9/52 Former
15 year old F.Reid, listed as Read, is now playing at left half for
Leatherhead.

25/9/52 Ken
Elbrow selected for Corinthian League v Delphian League at Edgware this day.

27/9/52 Ernie
Watkins suffers an ankle injury and is unavailable for game.

Future player
Chick Hinshelwood playing for Eastbourne. Listed as Cliff in the Eastbourne
Gazette.

Oct 52 Ken
Elbrow and Reg Walker sign amateur forms for Chelsea and will play when not
required by Epsom.

Oct 52 Bill
Wiles is at Woking

Oct 52
F.Graffham is at Cobham

4/10/52 Epsom
led Dagenham 3-1 but lost 4-3 at Dagenham Arena. Also denied blatant penalty
in last

minutes. Many
supporters who made the journey, saw Dagenham then get the winner in the last
seconds.

The Dagenham
Arena in Old Dagenham Park still exists, although in poor condition with no
structures left. (May05)

Oct 52 L
Handscomb writes in to say that Epsom would still be in the Amateur Cup if
Jim Allen had played. He feels

that it is
Ernie Watkins who is at fault.

Oct 52 A
rumour does the rounds that Pat Lynch will get sole choice on selection, but
this is crushed the week

after by Bill
Carpenter, who advises no plans to disband the Selection Committee.

11/10/52 Harry
Saunders joins from Kingstonian in Oct, and makes debut for first team.

Papers
suggested that he should replace Goddard, even though he had scored 12 goals
in his first 8 matches!

Elbrow
dislocates a finger, and has to leave the field for five minutes. John Hoy
takes over while finger is put

back in.
Epsom lost game but still remained top. Epsom supporters had rolled up in
their hundreds says prog.

11/10/52
Supporters Club announce that membership is up to 450. They always had a
target of 1,000, but it never

happened.

Oct 52 Mention
of Ken Elbrow losing his touch, but this is put down to his long hours as a
policeman.

Oct 52 Herald
says that Ernie should be replaced at left half by Jim Crane (27), who is the
better player. He even comes

and supports
when he wasn't playing.

Oct 52 Bill
Carpenter (Press Secretary) advises that the recent move to put Ernie at
Centre half is not an experiment,

as he has
played there for over 100 games. This would become his regular position, even
though he preferred left-half

as it gave him
more freedom to play in his opinion.

Epsom remained
top until a 2-2 draw with Grays on 18/10/52.

Grays scored
in first 90 seconds of match, and right at the end.

21/10/52
Supporters Club Whist Drive at Foresters Hall - Tuesday evening. Tickets
2s.6d.

25/10/52 Pat
Lynch has pulled muscle and is unavailable. He chooses to travel to Worthing
to watch the Reserves.

25/10/52 Stan
Scott presented with his Surrey County Badge by President GCA Mann. He earned
it whilst with

Kingstonian.

Oct 52 future
player Don Butler joins Carshalton Athletic from Bromley. He is 6ft 2in and
is a keeper.

25/10/52 Jim
Allen resigns from club after being dropped after the Erith loss. He thought
he had played

well enough in
containing International Charlie Fuller throughout the game. Left to play for
Enfield.

25/10/52
Guildford were the Surrey Senior League side, with no connection to Guildford
City.

Their keeper
kept the score below double figures. Gordon Sanders debut. "Should
develop well" say papers.

25/10/52 5
goals for Bill Goddard brings his run up to 19 from 11 games, yet he still
gets criticism from the crowd.

Oct 52 Tommy
Wright plays and scores on debut for Walton & Hersham, but within two
weeks, he was at Hounslow.

Nov 52
Supporters Club membership is up to 600 now.

Nov 52 Tom
Ugle is at Cobham

Nov 52 Ron
Digweed (28) joins from Wimbledon. He is brother in law of Bill Goddard and
was captain of the

Reserve side
at Wimbledon, but had played many games for the first team too.

Nov 52 Herald
reports that Ernie Watkins is "the new idol of the West Street
fans"

Nov 52 Brian
Brumwell (25) joins from Clapton after having a dispute with them about
training. His appearance

proved timely
as John Hoy suddenly announced his retirement from the game. However he
played for a few

more seasons,
mainly for Leatherhead. Programme had said that John Hoy's performance
against Guildford was

"100%
John Hoy, never lacking in guts or determination". It turned out to have
been his last game for the club.

Nov 52 Johnny
Hoy resigns from club saying he is retiring. He will end up at Leatherhead.

Surrey Charity
Shield is the forerunner of the Surrey Senior Shield. The 8 foremost clubs
are invited to enter.

1/11/52
Papers say that Bill Farrington had helped Epsom out several times in the
past, but I make this his debut.

He is a male
nurse at Epsom Manor Hospital and is only available occasionally.

Nov 52
Corinthian, Athenian, and Isthmian results announced weekly on Radio
Luxembourg at 7pm on Saturdays!

8/11/52
Former Champions Hounslow are defeated 4-1 largely due to another Goddard hat
trick. Tommy Wright plays

against Epsom.
Five full coaches taken to Hounslow for the return match on 15/11/52. Brian
Brumwell debut.

I met Brian Brumwell and his wife Sheila on 31/01/15.
Brian is frail and is 87 but remains President of the Ilford & District
Table Tennis

League, which was and remains his primary sport, despite
being a good footballer and cricketer too. They believe they were living

in Gants Hill in 1952 which was also the year they were
married. Brian had difficulties training twice a week with Clapton and
someone

at Epsom heard about this and phoned them up, inviting
them to come over and have a meal. They were very impressed and decided

to join up. The link probably came from Pat Lynch and they
used to meet up with him on the way to and from games as they came

down by train from Waterloo. Often they stayed late after
the game on a Saturday and by the time they got back it was very late.

Sheila remembered Pat and also Bill Goddard quite well.
Brian would remain at Epsom for around three seasons before returning to

his local area to play Old Boys football (East Ham Grammar
School) and cricket for Wanstead. They moved to Loughton where they

currently
reside. Brian played in the 1954 Surrey Senior Cup Final for us.

15/11/52
Hounslow's greatest defeat in five years in the Corinthian League. Future
player and manager Derek Evans

played for
Hounslow. Only 2nd time in 5 years that Hounslow had a team do the double
over them.

Epsom were a
goal up after 40 seconds, 3-0 after 14 minutes, and 5-0 after 32 minutes.

Following
15/11/52 games both First team and reserves sat on top of their tables. For
under 2 weeks

Advertiser
says that NEVER BEFORE, even in SSL days in the 20's, had Epsom had both
teams at the top

of the League
at the same time.

Reserves would
stay top of the table until 20/12/52.

Possible World
Record by Bill Goddard who scored 5 hat tricks in successive games - 25/10 to
22/11

Goddard's
fifth hat trick, and seventh of the season in just three months took his
tally to 32 in 15 games!

but see Reg
Marlow in 1927, who definitely did it too. Herald says that it constitutes

a record in senior professional and senior
amateur football, but it wasn't even a club record!.

His fifth
straight hat trick came in 58, 59, and 80 minutes, and after watching team
mate Scott score HT in 1st half!

22/11/52
Programme refers to gale damage to the roof of the covered accommodation
adjoining the dressing room.

It had been
blown down. Also refers to the club's "atomic diminutives", Stan
Scott and Denis Ford!

Cover will
cost £100 to put back, so the club appeal to the FA to be allowed to run a
collection. It is granted, and

raises £11 10s
at the game plus another £10, making £21 in total.

22/11/52
Future player Bernard Canham playing for Malden Town.

29/11/52 Two
weeks after hammering Hounslow twice, Hounslow win 7-4 at Wimbledon in London
Senior Cup.

29/11/52 Best
game of the season for Ken Elbrow.

Nov 52 Future
player, Tooting & Mitcham's Jock Bryson now awaiting cartilage operation.

Dec 52 Big
appeal for a new club cover on the far side of the ground. 1000 notices being
sent out.

Dec 52 Andrew Layzell and Jock Mackie both join from
Tooting & Mitcham after a trial. Four players had trials and these two
played

for the
Reserves on 13/12/52 although neither would ever represent the first team.

Dec 52
reference to Denis Ford being nicknamed "Dooberry".

Dec 52 Paddy
Moore is 17, and Ron Ruffell is 20, and is a junior member.

6/12/52 &
27/12/52 both games postponed by fog. The 6/12 one was the great fog of
London that killed 4,000 people.

Game on 6/12/52 was due to be v Grays (H)(L). They left at
11.30 but hit fog at Purfleet and nosed their way to Putney Bridge

before phoning
Epsom, only to hear that the game had been called off anyway!

Banstead
Athletic not affected by the fog, and played their match as usual.

13/12/52 Reg
Walker unavailable, as he was getting married. Pat Lynch reported as having
flu, but still played.

Reginald Dennis Walker married Kathleen Frances Smithson
at St Nicholas Church in Sutton. Reception at Sutton Youth Club.

Apparently Reg
was a former leader of the Epsom Racing Lads Club.

Epsom were
apparently the better side, and missed chances in "wretched weather
conditions".

20/12/52 Ken
Elbrow pen save at Chesham. Follow up hits the bar. Frank Lee injured and
unavailable for a while.

Programme
advises that the Supporters Club are arranging the visit of "The Swanee
Minstrels" on Jan 15 at

Foresters
Hall. Tickets 1s.6d adults, and 9d for children under 14. Eventually moved to
22/1/53.

Dec 52
Bernard Canham joins from Malden Town. Makes first team debut on 17/1/53
after a few games for the Reserves.

26/12/52
4,000 people at Carshalton Athletic for the local derby. We led at HT but
lost 2-1. The Epsom Herald reported

that Ford was fouled for the penalty and Scott took it,
but it was actually Moore who was fouled and Ford who took the penalty!

Ford took the penalty against the replacement Tony Wright
as Yarham had fractured a rib. THE BOOK makes no mention of the

fact it was a
penalty.

27/12/52 Match
v Carshalton postponed due to fog. A large attendance had come along just in
case!

Epsom produced
an xmas card for 1952/53 in 3/1/53 programme. I have a copy.

It contains
two team pictures, one of the firsts and one of the reserves. The first team
picture was taken at West Street

on either 8th
or 22nd November 1952.

3/1/53 Epsom
beat Camberley 9-1 in SSC but don't score until 25th minute. Goddard scores
HT in 5 minutes, and

four in nine
minutes. Camberley's goal was an 85th minute consolation.

Jan 53 Epsom Herald apologises to Ford for an inaccurate
description during the Carshalton report. The Carshalton keeper Yarham

broke a rib
following a skirmish but this was with Moore, not Ford.

Jan 53 Ivor
Hughes and Bob Crane selected for Cor League Res Section v Isthmian League at
Edgware on 10/1/53.

Hughes is also
selected for an Inter-County Junior match for Surrey v Sussex.

Jan 53 B.Alcoe
is at Leatherhead

10/1/53 Epsom
dominated but missed many chances and lost. Mainly Goddard at fault, but he
was suffering with

flu, and almost missed the game in the first
place. The game turned on a penalty against Elbrow, who fouled

a Tilbury
player who was harassing him. The crowd were not happy with the decision.

In later
programmes there is reference to the club being fined £5 5s for a spectator
assault on the referee after the game.

10/1/53 Prog
announces that Tommy Rochester is in hospital with pneumonia but recovering.

17/1/53
Goddard and Ford are to be dropped but Saunders has food poisoning, so
Goddard still plays and scores!

17/1/53 Stan Scott torn ligament 27 minutes. 10 men.
However, Grays did not take the lead until the 87th minute. Out for a while.

17/1/53 prog
advises bad sportsmanship by supporters after the last game v Tilbury and
gives a warning.

It emerges a
few weeks later that Epsom were fined £5.5s as a supporter had assaulted the
referee in this match,

and is not
welcome at the ground any more.

17/1/53
Bernard Canham debut for the first team after a few games for the Reserves.

Bernard was
nicknamed Butch, according to the papers, and Ray Chenery and Geoff Porter
advised that he dropped

dead on the golf course at the age of 58! Apparently, one
day, he was going to be booked by the referee who asked for his name,

and he said
it's Canham, but you can call me Butch". Definitely a bit of a
character, and his brother Tony Canham also

played for the
reserves.

24/1/53 Reg
Walker injured early second half. Passenger.

24/1/53 Papers
say "Lynch played his best game since joining the club"

31/1/53 Epsom
3-2 up with 10 minutes left, but crash out to Dulwich 4-3.

31/1/53 Big floods on the night of 31/01/53 - many killed
in East London and Holland. Tilbury and Erith & Belvedere are
amongst

those who lose
the use of their grounds for a while.

1/2/52 Mrs
Mann, wife of President GCA Mann died.

7/2/53 Paddy
Moore is unable to play as he is called up for National Service. Returns in a
couple of years.

7/2/53 Ivor Hughes absent again after selection for third
selection for Surrey Juniors this season v London Juniors at Sutton.

7/2/53 Young
winger Ron Ruffell (20) gets his debut. Goddard dropped again and misses
three games for 1st team.

Feb 53
Mention of Ron Ruffell's father and uncle both playing for West Ham. Uncle
Jim was one of West Ham's best

and he played
in the White Horse FA Cup Final of 1923 for West Ham. Ron has now finished
National Service.

According to
Geoff Porter, Ron now lives in Ayrshire. Bill Ruffell the Epsom 30s & 40s
player was Ron's dad.

I met with
Ron and Geoff Porter on Saturday 16th April 2011. Ron is 78 and suffering
slightly with dementia, although

he was able
to recall quite a bit when I met them. Also there was Ron's first wife Liz
who is a daughter of Reg Sperring.

Ron's father
Bill played occasionally before the war and then for a while during the war.
His uncle Jim was the West

Ham
appearance record holder with 508 (wikipedia says 548) (born 8/8/1900 died
6/9/89) until his mark was passed by

Bobby Moore
in the early seventies. Bill Ruffell died in 1987 but wikipedia says
29/4/1905 to March 1988). Ron still lives in

Scotland but
comes down every now and then to see his daughter Nicola who lives with Liz
around the corner from me in

Hazel Way,
Fetcham!

Ron was
discouraged by his father from joining West Ham as it gave him no career
prospects after football. Bill had

worked at the
Manor Hospital for many years after leaving West Ham but had an accident
while playing football that

Ron said was
deliberate. He broke his back and was unable to play again.

Jim damaged
his achilles in 1936 which ended his career and never fully repaired. Jim
also played for England. Ron

wasn't sure if
he had any descendants. Ron's date of birth is 29/09/32. Jim was born in
1900.

His first
International appearance was in April 1926 and after he retired he ran a pub
in Stanford-le-hope, Essex.

Ron Ruffell
passed away on 27/02/17 at home in Scotland at the age of 84.

7/2/53 Three
goals in last 8 minutes to beat Maidstone. Maidstone fans were very
vociferous, and it is reported that

the stand
vibrated when they scored!

14/2/53 Ernie
Watkins (31) was selected for the Corinthian League v Royal Navy at Grays but
could not play because

work
commitments prevented him travelling that far. He played for Epsom instead.

14/2/53
Printed leaflet included with programme. (Y) asking for more help and
donations, and advising

membership of
the Epsom Football and Athletic Club at 1 shilling per season, and 1 shilling
per week for the Tote

club. Appeal
was from Harold J Wright 13 Elmwood Drive, Ewell

Feb 53 Stan
Scott still out injured but doing light training at the club.

Feb 53 Former
player Len Bridgman returns to P.O.Engineers. Not sure where he had been
since leaving Epsom.

Feb 53 As a
result of the big London floods, Epsom offer Tilbury and Erith & B the
use of their ground at no cost

should it be
required. Both teams play a friendly here. See below.

14/2/53
Maidenhead have more chances, but Epsom win 2-1. Late goal from Vic Honey
(85)

Cannot find an
Epsom Herald for this week.

21/2/53 Pat
Lynch knee injury. Unavailable, and Ray Chenery deputises. Poor game, with
Epsom marginally

improving in
2nd half. Ex-Epsom keeper Eric Bristow (50/51 - 6 apps) plays for
Leatherhead.

It was
Leatherhead's first ever Senior Shield match. Programme advises a hope that
they will meet later in the

regular
challenge matches later in the season, but no record of these yet. They were never played.

Leatherhead
play Dorking, not Epsom in the A L Wells Cup this year. Dorking are at Pixham
Lane in 1953.

28/2/53 Epsom are due to play at Erith & Belvedere but
their pitch is still unavailable due to the London floods of 31/1/53 so the

match was arranged to be played at Epsom instead. Then the
Corinthian League cancelled the fixture and we visited Edgware instead.

28/2/53 Epsom
are the better side for 35 minutes, yet lose 4-0 at Edgware.

Epsom Press Secretary Bill Carpenter says that the team is
beginning to look a bit more like it was earlier in the season and that

"at least it can be no worse than Saturday's side.
The football they played was no better than one sees on a recreation
ground!"

7/3/53 A week
later in the return match, Epsom dominate game, but can only win after a
penalty, as their keeper Tubb

stopped
everything that came at him. Papers said "best display all season by a
player at West Street"

Jim Crane hit
the bar from 50 yards, but his penalty is the only score.

11/3/53
Ex-player Roy Dymott scores HT for Sutton Police v RAF Kenley in Croydon
Wednesday League.

Ron Ruffell
being played on the right wing currently as there is no one else that can do
the job there. He is a left winger.

Mar 53 Denis
Ford almost leaves club as he was getting a new job at Dagenham, and was
going to play for Ford

Sports, but
changed his mind and stayed with Epsom.

Mar 53 Young
20 year old Reg Oakes just back from National Service, and playing for Res.
Previously with Juniors.

14/3/53 First
game at Erith since the flooding in January. Epsom won 2-1 with both from
Goddard, the first from 30 yards.

Following
14/3/53 results Epsom went back to the top of the table but were 2nd again by
11/4/53

21/3/53 3
goals scored in 90 seconds during second half. Two from Denis Ford and one
for Uxbridge.

An Uxbridge
supporter remarked that Bill Goddard could play for a professional team on
this form. Ernie Watkins was

better though,
according to papers in this 6-2 win at West Street.

Mar 53 Bill
Goodwin, Boxing Promoter announces that there will be an open air Boxing
Evening at West Street

on 5/6/53.
Only problem is finding a firm who can supply enough chairs!

March 53
Rumoured that future manager Bill Fraser may resign from Walton & Hersham
after criticism of his players

fitness. They
had just got to their second straight Amateur Cup semi-final. Surrey Comet
supports Fraser, and

he remains at
the club for now. He had also had a long spell in hospital earlier this
season.

28/3/53 Brian
Brumwell unavailable, so Ken Minter plays instead.

28/3/53 Jim
Crane has a 25 yard free kick saved, but he is first to react, and fired home
the loose ball from 10 yards!

Epsom play
"vastly superior" football, yet lose 3-1. Should have been 4 up at
HT, but Woking go through to SSS

Final where
they beat Banstead 2-1 at Woking.

28/3/53 Bob
Crane getting married. Unavailable.

Apr 53 George
Brown scorer or 500 goals is at Bromley. Was briefly at Epsom Town and also
Wimbledon.

3/4/53 Pat
Lynch sent off 77 mins after disputing a penalty decision at Worthing. It was
the winner. They were bottom.

4/4/53 Epsom
rebound by beating Carshalton 7-1 in front of a "record crowd"

Oddly enough,
Carshalton then beat Worthing 7-0 on the Easter Monday!

4/4/53 Bill
Goddard breaks Gordon Brogdale's post war scoring record of 44 with his 45th
this day.

Supporters
Club selling Club ties at 5s.6d and Tubular Fringed Mufflers at 20s.6d! Also
squares in club colours at

15s and 22s.6d
each. What were these? Also tote draw held tonight at 7pm after Carshalton
match.

6/4/53
Friendly v Tilbury held mainly to raise money for Tilbury after big floods in
the area. Also Erith on 25/4/53.

Tilbury game
raised over £40, but not as much was raised for the Erith game.

Debut for Reg
Oakes, who is alive and well in 2005 after just having a heart by pass
operation. Uncle of current

Treasurer,
Rob Oakes. Geoff Porter and Ray Chenery recall a Geoff Oakes too, and thought
they were related.

Geoff was a
good player and was older than Reg apparently. The Oakes's lived in Meadow
Walk, Ewell.

6/4/53 Vic
Honey becomes father of a son. His wife is the sister of Sutton and
Carshalton player Dennis Dodd, who

played once
for Epsom in 1950/51.

11/4/53
Friendly v Sutton (H) was too friendly say papers. Tame performance in a 1-3
loss.

11/4/53 Jim
Allen now with Enfield and played well at Tooting & Mitcham in Athenian
League.

11/4/53 Ron
Orford is at Carshalton Athletic Reserves.

Apr 53
Mention of Bill Goddard being on 47 goals with 5 games left and looking
unlikely to break Reg Marlow's

record from
the 20's of 62 goals. THE BOOK refers to 83 and 85 goals in consecutive
seasons. Check!

The BOOK is
looking like it was well out. Marlow hits 65-69 goals in 1926/27, but much
less in 1925/26. Both the

BOOK and the
Herald are wrong!

18/4/53 A.
"Tubby" Braithwaite guested v Worthing. Loaned from Walton &
Hersham, where he was a regular.

Papers say
that Worthing are the worst side to have visited West Street this season.

18/4/53 A 5-1
win sends Epsom back to the top of the Corinthian League. A win and a draw in
final matches

is not good
enough to finish in the top two.

19/4/53 Pat
Lynch undergoes a hernia operation.

Ernie Watkins
is captain in Pat Lynch's absence.

Apr 53 reference to Epsom FC  being interested in a new cup being
proposed by St Albans for those teams in the Home Counties

who do not enter the London Senior Cup. Doesn't appear to
happen, although the Southern Combination Cup will appear in the late 50s.

22/4/53 Ground
used for Epsom & Ewell League Cup Final - Tweeddale Old Boys 2-0
Leatherhead Rovers

22/4/53
W.Phelps guested at Slough. HT not certain, but Epsom missed a sitter after
40 minutes, when they were

already 1-0
up. HT 1-1. Slough Observer says Honey scored, not Walker, but I will stick
with BOOK as they are more

likely to know
the scorer for certain. Slough Express agrees with BOOK too.

25/4/53
Programme (single sheet - undated) issued for Erith friendly, but dated
"25th March 1953". They were a

month out! All
gate money was handed to Erith & B. A few hundred were present.

27/4/53 future player Ron Ballard scores winner as
Carshalton Athletic secure Neale Trophy with a 2-1 win over Edgware at
Edgware.

2/5/53 Kick
off at 6.30 because of FA Cup Final that day. Was
prog issued?

2/5/53
Advertiser report differs from the BOOK. Check Herald

May 53
Surbiton Lagoon opens.

After 7/3/53
results Carshalton Ath were bottom of the League, yet they finished League
Champions!!

Supporters
Club AGM 27/5/53. Announced that membership is a record 420 but nowhere near
target of 1000.

Interest in
the Whist Drives faded even when the meeting point was moved to Foresters
Hall from St Barnabas Hall.

A concert was
also cancelled due to lack of support.

Professional
Boxing programme arranged for Friday June 5th at West Street

On 2nd June
Coronation evening has a Pony Derby and Amateur Boxing evening planned. See
1953/54 section.

Reserves:

Corinthian League Reserve Division

Position

6th out of 14

Reserve
Manager

Tommy Rochester

referred to in prog as "that grand old man
of Amateur soccer"

Neale Trophy

2nd

Edgware

1-3

SIC

1st

Met Police

2-4+

Exempt to First Round

06/09/52
Programme Line Up for this match: Reg Taylor, R.Chenery, Ken Allan, Gordon
Sanders, Bob Crane, Ken Minter,

Cyril Porter,
Ivor Hughes, Les Ford, Jim Crane, Tommy Rochester

Jack Wood came
in for Jim Crane who played for the first team.

6/9/52 Epsom
defeat Chesham 7-0 at West Street. Hudson the keeper is injured in the second
half and they finished with

ten men. Ivor
Hughes "banged in one of the most spectacular goals ever seen on the
West Street ground" says prog.

13/9/52 Up to
second place following a 2-0 win at Erith & Belvedere.

20/9/52 No
game for Reserves.

27/09/52
Programme Line Up for this match: Reg Taylor, Tommy Rochester, Ken Allan,
Gordon Sanders, Bob Crane,

Ken Minter,
Paddy Moore, Ivor Hughes, Les Ford, Peter Hayward, Jack Wood

Les Ford was
missing so Harry Saunders made his debut and would score frequently in the
coming months.

27/9/52 Epsom
core twice in the second half to win 2-0 at Maidstone United.

4/10/52 Harry
Saunders scores HT in a 4-2 win over Tilbury in Neale Trophy.

11/10/52 Lost
6-4 at Edgware, although Epsom "scored" six of the ten goals that
day! Were 2-0 down after 8 minutes but

got it back to
2-2 quite quickly. Couldn't hold on though.

18/10/52
Programme Line Up for this match: Reg Taylor, Tommy Rochester, Ken Allan, Ray
Chenery, Bob Crane,

Ken Minter,
Paddy Moore, Ivor Hughes, Harry Saunders, Peter Hayward, Peter Neale

This line up
was correct.

18/10/52
Grays were top of the table but we defeated them 2-1 at West Street. Ivor
Hughes scored "a picture goal".

Reserves went
top on 25/10/52. Only for a week though, as they had no league game on
01/11/52.

01/11/52
Programme Line Up for this match: Reg Taylor, Ray Chenery, Tommy Rochester,
Gordon Sanders, Bob Crane,

Ken Minter,
Paddy Moore, Ivor Hughes, Harry Saunders, Peter Hayward, Les Ford

This line up
was correct.

1/11/52
instead we lost in the Neale Trophy 3-1 at Edgware Town.

15/11/52 this
result takes Epsom top again but a loss at home to Uxbridge on 20/12/52 loses
the position.

15/11/52 defeated Hounslow 3-2 at West Street despite
losing Peter Freeman to injury after just 10 minutes. Dave Reed and

Ron Digweed
made debuts this day. Reed took Tommy Rochester's place as he was suffering
with pneumonia which kept

him in
hospital until January.

22/11/52 No
game for Reserves.

13/12/52
Programme Line Up for this match: Reg Taylor, Ray Chenery, Ken Allan, Gordon
Sanders, Andy Layzell,

Ken Minter,
Paddy Moore, Ron Digweed, Ivor Hughes, Bill Mackie, Mike Watkins

Ivor Hughes
was missing but Harry Saunders came in instead.

13/12/52 Two
more new players this day as Andy Layzell and Bill "Jock" Mackie
played. Ken Allan is also now available

again after
injury. Worthing hold us to a 2-2 draw at West Street.

13/12/52 This
draw does put us top of the table again but only for a week.

20/12/52
Programme Line Up for this match: Reg Taylor, Ray Chenery, Ken Allan, Gordon
Sanders, Andy Layzell,

Bob Crane,
Paddy Moore, Ron Digweed, Ivor Hughes, Bill Mackie, Mike Watkins

This line up
was correct.

20/12/52 Epsom
lose 2-4 at home to Uxbridge.

26/12/52 An
unusual day for a debut but Bernard Canham played his first game on the left
wing and gave a "most

promising
performance".

27/12/52 As
with the first team game at West Street, the Reserve game at Colston Avenue v
Carshalton Athletic is

postponed due
to fog.

10/1/53
Maidstone (H) is not played.

24/1/53 Epsom
lose 3-1 to Slough not 3-0. Programme is probably wrong, as this goal is
included in the league tables

for the rest
of the season. It also advises that the forwards were "most
disappointing".

31/1/53
Uxbridge (A) is p-p.

7/2/53 Ivor
Hughes & Bob Crane selected for Surrey Juniors 1-1 London Juniors @
Sutton on 7/2/53. Hughes scores.

21/2/53 No
game for Reserves.

28/2/53 Stan
Scott returns from injury and scores twice while Ruffell scored a "real
sizzler" and Ken Minter did well in this

4-3 home win
over Erith & Belvedere.

07/03/53
Programme Line Up for this match: Reg Taylor, Ray Chenery, Ken Allan, Gordon
Sanders, Bob Crane,

G.Smith,
Bernard Canham, Ivor Hughes, Harry Saunders, Ron Digweed, Ron Ruffell

Ken Minter came in for Allan with Smith dropping to full
back, and Reg Oakes came in for the absent (injured or 1sts reserve?) Hughes.

7/3/53 Epsom get a pont from a 3-3 draw at Grays Athletic.
We were leading 3-1 when news came through about Grays big win

over
Walthamstow which inspired Grays to score two late goals in a minute.

14/3/53 Harry
Saunders scores 4 in a 7-3 win over Maidenhead Utd. Programme advises that
Minter and Ruffell were

outstanding
while Sanders and Saunders "did well", despite Saunders' four
goals.

21/3/53 4.30
k.o. for Epsom at Eastbourne as Eastbourne first team hosted Chesham at 2.30.

28/3/53 or
3/4/53 Only one programme was issued - number 28 but was it for Edgware or
Maidstone?

4/4/53
Anthony Canham played and scored in a 3-3 draw at Hounslow Town. Related to
Bernard, probably brother, but

never reached
the first team. It was the only game he played for the Reserves.

18/4/53
Despite all tables tallying up, the BOOK says we lost 2-3 at Uxbridge this
day when all other records show a 1-2

loss. The BOOK
even advises two scorers. I will amend in records to 2-3 for now. Check for
reports.

25/4/53 Season
ends with a 3-1 defeat at Carshalton Athletic.