The Marine Gardens

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1932 started badly.

An ominous rebuff to the league hopes of Leith Athletic was administered by Cowdenbeath in the game at the Marine Gardens on 2 January, when the Fife visitors won by the odd goal in three.

The losers had a grievance in having an apparently good goal disallowed for an infringement, but it was not difficult to single out Cowdenbeath as the better side.

The Athletic made a plucky enough show in defence. Their forward play was disappointing and was of little account even when the teams were playing with a strong wind at their backs.

The goals came ten minutes after the start and about nine minutes before the interval. The visitors kept the ball low and combined well in the second half. Their methodical play was in contrast to the heavy driving by the Leith club men, which brought poor results.

About 2000 spectators saw the match.

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A hurricane of wind accompanied by heavy rain made matters miserable for players and spectators alike on 16 January whenLeith Athletic and Albion Rovers battled out their tie.

The game ended in a draw of one goal each, but the Rovers nearly snatched a winning goal with the last kick of the game and the 2000 spectators held their breath as the ball missed the post by inches.

On the whole, however, the Athletic were much the better side. They held better together but in front of goal their luck was out. They missed chances too, of course, and it was due to that fact that they would now have to travel to Coatbridge. The conditions had much to do with the missing of several opportunities and it would be unfair to criticise too severely the players concerned.

The changes in the Leith side made for all round improvement.
It was the Albion Rovers defenders who were mainly responsible for them earning the right to a replay.

The takings at the Marine Gardens came to only £50, which would not help Leith Athletic in their financial troubles.

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Leith Athletic scored the first goal and made a sporting bid for success against Partick Thistle on 23 January, but in the end the superior footwork of the visitors prevailed, although it was not until their third goal was secured five minutes from the finish that the Thistle were sure of winning.

The Athletic fought pluckily in the second half. A series of corner kicks showed that the Athletic had still some fight left but the visitors were easily the sounder and more skilful side, although betraying a familiar fault in weak finishing.

About 3000 spectators saw the game.

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Leith Athletic enjoyed very few of fortunes smiles in their match with Motherwell at on 6 February.

They were beaten by five goals to nothing after having a big share in aggressive play and, in addition, they lost the services, shortly before half time, of their right half who came down heavily in a tackle and had his right arm fractured in two places.

At that stage Motherwell were leading by two goals.

The Leith team made a brave show in the first half and the visitors had a stout fight to subdue the Athletic’s ten men in the second half.

It was a flattering win for Motherwell whose form belied their high reputation. The Athletic played with fine spirit and deserved a much closer result.

Only about 3000 spectators saw the game.

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Dundee United, in their desperate effort to stave off relegation, had no mercy on Leith Athletic. The score at the Marine Gardens on 5 March was 5 - 1 in favour of the Tannadice men.

The game was looked upon as a kind of decider in the relegation struggle and the win enabled the Dundee players to pursue their challenge against Falkirk, while Leith Athletic’s hopes of recovery were well nigh extinguished. The score of five goals to one did not greatly flatter the winners.

Dundee United were the better balanced team and they used their scoring chances well. They had as many as seven position changes among the half backs and forwards as compared with the previous week but the backs and goalkeeper gave the side an excellent lead and team work improved as the game advanced.

As a side the Athletic never pulled well together, keen though the players undoubtedly were. Dundee United faced wind and rain in the first half. They survived some heavy onslaughts early in the game. The scorers seemed to get through the Leith defence easily. The United were not allowed to ease up, though generally their backs had the measure of the Leith forwards.

The attendance was less than 500.

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On 2 April Leith Athletic were defeated at Marine Gardens by Ayr United. By this time they were losing players as well as money.

However, with no more than four regular players in their ranks, they apparently gave an improved display compared with some recent outings.

A fortnight later they took the wooden spoon and made an inglorious exit from the First Division scoring only one goal to Clyde’s four.

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At Edinburgh Dean of Guild Court on 20 May 1932 the Greyhound Racing Association were granted leave to erect a covered stand at the Marine Gardens, Portobello.

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A new use for the Marine Gardens began on 2 July 1932 when the first race meeting organised by the Greyhound Racing Association took place on Saturday afternoon.

It was an inauspicious start as the meeting had to be abandoned after only one race had been completed.

The trouble began in the first race when the hare broke down at half way.

After a delay the second race was run off and, when everything was thought to be in working order, as the hare was sent several times round the rack, it was discovered that a pin in the mechanism was sheared.

It was decided to abandon the meeting.

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With the hare fully repaired, a successful matinee meeting was held at the Marine Gardens on 16 July.

The races were over 525 yards and the sport was of an exhilarating description, several of the races having exciting finishes.

A feature of the meeting was the success that attended the greyhounds of Capt. R.B. Ricketts in the tote double event.

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Perseverance in playing a combined game brought Leith Athletic an easier win than they deserved when they defeated Kings Park by four goals to two at the Marine Gardens on 14 September.

The Leith side was recast. The front line struck up a good game with the support of the half backs and after the first few raids by the Stirling forwards had been repulsed the home men settled down to a workmanlike display. It was half an hour, however, before the triallist centre forward got a good chance and he scored with a left foot drive.

Leith were indebted to their goalkeeper for having their lead at the interval but on the resumption they had three more goals in quick succession. The Leith defence stood up well to a fast forward line and the half backs added weight to their own attack.

There was a disappointing attendance of about 500 in good weather.

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On 15 October Leith Athletic gained ground in the league race as the result of a well deserved win over Forfar Athletic at the Marine Gardens, where the attendance was small. The winning margin was a narrow one and did Leith scant justice. On play they were much the better side. Their combination was always apparent but the fates were against them when it came to finishing off their work and often only the narrowest margins stood between them and success. The port team owed their superiority to the splendid play of their halfs. At breaking up and initiating attacks they were far in advance of the Forfar half backs. If their intermediate line was not too impressive the Angus defence could not have done better.

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For the second week in succession Dundee United visited the Capital on 26 November, but the fates at the Marine Gardens were not so kind to them as they were a week previously and they were beaten by Leith Athletic by the odd goal in three.

Climatic conditions were all against good football but the 1000 spectators were nevertheless regaled with a contest which in the circumstances was quite interesting.

The Dundee players were the more polished in their methods and their finishing lacked nothing in determination but they were up against a defence that gave nothing away and in the end, although slightly against the run of the play, the port team won the points.

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On 21 January 1933, before an attendance of 1311 spectators who paid £39 9s 6d at the turnstiles at the Marine Gardens, Leith Athletic passed into the second round of the Scottish Cup competition at the expense of Brechin City who were defeated by 5 goals to 1.

Big though their win was, it in no way exaggerated the Leith team’s superiority who amply revenged themselves for the heavy defeat sustained at Brechin a few weeks before. The northerners, however, did not give in without a fight and their spirited resistance kept interest alive until the closing stages were reached.

An early goal gave the visitors confidence but Leith got a quick equaliser and the home men played telling football in the outfield.

Near the goal the ground conditions appeared to be too much for the centre and his inside supports to master. At any rate time and time again goals were missed when it seemed the easiest thing in the world to score. With Leith missing badly and the Brechin forwards dangerous when they got going, interest was fully maintained.

Level at half time, the port side, playing with something like their abandon of old times, really shook up the Brechin defence after the change of ends. In the last twenty five minutes the centre forward shot four goals in his best style.

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A crowd of 3,800 spectators attended the tie between Leith Athletic and Clyde on 4 February and the takings amounted to £140, exclusive of money taken at the grandstand and entertainment tax.

The result was a drawn match of one goal each and on the day’s play was quite a fair indication of the merits of the two sides, neither of whom could claim a real superiority in any way.

As a second division team the Athletic, perhaps, took the honours of a strenuous struggle that ran on typical cup tie lines.

During the first hour they were distinctly the more dangerous side, their advances being made by means of wide flung passes that opened up the Clyde defence. With about half an hour left for play the Clyde men realised that their close passing was of no avail against the resolute defence the Athletic were putting up and they adopted a more open style. The wing forwards were played to assiduously and shooting was indulged in at every opportunity. During the closing stages both sides had chances to win the match but none was taken.

Defence was superior to attack during most of an entertaining tie, the full backs all coming out of the game with much credit.

The replay was at Shawfield, Glasgow, on the following Wednesday.

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Leith Athletic wound up their home league programme for the 1932/33 season with a goalless draw against Dunfermline Athletic at the Marine Gardens. As the Fifers needed to make every post a winning one if their effort to catch up to Queen of the South in the promotion race was to be successful, the result was a serious set back to their aspirations. They had no cause to cavil, however, at the loss of a point, for Leith were every bit as good as they were and with a little more steadiness on the part of the centre and his supporters at times, the 2000 spectators might have seen Dunfermline beaten at least once. So neither side had much reason to grumble at the division of the spoils. Hard rather than clever play was the rule. Both sides contrived occasionally to put in some studied effort. That nothing came of it was due to lack of thrust near goal on the part of the other forwards, who were well played to by their half backs. The respective defences acquitted themselves well.

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