#TBT: Abdullah Stars in Marksmen’s Win Over Whalers (1/9/1927)

Photo credit: Fall River Herald

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Throwback Thursday,” where we take a trip back in time to spotlight some of the clubs that made their mark on the New England soccer landscape over the past century.

This week, we venture back to a Jan. 9, 1927 ASL match up between the Fall River Marksmen and New Bedford Whalers at Mark’s Stadium. The Marksmen entered the match only days removed from a massive shakeup to the roster, which was bolstered by the addition of five new players, including vaunted Providence poacher Tewfik “Happy” Abdullah, and Irish International Jimmy Kelly from Toronto. On the other end of the pitch, the Whalers were looking to extend the same attacking forays that allowed them to thrash the Brooklyn Wanderers 7-2 the day before.

Note: All information provided in the following game report was drawn from the January 10, 1927 edition of The Fall River Evening Herald (Fall River, Mass.).

***

Sunday, Jan. 9, 1927

ABDULLAH STARS IN MARKSMEN’S WIN OVER WHALERS

FALL RIVER SHOWS MUCH BETTER FORM

Revamped Forward Line Too Strong for New Bedford in Rough Game Before 7200 Fans at Stadium Yesterday

NORTH TIVERTON, R.I. – Fall River owner Sam Mark wanted to see a change in the way his club conducted business ahead of Sunday’s match against New Bedford. So he did something about it.

Unhappy with the lackluster form displayed by his typically-inspired squad, he acquired five new players, including Providence goalscorer Happy Abdullah and Irish star Jimmy Kelly from Toronto. Those moves? Well, they paid immediate dividends.

With Abdullah leading the way, the Marksmen showcased a scintillating brand of soccer in a 2-1 win over the Whalers at Mark’s Stadium on Sunday.

The Egyptian inside left scored his debut goal for Fall River in the 21st minute, while Bill Paterson grabbed the game-winner in the 43rd minute. Alec Lorimer secured the lone measure of success for the guests when he knocked one through from the spot in the opening moments of the second stanza.

The win allowed the hosts to bounce back from a discouraging 2-1 defeat to Providence the week before, while the guests were unable to continue their goalscoring exploits from their 7-2 win in Brooklyn the previous afternoon.

Sunday’s much-anticipated affair opened with rough play from both sides. Lorimer blatantly cut down Tec White, but no foul was called. Taking justice into his own hands, White immediately responded with a hard tackle of his own on Lorimer, who quickly returned to his feet to feint a punch at his antagonist. Both were warned by referee Billy Stone.

After the dust started to clear, the Marksmen began to assert themselves in the final third. On a beautiful ball from White, Abdullah slammed home the header to put his new team ahead midway through the first stanza.

In the wake of newcomer’s strike, New Bedford looked keen to equalize. A give and go between Andy Stevens and Jerry Best put the Whalers in a position to level it, but Stevens’ shot sailed over the bar.

Not long after, though, Lorimer made it a point to punch out a boisterous spectator who hurled incessant criticism in the ex-Everton midfielder’s direction. The bluecoats did well to separate the two, as Lorimer was eventually escorted back onto the pitch.

The hosts bolstered their lead moments before the interval when McPherson planted a perfect pass to Sam Kennedy, who took it and searched for Paterson. He quickly found his center forward, who split the backline and sent it through.

New Bedford finally answered minutes after the interval. After Mike McLeavey was chopped down by Bob Perry in the box, Stone pointed to the spot, where Lorimer outguessed Tommy Blair to acquire the guests’ lone marker of the match.

Pressing for the leveler, New Bedford devoted its energies to sharpening the attack. They attempted to run circles around the Fall River defense, but the latter, spearheaded by a sensational performance from Kennedy, was simply too much for the Whalers to overcome.

The summary:

Fall River          New Bedford

Blair, g……..g, Steele
Perry, rfb….rfb, Cowan
Gibson, lfb….lfb, Hunter
Caldwell, rhb….rhb, McIntosh
Wilson, chb….chb, Montgomerie
Coyle, lhb…..lhb, Lorimer
White, orf……orf, Chedgzoy
Kennedy, irf….irf, Maxwell
Paterson, cf….cf, Stevens
Abdullah, ilf….ilf, McLeavey
McEachran, olf….olf, Best

Score – Fall River 2, New Bedford 1. Goals scored by – Abdullah 1, Paterson 1, Lorimer 1 (penalty). Substitutions – McPherson for Caldwell, Mitchell for McIntosh. Referee – William Stone, Fall River. Linesmen – W. Lethbridge, New Bedford and R. Stirrup, Fall River. Time – 45-minutes halves. Attendance – 7,134.