Titanic Articles: Titanic Linfield Football Match

1912, will always be remembered for the sinking of the Titanic in the North Atlantic after colliding with an iceberg on Sunday, 14th April.  Many of the men who built the ship had started the year in high spirits after attending a football match at Windsor Park, Belfast between English second division club, Nottingham Forest and Linfield.  The match resulted in a 2 to 1 victory for Linfield. The game that was played on Monday, 1st January was reported by The Belfast News-Letter next day.

"The visit of the famous English club to Windsor Park yesterday created a large amount of interest and there was a splendid attendance, but the fact that J. Hanna, the old Linfield custodian, could not play owing to injury occasioned keen regret. Apart from this, however, the visitors were at full strength but they proved no match for the Windsor Park brigade, who were strengthened for the occasion by Andrews of Glentoran and Ryder of Distrillery. The home men always had the balance of play, and had their forwards been at all good they would have scored at least five. The Englishmen apparently took things too much for granted, but the day is now past when the leading Irish League club can be trifled with and the blues 2 to 1 victory proves this. The most conspicuous players on the home side were McCandless, Houston, Ryder and Rollo"

Perhaps those involved in making plans for the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic would consider inviting these two teams to play in Belfast in 2012.