Football Programmes Centre

ColinS · Joined: 03 Feb 2017 Posts: 5

Hi all - a bit of a strange request, but we're looking for some fairly random FA Cup and Division 1 programmes from the late 1920s.
The reason is that we're clearing a house and have discovered that my wife's granddad was a league referee back then - we knew a bit about this previously, but not the details. We've got a list of the games he covered - mostly Div 2 and 3, but some Div 1 and probably the highest profile game was the FA Cup 5th round Arsenal vs Villa in Feb 1928. We've also found a few newspaper cuttings, but would be great if we could track down a programme from one of his games (assuming they mentioned the referee!).
I could post a list of a few games, but thought I'd check first how likely it is that we'd be able to pick up something so specific from that far back...
Thanks in advance for any help.

Pete’s Picture Palace · Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 2:07 am Post subject:

Every chance something will turn up. Please go ahead and list the games.

holtie96 · Joined: 30 May 2009 Posts: 2319

Absolutely
List away and even if the programme can't be provided I am sure a photocopy will come your way.
eBay is the next option but try here first
Good luck

Dorking · Joined: 05 Feb 2010 Posts: 2529

They won't be 'cheap', but there is every chance of getting some if you keep watching and looking. List em up!

ColinS · Joined: 03 Feb 2017 Posts: 5

Thanks all
Will dig out the list later and post away...

ColinS · Joined: 03 Feb 2017 Posts: 5

He mostly reffed Div 3 games, but also a few Div 1 and cup ties. We'd love to get hold of a programme for one of the following:

13 Nov 1926 Division 1 Birmingham vs Burnley
20 Nov 1926 Division 1 Cardiff vs West Ham
19 Feb 1927 FA Cup 5 Reading vs Brentford
9 Apr 1927 Division 1 West Ham vs Cardiff
29 Oct 1927 Division 1 Derby vs Spurs
18 Feb 1928 FA Cup 5 Arsenal vs Aston Villa
10 Mar 1928 Division 1 Spurs vs Derby
9 Mar 1929 Division 1 Cardiff vs Sheffield Wednesday
21 Dec 1929 Division 1 West Ham vs Aston Villa
26 Apr 1930 Division 1 Aston Villa vs West Ham

Particularly the Spurs/Derby ones as his great-grandson is a Derby fan...

Dorking · Joined: 05 Feb 2010 Posts: 2529

I would guess the Arsenal, West Ham or Villa ones would be the most likely to surface somewhere

This gives a typical indication of likely cost (Villa home, same season)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1929.....SwLVZV12hw

PS If he reffed any early 1930s (Div 3 South) games at Palace, they'd be in the £100-£130 mark on ebay and not impossible to find as there are plenty around looking for buyers with the money to buy them

ColinS · Joined: 03 Feb 2017 Posts: 5

1929-30 was his final season reffing league games as far as we can tell, so just creeps into that time period. He was from Portsmouth so also did Hampshire League and it also appears one match between a team from Jersey and one from Guernsey (for the Upton Park Cup?!)

So that does mean his main matches were in Div 3 South - he appears to have reffed Palace vs QPR and Brentford in 1929-30 (both home and away).

One oddity is that he usually seems to have reffed the same teams in reverse fixtures - as you can see from the Palace games above and most of the Div 1 games he had.

GreatBarrWolf · Joined: 08 Jul 2011 Posts: 832

ColinS wrote:

One oddity is that he usually seems to have reffed the same teams in reverse fixtures - as you can see from the Palace games above and most of the Div 1 games he had.

Not an oddity at all. I have found that the same officiating crew (ref and linesmen) covered corresponding matches home and away in the same season.
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martino · Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2017 11:27 am Post subject:

Apologies if I missed it but what is his name.

ColinS · Joined: 03 Feb 2017 Posts: 5

No, you hadn't missed it - his name was Gordon Franklin