1955/56 REVIEW
Ilkeston’s dream of winning the Central Alliance for the fifth season running failed to materialise. Nevertheless, they still had a very good season and their final tally of 61 points would have been enough to win the Central Alliance in previous seasons. The main reason why they failed on this occasion was that, for once, the league produced a team who could match Ilkeston at their best. Ransome & Marles proved worthy Champions and despite a valiant attempt Ilkeston could not catch them.
There were other reasons why Town fell just short. A good run in the FA Cup, that took them to the Final Qualifying Round and a record home attendance of over 9500 against Peterborough United, plus their success in winning the Derbyshire Senior Cup meant that Town were left with a huge backlog of fixtures towards the end of the season. At the start of April they theoretically could still overtake Ransome & Marles by winning their games in hand but they still had 14 games to play and it proved too much. So crowded was their schedule that they had to play two matches on the same day at the beginning of May although their Championship hopes were over by then. There were also some key spells during the season when vital points were dropped. Until just before Christmas the Central Alliance title seemed to be well within their grasp but a run of four games without a win, including a defeat against Heanor when they were reduced to just eight fit players, meant that there was little margin for error. Results were excellent once more until two defeats in the three days immediately following the Derbyshire Senior Cup Final at the end of March halted their progress. Ironically, the success in winning the Cup against Heanor on the Baseball Ground, in front of a record 11,912 crowd for an Ilkeston match, was partly responsible for their failure to win the title. The fatal blow, however, came in the must win match at Ransome on April 14th. Town, who brilliantly took Ransome apart by 9-3 on the Manor Ground earlier in the season, lost 2-0 and with it went any realistic hopes.
There were also concerns that Town’s ageing squad were no long up to the challenge but these were unfounded. True, there were several players who were either approaching thirty or beyond such as Les Smith, Horace Hackland, Ken Ledger, Ken Johnson, Jackie Ward and new signing Jack Marsh but all of them showed that they could still do an excellent job. Town’s biggest problem came from a whole host of injuries, both short and long term, to key players throughout the duration of the season.
Ken Johnson suffered more than most with a series of niggles and frequently missed games. Les Disney, drafted into the first team from the reserves, replaced him in November only to break a leg and that kept him out of the team for four months. Stylish left half Horace Hackland injured a thigh at Christmas and he was unavailable for three months as a result. When he reappeared it was obvious that he was still unfit and it was almost another month before he was able to properly play again. In the same match goalkeeper Dennis Knibbs injured a groin and was out for a month only to break a finger in his comeback game. This setback kept him out of the team for another month. John Commander broke his nose in the same Boxing Day match with Heanor but he battled through the pain barrier and continued to play when it perhaps would have been wiser to have taken time out. Days later left winger Terry Blount suffered an ankle injury that was complicated by a broken blood vessel which left him absent from the team for six weeks. Jackie Ward injured his knee in January and Town were without his services until the final few weeks of the season. Perhaps the biggest blow of all was the thigh injury sustained by Jack Marsh in February. Although he started the next game he broke down early on and was out for a month. After that he returned to the team without being fully fit and only appeared occasionally during the final few weeks of the season.
Marsh had been a huge success. Although Ward had done an admirable job as a stand in for a season and a half Town had been on the look out for a natural centre forward during that time. The arrival of Marsh brought a change in tactics. Known as ‘The Marsh Plan’ Marsh played as a deep lying forward who played in his fellow inside forwards with clever passes or arrived late unmarked in the box to score himself. With a wealth of League experience behind him at clubs such as Notts County, Coventry, Leicester and Chesterfield he played the part to perfection. As for Ward Town’s all time top scorer found himself without a guaranteed place in the side due to the success of Marsh and the youthful promise of Blount on the left wing, Ward’s natural position, but he still played frequently due to the number of injuries sustained by his fellow forwards. The other main newcomer was Knibbs who took over in goal from the departed Joe Sharman. Although he lacked his predecessor’s flamboyancy he quickly struck up an excellent understanding with the defence and proved himself to be very reliable and corageous. The full backs and half backs, Dave Baker, George Darwin, John Commander, Les Smith and Horace Hackland continued to provide great cover and Ilkeston had the best defensive record in the Central Alliance by some distance. When Hackland was out of the side the quick tackling Mike Fitch proved to be a more than able deputy and some felt that Town were more strong for his presence. Ken Ledger was still a potent threat on the right and although he was less able to destroy teams on a regular basis he remained one of the top wingers in the league. Blount on the other wing continued to show promise even though he suffered a few injuries and did not progress as much as hoped as a result. Nevertheless he was still the subject of many visiting scouts including one from Leicester City. Ken Faulconbridge enjoyed an excellent season where he demonstrated his full repertoire of tricks and finished as top scorer whilst fellow inside forward Ken Johnson was worthy of his place despite an injury plagued season that occasionally affected his form and confidence.
The big question for Ilkeston now was whether to rebuild for the future or to continue with a fine, experienced but ageing team that could no longer be looked upon as invincible.
1956/57 REVIEW
Most clubs of a similar status to Ilkeston Town would have considered a third place finish and a journey to the FA Cup First Round a highly successful season. However, the standards set by the club earlier in the decade meant that it was viewed upon as a season of great disappointment and the failure to win any form of competition for the first time since 1950 tells its own story.
It was also season of great change for the club in several ways. Firstly the expansion of the Central Alliance during the summer of 1956 meant that the First Division was divided into two regionalised leagues. Town found themselves in the Southern Section and found themselves separated from most of their traditional local rivals, Long Eaton United apart. Clubs from Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and even as far south as Bedfordshire made up the bulk of the Central Alliance Division One South. The move to this division had an impact upon Town’s finances, partly because of the reduced number of local derbies, but also because of the travelling costs incurred. Their relative failure on the pitch was also a significant factor.
The 1956/57 season also saw the beginning of the break up of the forward line that had served the club so well. Ken Johnson, Town’s classy inside left, informed the club in pre-season that he did not wish to be considered for first team duty purely because of the extra travelling. Nevertheless he still made 16 appearances, albeit either at home or for more local away games, because he was a talent the team could ill afford to lose. The evergreen all time top scorer Jackie Ward didn’t feature in the first team at all, appearances in the reserves were limited due to injury and he retired at the end of the season. Disappointingly Ken Faulconbridge only managed to display his extraordinary talents occasionally and his loss of form resulted in him leaving the club to sign for Long Eaton United in the spring. The veteran Ken Ledger also showed signs of slowing down and began the season in the reserves before eventually reclaiming the outside right position around Christmas. Despite the reduction in pace he still possessed the skill and the crossing ability to pose a threat to opposition defences. On the opposite flank Terry Blount also lost form and was sometimes guilty of trying to do too much on his own, whilst the vastly experienced centre forward Jack Marsh was frequently left out in favour of Colin Hopkins who was almost half his age. Hopkins had tremendous potential, well demonstrated by his four goal haul at Clay Cross in only his second game and a subsequent trial at Doncaster later in the season, and had scouts from other clubs monitoring his progress but he too frequently lacked the kind of composure in front of goal that only experience brings. His elder brother, Brian, was Ledger’s chief challenger for the number seven shirt and he later went on to play for Port Vale but despite opportunities he failed to prove to the club that he was better than the man he replaced.
The lack of cohesion and general loss of form of so many of the forwards meant that the team selection changed frequently and this only added to their overall lack of effectiveness. Les Disney suffered more than most and was asked to play in a variety of roles up front yet he was arguably the most consistent performer of the lot. In the meantime Ilkeston continued to search in vain for new forwards and even made an enquiry to Derby County about the availability of their former England, Wolves and Luton forward Jesse Pye. Whether or not he would have been interested in the player coach role isn’t known because Derby refused Ilkeston permission to speak to him. Eventually Town managed to sign inside right Jack Walters, a player full of craft and guile, and the timing was good as it near enough coincided with Faulconbridge’s departure.
At least Ilkeston had consistency in defence and it was partly for this reason why they still remained one of the best clubs in the Central Alliance. The steady, dependable and brave goalkeeper Dennis Knibbs had a good season whilst the legendary half back line of John Commander, Les Smith and Horace Hackland continued with their usual effectiveness. Dave Baker remained at right back although he had a new partner on the opposite flank. Tom Cooper began the season well, had a great engine, and enjoyed getting forward to support the forwards. However, he failed to sustain his form throughout and Town introduced a young left back with terrific potential towards the end of the season. George Brown was rated by some as Town’s best young player since Geoff Barrowcliffe. These players ensured that Town had the best defensive record in the Central Alliance.
Despite the shortcomings up front Ilkeston were in with a shout for the title as late as April. They began the season strongly and were unbeaten in their first nine league games before they lost at home to Rushden before Christmas. Seven successive wins at the start of the new year, which briefly led to them topping the table in January, maintained their interest but, like the previous season, they had a lot to do because cup runs earlier in the season left them with a backlog of fixtures. Skegness led the way and showed no sign of letting up but Town had to play them twice in the closing weeks and wins in these games would have put Ilkeston in a favourable position. Sadly for Town Skegness justified their position at the top by winning both of them, putiing paid to the Ilkeston challenge. To make matters worse Ilkeston fell away badly during the run in and picked up just 10 points from the last 11 games. Even the runners up spot slipped through their grasp as they were pipped at the post by their local rivals, Long Eaton United.
The FA Cup provided the highlights for the club. A superb win at Clay Cross was followed by two dramatic games with Sutton Town when Ilkeston eventually emerged victorious despite being behind in both of them. Right back Dave Baker was the hero with crucial goals that changed the picture in each of the ties. The extra time win at Sutton sent Ilkeston through to the First Round for the second time in their history but they failed to do themselves justice when they met Blyth Spartans on the Manor Ground.
Despite the general feelings of disappointment there was a strong argument that the Southern section of the Central Alliance was much stronger than the Northern half and there is evidence to support this. In the League Cup Ilkeston defeated Shirebrook and Matlock from the Northern Division before losing to Rothwell. The FA Cup saw Town thrash Clay Cross, who finished sixth, 8-1 away and defeat Sutton who finished fourth. Ilkeston also beat Heanor, who finished as Champions in the Northern Division, in the Derbyshire Senior Cup. Their biggest win in the league came at Notts County ‘A’, traditional rivals in seasons gone by. There was little doubt that the calibre of teams such as Skegness, Stamford, Rushden and St Neots was of a higher quality than most Central Alliance teams Ilkeston had faced in the past.
1957/58 REVIEW
With the 1957/58 season came the realisation that Ilkeston Town were no longer the dominant force in the Central Alliance. Transferred from the unloved Southern Division to the Northern section where most of their long standing rivals played they didn’t have a bad season. Far from it. However, despite a long and sustained effort to keep up with the leaders, continuing to plug away waiting for them to hit a bad spell that never came, Town didn’t have the strength in depth and fell short. There were also a few significant weaknesses in the side that made the difference between being a good third place side and being champions.
They began the season well and were unbeaten in their first 8 league games before losing at Heanor, the eventual champions. A home defeat against fellow title challengers Sutton Town left Ilkeston playing catch up for the rest of the season. Nevertheless a run of 12 wins in 13 games kept them hanging on to the leaders by their fingertips but frustratingly Heanor and Sutton’s relentlessly good form held them at bay. When Ilkeston gained a superb win at Sutton in mid April it raised hopes of finishing second whilst delivering a severe blow to Sutton’s title ambitions. But Town’s fixture backlog in April, plus a number of injuries, led to them having to settle for third place. With games being played thick and fast a number of reserves players, some of whom were not up to the standard required, featured during the final couple of weeks. A measure of the problem can be illustrated by the selection of reserve goalkeeper Jim Mitchell at outside right for the home game with Retford British Ropes. After half time he went in goal while first team ‘keeper Dennis Knibbs played at centre forward. Remarkably Town won that game 3-0.
The strongest part of the team remained the defence which again had the best record in the league. Knibbs was ever reliable and young left back George Brown who with his quick turn of pace continued to look promising, adding growing confidence to his undoubted potential. Newcomer Lol Owen, who impressed in pre season to such a degree that he ousted the experienced Horace Hackland from the left half position, was an excellent find. Very hard working he did not have the same attacking instincts as Hackland but his ability to snuff out opponents’ attacks was invaluable whilst John Commander, on the opposite side, was an ever present and was consistent throughout. The season marked the end of an era for centre half Les Smith, who handed the captaincy over to right back Dave Baker after six highly successful seasons. He had also let it be known that it was to be his final season before retiring and the season ended on a memorable note when he captained the side to a 4-2 win over Buxton in the Derbyshire Senior Cup Final in his last ever game. This was not the only cup that came Ilkeston’s way in 1957/58; they also won the Central Alliance Cup for their first and only time.
The forwards had misfired badly the previous season and with some new signings there was a definite improvement this time. Even so this is where the chief weaknesses lay. With Ken Ledger, injured early in the season against Linby, no longer the player he once was Town quickly turned to others to fill the outside right position without success. Les Disney lost form and was transferred, and local player Graham Cutts was enthusiastic and sometimes looked the part but lacked consistency and occasionally was out of his depth. On the opposite wing Terry Blount blew hot and cold but was persevered with due to a lack of an alternative, yet at his best he remained one of the best wingers in the Central Alliance. The centre forward position was also an issue. The problem appeared to be solved when the forceful Gordon Warrington, who once scored 64 goals in a season with Belper, arrived in November and scored a hat-trick in his first league game but he struggled to fit in with Town’s style of play. More successful was his successor, Cliff Roberts, who entered the fray in late January. Roberts made up for what he lacked in finesse with tremendous energy and toughness and although he wasn’t as deadly as Barrie Jepson was several years earlier there were similarities.
Prior to the introduction of Roberts there had been a tremendous burden placed upon to the two inside forwards, Rex Osman and Harry Brennan. Osman, who was tried at centre forward at the start of the season, revealed that his best position was inside right. The brains of the forward line, he was an excellent schemer, orchestrating the attack with incisive passes and clever off the ball running whilst building up an impressive personal tally of goals. Something of a dead ball expert he replaced Baker as the penalty taker and achieved the rare feat of scoring a hat-trick of penalties, in the Derbyshire Senior Cup tie with Stapenhill. Yet for all his efforts he failed to win over some of the supporters and, on one occasion as he was about to take a penalty, a chant of "We Want Baker" rang out. Osman scored, but late in the season he failed with two successive penalties, one of which was twice taken.
Harry Brennan, at inside left, finished the season as top scorer and was a fine finisher, shooting with power and accuracy, and possessed great strength.
Two cups and a third place finish was a decent outcome for the club but with Les Smith’s days over, and the first team days of Ken Ledger, Ken Johnson, Horace Hackland and George Darwin seemingly drawing to a close, the 1957/58 season marked the end of an era and an uncertain future lay ahead for Ilkeston.
1958/59 REVIEW
Ilkeston Town knew before the season started that the 1958/59 season was going to be a challenging one although few would have anticipated quite how disappointing a season it would turn out to be. Their final position of seventh in the Central Alliance First Division North was their lowest in nine years and they were knocked out of all three cup competitions at the earliest possible time. The team, resplendent in new red shirts, only fleetingly gave glimpses of their form in previous seasons and frequent team changes meant that there was little continuity which only seemed to add to the inconsistency. Several positions proved problematic, not least at right half where nine different players were tried. This came about when stalwart John Commander, dropped in September for the first time in his Ilkeston career following the FA Cup defeat at Long Eaton, broke his leg in his first outing for the reserves. Tragically, upon making his comeback for the reserves early in the New Year, he broke his leg again, this time in two places, and the injury was so complicated that he never played football again. His premature retirement was a severe blow to both player and club. The outside right position was another that caused a headache. With Ken Ledger a shadow of his former self several players were tried but the only one to make any impact was Barry Clarke. On his day he looked to be a worthy successor to Ledger but he was frustratingly inconsistent and lost form as the season went on. The inside right slot was not adequately filled either. Rex Osman was surprisingly left out at the start of the season and when he was reinstated he appeared to have lost confidence. After finishing as Town’s top scorer in league games in 1957/58 he failed to score a single goal in ten league outings in 1958/59. Terry Blount also could frustrate on the left wing but the lack of a viable alternative meant that he remained an almost presence in the team. Another regular of recent seasons, Dave Baker, also had a poor season by his own high standards although his form picked up later in the season when he handed over the captaincy to Ernie Williamson.
But it was not all doom and gloom. The loss of their talisman, Les Smith, who had led the team throughout their glorious days earlier in the decade before retiring at the end of the previous season, could have been monumental. However, although his leadership skills were undoubtedly missed, the gap created at centre back was quickly filled by Keith England. Promoted from the reserves he possessed the kind of pace previous lacking in that position and although his inexperience and know how could have been a problem his enthusiasm and speed in recovery saved Ilkeston on many occasions. To his left was Lol Owen who maintained the form he had shown the previous season, as did George Brown at left back. Brown sustained a knee injury late in the season that required surgery and this provided an opportunity for Derek Smith who grabbed it with both hands. Smith, who loved to press forward when he had the chance, displayed considerable potential. Cliff Roberts remained the most effective centre forward without quite repeating the feats of the previous season whilst Harry Brennan rarely let the side down at inside left. He also showed versatility by moving back to right half later in the season and the number ten shirt was filled by the clever, youthful Geoff Morley who was the pick of the forwards as the season drew to a close. Broken ribs sustained by the ever reliable goalkeeper Dennis Knibbs early in the season could have had far reaching consequences for the club but his replacement, German Gunther Schmiedel who was promoted from the reserves, did well and retained his place in the team even after Knibbs had fully recovered. Schmiedel was a very courageous, agile ‘keeper who was capable of making spectacular saves, the occasional lapse being quickly forgiven and forgotten.
Although the season was disappointing it was not until the final few weeks that things went badly wrong. An emphatic opening day victory apart, Town started the season slowly but picked up in the autumn and by Christmas they lay second in the table. A 5-1 win against Anstey Nomads at the turn of the New Year suggested that a sustained title challenge was a possibility but they only won 3 of their final 16 league games and ended the season with six straight defeats, a 6-0 trouncing at Sutton Town Reserves being particularly galling. The inability of the ever changing forward line to convert chances into goals cost Town dearly throughout the season but particularly during the second half.
Ilkeston knew that changes would have to be made, and plenty of them, if they were going to halt their downward spiral and repeat past glories.
1959/60 REVIEW
The failure of the team to mount a serious title challenge during the 1958/59 season, compounded by the abysmal sequence of results in the last few games persuaded Ilkeston to make plenty of changes during the summer of 1959. The biggest of all was the recruitment of the vastly experienced Nottingham Forest wing half Jack Hutchinson as player coach. The move was not totally successful. Well off the pace during the opening couple of games, both of which Town lost, he didn’t play again although he remained at the club for half the season. His ideas and altogether more professional approach to training methods were not in question, however, and the club benefited from his experience. Having someone come in from the outside, after years of adopting their own training and coaching techniques proved that the club was keen to move forward.
There were plenty of other summer signings although only four of them could be termed a complete success. A fifth, goalkeeper Dennis Ward, struggled with the team at the start of the season and lost his place to his predecessor Gunther Schmiedel although an injury and loss of form suffered by the latter allowed Ward to return to the first team late in the season. Ward’s safe handling and solid rather than spectacular goalkeeping were then seen at their best and he went on to become the first choice ‘keeper the following season.
Keith England, who had done reasonably well at centre half the previous season following the retirement of the legendary Les Smith, lost out to Terry Swinscoe, Town’s only ever present during the 1959/60 season. There can be no doubting about the success of this particular signing. Town felt the need for a centre half with greater leadership qualities and presence and Swinscoe fitted the bill to perfection. A tremendous header of a ball, he was immensely fit and strong, not to mention intimidating to opposing forwards, but he was never a dirty player. Swinscoe also packed a terrific shot that he put to great use when taking penalties off a short run up. Over the next eight years Swinscoe went on to become Town’s all time highest appearance maker and he scored plenty of goals, some of which came when he was used on occasions as an emergency centre forward. England, meanwhile, was tried at outside right and right back without looking entirely happy and he ended the season playing at left back in place of Derek Smith who had lost form. Smith had impressed earlier in the season taking full advantage of the loss of George Brown who needed knee surgery before eventually heading out of the club.
Another successful newcomer was centre forward Clive Burton, who replaced the willing Cliff Roberts. Burton’s return of 43 league and cup goals was the biggest return from an Ilkeston player since Barrie Jepson seven years previously. An opportunist blessed with strong heading ability and a decent shot with his right foot he also was impressive when running through on goal. Although he wasn’t the deadliest finisher the club had ever had - but better than most - he had the commendable attitude of perseverance when he missed chances. His refusal to shirk the responsibility for scoring goals meant that sooner or later the goals would come. Roberts, meanwhile, was tried in a number of other attacking roles without success and he was never sure of his place in the team.
Dennis Alexander also proved to be a very good signing. An inside left he had terrific composure on the ball, could pass accurately and was strong in the air. Alexander scored his share of goals too and he improved as the season went on, struggling as he did on the hard pitches that gave him sore feet early in the campaign. Another new inside forward was Tony Watson. Watson had the added advantage of being able to play as an attack minded wing half who liked to take the ball forward and he, like Alexander, had excellent ability on the ball. Unfortunately, an injury in March during the Matlock home game caused him to miss the final few weeks of the season.
Yet these success stories failed to land Ilkeston a trophy. This was mainly due to the indifferent start that saw them win just two of their opening six league games. From then on they made a commendable but futile attempt to catch up with the leaders but it has to be said that the season as a whole was a great improvement. There were some excellent performances, not least the terrific away wins at Heanor and Belper, but they had left themselves too much to do. Form in cup competitions was also more than acceptable. In the FA Cup they defeated three teams from the Birmingham League, widely believed to be of a higher standard than the Central Alliance, before being well and truly dumped out of the competition by Matlock, heading for the Central Alliance title, in the final qualifying round. They also reached the Derbyshire Senior Cup Final where they put up a terrific fight to take the much stronger Buxton to a replay but their spirit was not enough when they met again.
Weaknesses in the team were apparent, however, and these were particularly noticeable on the flanks. The departure of the enigmatic Terry Blount during the close season created a vacancy in the outside left position that was never properly filled. Of the ten players tried Eric Langham arguably looked the most likely bet but after a promising start he was surprisingly dropped and then lost confidence. The outside right position had been a problem since Ken Ledger had passed his peak but at least Town finally found someone to play in the role to a good standard. Unfortunately, John Carrington did not arrive at the club until late November but his ability to beat a man and shoot and cross with power and accuracy were soon evident. Carrington enjoyed a good season and at last that particular problem position had been solved.
Finally two of Ilkeston’s stalwarts played a prominent part. Dave Baker, apart from a brief loss of form that cost him his place to Keith England, remained as Town’s first choice right back. More surprising was the return to the first team of Horace Hackland. He had made just 8 appearances during the two previous seasons but he rolled back the years with a succession of fine displays in his old left half position. Later in the season he moved to the opposite flank where his steadying influence helped to solve another problem position. Since John Commander’s enforced retirement the right half role had been up for grabs. Watson did well in the role but it was felt that his skills were better utilised further forward. Barry Halford was then signed and given a chance but despite looking promising at times he did not make the most of the opportunity. Hackland’s switch signalled the hard working Lol Owen’s return to the side after several months absence through injury and loss of form.
Overall it was much happier season for Ilkeston Town and there was plenty to suggest that the club was heading back in the right direction.