The Marine Gardens

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About 3000 saw Leith Athletic get the better of their rivals the St Bernards by four goals to one on 26 August.

While it would be too much to say that there was such a wide difference between the teams on play as the result would seem to indicate, there is no doubt the points went to the side that deserved them.

For goodly stretches at various periods throughout the game the visitors’ forwards combined with a smoothness that never characterised the play of the Athletic five, but they were too clever and against a set of defenders such as Leith possessed that failing was fatal.

The Gymnasium team were well and truly beaten by a side that cut out the ultra clever work that led nowhere for that which spelt the quickest route to goal. Lack of shooting ability rendered the Saints chances of success negligible and the play of the extreme wingers suffered accordingly.

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About 1000 spectators were present at the Marine Gardens on 25 November where, in defeating Montrose by five goals to none Leith Athletic gave one of their best displays of the season and confirmed the good impression their recently improved form had created.

Unfortunately owing to the fact that Montrose lost a man through injury, for more than half the game, Leith’s big victory was shorn of some of its glamour, but there was little doubt that even had the visitors’ left back been available, the home team would have won comfortably.

Their first goal was overdue when it did come and in the subsequent play so well did the Athletic forwards and half backs combine that only good goal keeping and a lot of good fortune prevented the Montrose goal from falling on several occasions. Most of the danger was served up by the Leith right wing. Tackling and placing were beautifully timed.

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Leith Athletic had the better of the play in both halves of their Scottish Cup tie with Cowdenbeath at the Marine Gardens a fortnight later, but they were beaten by one goal to nothing and so the Fife club had the good fortune to be the first club to pass into the second round of the competition.

It was not a day for good football. There was a strong blustering wind blowing and in the second half it was accompanied by heavy rain. The ground was in a bad state. The weather told against the attendance which did not reach 4000 and the total akings at the gate came to £142.

It was thought prior to the kick off that the side which won the toss would win the game. Leith Athletic were lucky in that respect yet, though they did by far the greater amount of attacking, they could not do any scoring despite the fact that several good chances went their way.

The Cowdenbeath men offered the sturdiest of defences and though they were continually harassed, they were successful in keeping out their opponents and that without their goalkeeper having many shots to save. Having held out against the storm it seemed as if Cowdenbeath were almost certain to win but the Leith eleven were clearly the fresher lot after the change of ends and they played better together than they had done earlier in the contest. Although they had to face rain as well as wind, they were the chief aggressors and with more steadiness in the region of the opposition goal they would probably have been victors.

The Athletic forwards disappointed badly and on them must fall the main onus of the defeat. They could not complain of poor support from their half backs, but it was of no avail. The forwards could not find an opening. It was the same at the other end. The Cowdenbeath front line were well held.

A draw seemed a probable ending to a hard dour tussle when a free kick was given against Leith for handling just outside the penalty area and so the tie was decided in favour of the team who had had the worst of the play.

The Athletic had themselves largely to blame for the reverse. They had opportunities in plenty to have saved the game and indeed to have won it.

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One goal only was scored in the game between Leith Athletic and the Albion Rovers on 27 January. It fell to the visitors four minutes after the start as a result of a smart piece of opportunism.

After that, heavy pressure was applied by the Athletic and there were brisk counter attacks by the Rovers. On the chances they had the home forwards should have had one goal at least but their finishing was poor and repeated non success had a depressing effect on their play in the outfield. The Rovers showed more method when they were on the move. In the main, however, it was their defenders who did most to bring them victory. They displayed a resource and coolness under pressure which eventually took the edge of the home attacks.

The attendance was about 1500.

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Dunfermline Athletic’s promotion prospects received a sharp set back at the on 3 March when Leith Athletic played dashing football and secured a lead of four goals in the first half which put them on the high road to success.

A fairly strong wind helped the Leith players to take command and by a happy coincidence a reserve player brought in at the eleventh hour scored the first three goals and was the match winner.

The first goal followed a pass and was taken with a strong shot at a difficult angle. The other two were the result of left wing crosses.

There was no hanging on to the ball with the Leith players and for that reason they were always a source of trouble to the Dunfermline defence. Three goals in thirty five minutes gave the port men plenty of confidence whereas the visitors were badly shaken.

A blunder on the part of the backs in attempting to nurse the ball over the line for a bye led to a junior outside left scoring a fourth goal.

Just before the interval the visitors were awarded a penalty kick. The Centre made a poor attempt with the kick and an easy save was made. The visitors never looked like making up the leeway so well held were they by a good spoiling defence. Practically all the Leith men rose to the occasion playing an open game well suited to the conditions and shooting freely.

The attendance was about 1500.

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Once again, a fortnight later, bad weather conditions told against the attendance at the match at the Marine Gardens, only about 500 spectators being present.

The game was almost as much a test of stamina as of skill on the muddy ground and heavy showers of sleet made matters very unpleasant both for players and onlookers.

Leith Athletic on the whole were worthy victors. They showed more powers of penetration and they lasted the game better than their opponents who made a poor fight towards the end.

Until the closing quarter of an hour Kings Park had an equal share of the play and they often showed much cleverness in their passing advances. Their tactics in front of goal were ineffective, however, their attempts to work the ball into easy position before shooting proving unprofitable against the keen tackling of the Athletic defenders. The Leith forwards were more direct in their methods being ever ready for a shot.

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Only a few hundred spectators attended at the Marine Gardens to see Leith Athletic qualify for the City Cup final on 14 April.

From the manner in which they opened it appeared as if the Athletic were to have a runaway victory. Inside ten minutes they were two goals up and it looked as though the border team had shot their bolt.

First impressions were fortunately, from the spectators point of view, erroneous and once they had settled down the Rangers backs and half backs proved that they were quite a capable company.

The home players, who for a while were content to supply frills instead of thrills, seemed to sense that such tactics would get them nowhere and following that realisation came a ding dong struggle.

Midway through the first half Berwick lost their centre half and he was away for over half an hour with a badly cut eye. During his absence his side were awarded a penalty kick but it waas shot straight at the keeper, who saved. Finishing generally was not a strong point with either forward line and it was near the finish of the game before they located the Leith goal in earnest. Then they crowded on all sail and with a little luck would have got at least a goal.

Leith Athletic 2 Berwick Rangers 0

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Successful in gaining promotion together a few seasons ago, Leith Athletic and East Fife shared the points as the result of a draw at four goals each after one of the best games seen at the Marine Gardens, on 21 April.

It was a real ding dong struggle and four times the Athletic took the lead to have it snatched back from them and in the end the Fifers were not unworthy of a division of the spoils even if they had a shade the worse of the exchanges.

Clever football there was in abundance and the small crowd present got plenty to become enthusiastic over.

With the wind in their favour the home forwards early got in touch with the Methil rear trio.

It was a thrilling finish.

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On 2 June 1934 Portobello had its second opportunity within recent years of watching a game of baseball when the American Club, a team composed mainly of American students at Edinburgh University met the Liverpool baseball team at the Marine Gardens in the first of a pair of matches in aid of charity and for a challenge cup put up by the National Baseball Association. This match was in aid of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

As it happened, the teams were very unevenly balanced, the Edinburgh team with more experience beating the Liverpool team by 24 runs to 3, a score which would probably be considered fantastic by American baseball fans.

Nevertheless the game was watched with interest by about 2000 spectators whose difficulties in following the course of play were reduced by firstly the printed programme, secondly the explanations of the American announcer speaking through the loudspeakers on the field and thirdly the sprinkling among the spectators of Americans and others who knew the game.

The last occasion upon which baseball was played in Edinburgh was when teams competed from battleships of the United States navy when they were in the Firth of Forth. On that occasion the teams were, not unnaturally, more evenly balanced.

This match, however, had moments when the thrill of baseball could be felt by those who knew nothing about the game and although the American club’s pitcher was too much for the visitors and the visitors fielding not equal to the needs of the moment, the match provided entertainment and interest for the onlookers.

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Many of the 1500 or so spectators at the Marine Gardens on 29 September had left the ground under the impression that Leith Athletic had beaten Morton by the off goal in three when Morton forced a corner and off the kick the left half shot the ball through the ruck of players into the Leith net just before the whistle sounded for time up.

It was an exciting finish to as hard a game as could be wished for and neither side had room to cavil at a division of the points.

Leith were undoubtedly the more persistent in attack in the first half when the Greenock defence did well to keep the margin of goals down to one but after the change of ends the visitors had the pull and only weak finishing prevented them at times from augmenting the goal obtained ten minutes after resuming. Lack of finishing ability was a besetting sin in their display. They had none of the dash and thrust shown by the Leith wings.

The Leith centre took his side’s second goal splendidly 14 minutes from the end when he headed home a free kick. The home middle line bore comparison with Morton’s which comprised the best division in the visitors ranks.

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On 13 October about 1000 spectators saw Leith Athletic get the better of Edinburgh City by 2 goals to 1 after a fine fight in which the City made many friends by their plucky display.

In the first half they gave as good as they got and had the inside forwards been able to drive home the many well planned attacks the possibility is that they would have turned things round at the interval. They were unable to do that, however and the solid Leith Athletic defence gave no second chances.

At the beginning of the second period, taking the game in hand, the Leith team took the lead. The City defenders were put through their paces after that but never wavered in their efforts to stall off the Athletic attackers and there remained only fifteen minutes for play before they again yielded.

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East Fife followed up their recent victory over Leith Athletic at the Marine Gardens with a 5 goal to 0 win over Edinburgh City on 17 November. Their winning margin however greatly flattered them and the form shown was hardly in keeping with their reputation as aspirants for promotion. Over the game the losers did, if anything, most of the attacking but their old failing weak finishing was ever in evidence. In the outfield some of the City football was very good, especially on the right but goals could not be obtained. The Methil club forwards, on the other hand, snapped up readily such opportunities as went their way. The second half followed much the same course as the earlier portion of the game. The City forwards continued to throw away their chances and when East Fife added a third goal 25 minutes from time the destination of the points was definitely decided. No further scoring took place until near the end when East Fife raised their total to five.

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A very poor display between Leith Athletic and Brechin City on 1 December was witnessed by only a few hundred spectators and although in the end the home team won by the odd goal in three they could derive very little satisfaction from their general display.

Seldom had the forwards proved such a disappointing company and although the troublesome wind may, to a certain extent, have made things a little difficult, it could not be accepted as an excuse for the bad finishing. The City forwards, too, of course were equally as futile but their opportunities were more limited and the possibility is that had such scoring chances came their way the result might have been different.

The only goal of the first half was obtained by Leith. Immediately after resuming a mistake enabled Athletic to go two up but twenty minutes later Brechin reduced the leeway. From then on to the end Leith had most of the play.

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Stenhousemuir gained a well merited victory in their Scottish second League game against Edinburgh City on 5 December. They won by three goals to one and, but for the faulty finishing of their forwards, that margin might have been considerably greater.

There was no scoring at the interval but several good chances were missed. The second half had only been in progress for five minutes when the visitors went ahead. It was rather a soft goal and no doubt the wind was responsible for the keeper misjudging the flight of the ball.

The reverse was sufficient to rouse the home men and they put in a spell of sustained pressure which culminated in them scoring from well beyond the penalty area. The home side completely overran their opponents for a spell after this, but in a breakaway, Stenhousemuir went into the lead and the next minute added to the score, the ball striking the crossbar before entering the net.

A strong wind and heavy rain spoiled the game to a large extent and the attendance also suffered, little more than 100 spectators being present.

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At the end of the first twenty minutes of the first match of 1935 the result seemed to be decided. Leith Athletic had outpaced and outplayed the visitors so completely that they were four goals ahead. There was a perceptible easing up by the Athletic after that quick scoring and Alloa were given a chance to regain confidence. Encouraged by a goal before the interval, the visitors took complete command in the second half and scored three goals to give them a merited draw. In the end the Leith team were glad to get a point out of the game. There were about 1000 spectators.

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Raith Rovers scored their first away victory of the season when they defeated Edinburgh City by three goals to one on 12 January.

The Fife men were worthy winners and superior in every position except, perhaps, at full back. The Edinburgh team gave their best performance in the first half and although the visitors were the more determined lot in attack, they stood on equal terms with their opponents at the interval, each side claiming one goal.

In the second period, however, the Rovers had matters much to their own liking. Their forwards were not impressive at close quarters but they put on another two goals and both were good efforts.

The Edinburgh men had an opportunity to open the scoring in the early minutes but kicked more turf than ball. That was the beginning of the end for the home men and ten minutes later a good combined movement did not end until the Rovers had scored at the second attempt.

For the Kirkcaldy club all three halves excelled both in spoiling work and attack. The forwards were effective on the left.

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On 29 June 1935, over 5000 people witnessed, in delightful weather conditions, an American baseball game at the Marine Gardens.

It was the real thing, direct from the U.S.A. for the contending teams, the Arkansas Giants and the Wyoming Senators, were representative of the summer Practice Squadron of the United States navy.

While the two American warships, Arkansas and Wyoming, lay in the Firth of Forth the opportunity was taken to field two teams with excellent records in the national sport and at the same time to show the interest of the visitors in Edinburgh youth movements by assisting the funds of the local battalion of the Boys Brigade. Probably interest in the popular American sailors was as much responsible for attracting the large crowds of spectators as interest in the game.

No doubt to the great majority of those who attended at the Marine Gardens baseball was little more than a name. Those who came, however, expecting nothing more than the attraction of a novelty soon found that baseball, even to the uninitiated has its thrills. It provides remarkable batting performances and amazing exhibitions by the fielders in catching balls high and low.

Among the spectators on Saturday were many of the American navy men and they and the commentator who described the game, gave to the occasion a real American flavour. The American Consul in Edinburgh, Mr. R.D. Longyear set the game agoing by pitching the first ball in great style and he ws greeted with many shouts of “Attaboy”.

Wyoming Senators, apparently the fancied team, made a promising start, securing two runs in the first innings and in this game a run is scored only when each individual batsman has made a complete circuit of the course, touching each base in regular order before three men are out. The players showed great keeness but there seemed to be even greater enthusiasm among the American section of the spectators who all the time shouted advice and encouragement.

Before long the Scots onlookers began to appreciate at least some of the more notable features of the game and joined in cheering the batsmen who sent balls, delivered at great speed, away to the boundary, some being driven across the adjacent crowded beach.

The Wyoming Senators did not realise their early promise and gradually the Arkansas Giants drew ahead until, after two hours play, the latter were leading by 5 runs to 2. In the last innings, however, Wyoming added another to their runs. The match, therefore, ended 5-3 in favour of Arkansas.