Table of contents
Introduction
On a rain soacked afternoon at the Western Oval on the 23rd of May 1953, 14,087 fans endured the rain to watch on the the few games in the 20th Century where a team was held to one scoring shot.
To add to the amazement these were not teams at the bottom of the ladder, at the time, both were in the four. Footscray would end the season losing to Geelong in the Preliminary final, where Fitzroy managed a respectable sixth with 10 wins and eight losses for the season.
Description
Flooding at the ground was deep enough so that parts of the boundary line were ankle deep under water, making the job of the boundary umpire very difficult.
The Football Record expressed the level of shock that the result provided to all football supporters:
Fitzroy would have been held scoreless except for the efforts of their captain Alan Ruthven who 5-10 minutes before the end of the game who somehow got his foot to a ball already in the air and got it through for a goal.
Commentators such as Essendon coach Dick Reynolds (The Argus 25-May-1954-p11) remarked that the result was a sign that Footscray had matured and loomed as a new power in VFL Football and that their defence, with the return of Ted Whitten, would command respect.
Match Report
Read the Argus 25-May-1953 p12 : http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23246462
Scores
| Footscray | 2.2 (14) | 5.3 (33) | 8.5 (53) | 10.6 (66) |
| Fitzroy | 0.0 (0) | 0.0 (0) | 0.0 (0) | 1.0 (6) |
| Margin | FO by 14 | FO by 33 | FO by 53 | FO by 60 |
See http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1953/060719530523.html
Teams
Footscray
Fitzroy
Last Minute change of Magee for Simpson (The Age 25-May-1953, p12)
Photos
Argus 25May1953 p11 WesternOval - Photographer Unknown
|
TheAge 25May1953 p14 - Photographer Unknown
| |||
The Age 25May1953 p14 WesternOval - Photographer Unknown
|
Footscray v Fitz1953 p149 The Bulldog Heritage - Historical Player Register - Western Bulldogs Forever Foundation 2010 Adjusted
| |||