In the 1904/05 season, Everton were cruelly denied the First Division title by one point. “Cruelly” being the operative word here as in November 1904, Everton were leading 3-1 against Arsenal at the Manor Ground but the match was abandoned 15 minutes before full-time due to fog. In the rematch the following April, Arsenal won 2-1. If the original match had continued right to the end, Everton could have been champions. Luck was against Everton that season but in 1915, it made up for it.
On 13th February 1915, Everton started the day just 2 points behind league leaders Oldham. But it wasn’t just between Everton and Oldham where it was close – only 7 points separated the top 10. Everton, however, had a disadvantage of playing more games than anyone else in the top 10. Their opponents that day were top-flight debutants Bradford Park Avenue, who themselves were 10th at the start of the day, becoming an underdog in the title race.
The line-ups were:
Everton – Tom Fern, Bob Thompson, Bobby Simpson, Tom Fleetwood, Jimmy Galt, Alan Grenyer, Sam Chedgzoy, Billy Kirsopp, Bobby Parker, Joe Clennell, James Roberts
Bradford Park Avenue – Ernest Scattergood, Sandy Watson, Sam Blackham, Joe Crozier, David Howie, Jack Scott, Jock Stirling, Tommy Little, Fred Kirby, Jimmy Bauchop, Jack McCandless
The weather was horrendous – a combination of a storm of rain and sleet, strong wind and bitter cold should have made the match unplayable. The game, however, still went ahead, and it was played in front of around 6,000 fans who spectacularly braved the weather to watch their beloved teams. Everton lost the toss and had the misfortune of playing the first half against not only Bradford Park Avenue but also the torrential weather.
The weather at Park Avenue, this afternoon, for the meeting of Bradford and Everton was about as wretched as it could be. Rain and sleet fell heavily for some time before the time advertised for the commencement, and when the teams turned out, the ground was in such a state that it promised to be little better than a quagmire before the finish.
Yorkshire Evening Post
The Blues tried to threaten the Bradford Park Avenue goal early on in spite of the conditions but they were fruitless. Bradford Park Avenue had a great chance to break the deadlock by simply shooting into an empty goal but Jack McCandless missed. Jimmy Bauchop made amends by scoring after 11 minutes. The same player doubled their lead on the 22nd minute after a wind-assisted kick by Ernest Scattergood put Tom Fern in trouble. Following Scattergood’s clearance, Bob Thompson made an unsuccessful attempt to head the ball. That prompted Fern to leap to try and grab the ball but missed it completely and as a consequence, he hit the ground and injured himself. Bauchop then took advantage. It was reported that Fern didn’t hit the ground that hard – the severity of the injury was likely to have been down to Fern’s numbness from the cold. The fall resulted in him being carried off while semi-conscious. As there were no substitutes then, Bob Thompson took Fern’s place in goal and Everton were forced to play with 10 men. Immediately afterwards, the referee discussed with his linesmen about possibly abandoning the game, but they decided to let it continue.
Bradford Park Avenue made it 3-0 after 29 minutes thanks to a goal by Fred Kirby. As bad as things looked for Everton, their situation quickly became even worse. A few of their players were really struggling with the cold, particularly Alan Grenyer who eventually collapsed to the ground and was carried off. Two men down and three goals with another few players struggling with the conditions meant that Everton were in complete disarray. It looked like they were heading towards a disaster. Thankfully, their turmoil was over on the 37th minute – the referee acknowledged the seriousness of the conditions and abandoned the game.
The curious sight of a game being started with not a single spectator taking up a position behind the goals was the result of a blinding snowstorm at Bradford. Once when the ball was put behind the goal, there was no-one to scale the rails and give the ball to Fern until a fellow at the programme’s number board came down from his lofty position and punted it to the goalkeeper.
All told, four Everton players were seriously affected. First Fern became exhausted, next Grenyer. Finally, Galt and Roberts, through being “stone cold,” had to be revived. The referee, W. Chadwick, was unable to put the whistle to his mouth, and had to signal with his hands.
Liverpool Echo
The referee who eventually abandoned the game was Walter Chadwick, who was the younger brother of Everton legend Edgar Chadwick. He was also reported to be on Everton’s books at some point in the 1890s before becoming a Football League referee in 1902.
The rematch took place on 14th April 1915. Everton started that day 3 points behind Oldham. Both teams had 3 games remaining. The Blues had a second chance of grabbing an invaluable win that could prove crucial in the title race. This time, according to the Liverpool Evening Express, the conditions were “quite summer-like.”
Everton had 4 changes to the line-up of their original meeting while Bradford Park Avenue had only one, with goalscorer Fred Kirby missing the game having left the club.
The line-ups were:
Everton – Tom Fern, Bob Thompson, Louis Weller, Tom Fleetwood, Jimmy Galt, Bill Wareing, Sam Chedgzoy, Billy Kirsopp, Tommy Nuttall, Alan Grenyer, George Harrison
Bradford Park Avenue – Ernest Scattergood, Sandy Watson, Sam Blackham, Joe Crozier, David Howie, Jack Scott, Jock Stirling, Tommy Little, Jimmy Smith, Jimmy Bauchop, Jack McCandless
Everton may have had a second chance but they had a terrible start after Bradford Park Avenue were awarded a penalty after 10 minutes. Bob Thompson tripped Jimmy Bauchop, and Tom Campbell, instead of Walter Chadwick, was the referee who gave Bradford Park Avenue an opportunity to score from the penalty spot. Bauchop, who had up to that point scored 26 league goals that season (obviously not including his brace in the abandoned game), was the man to take it. Bob Thompson’s blushes were spared though as Bauchop struck it wide. Relief for Everton and at the 19th minute, they took the lead through Billy Kirsopp and a goalkeeping error. Ernest Scattergood tried to punch the ball clear but failed and like Jack McCandless in the abandoned meeting, Kirsopp had an open goal but unlike McCandless, he made the most of his chance.
In the first half, luck was on Everton’s side. However just before half-time, Bradford Park Avenue equalised after Joe Crozier headed in a Tommy Little cross. Everton still kept their cool and on the 62nd minute, they regained their lead. Sam Chedgzoy kicked the ball into the path of Alan Grenyer and he shot past Ernest Scattergood to score his first Everton goal, exactly 4 years to the day since he made his debut for the Blues. Grenyer’s goal turned out to be the winner. An important goal in not just the match but the entire season.
Everton beat Manchester City 1-0 in their next game and had to wait until Oldham completed their season so they can finish theirs against Chelsea. Oldham drew to Aston Villa, which meant that both Everton and Oldham were level on points with Everton playing a game more. However, Oldham then suffered home defeats to Burnley and Liverpool. They remained level on points but Everton had a superior goal average – they would need to lose to Chelsea by around 14 goals for Oldham to win the title. Everton drew 2-2 against Chelsea and they became champions for the second time, helped by a defeat in adverse conditions that turned into a victory.