Portsmouth F.C. v. Cowes
Portsmouth F.C. v. Cowes is a football result published in The Evening News (Portsmouth) on 11 january 1886.
Arthur Conan Doyle's team (Portsmouth Football Club) vs Cowes was a draw.
Arthur Conan Doyle played under the pseudonym "A. C. Smith".
Article
PORTSMOUTH F.C. v. COWES. — This Association match was played at North End on Saturday, and after being very keenly contested, resulted in a draw. To the surprise of the home club, the visitors included half of the redoubtable team of the 93rd Regiment (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders), from Parkhurst, with their captain as umpire; and as Portsmouth was not represented by its strongest eleven it was expected that the three crack forwards of the Highlanders would have secured a victory for the visitors, supported as they were, amongst others, by so safe and hard a kicker as McGinnick at full back. The borough club, however, played up well, and, having the best of the game, they also has one or two opportunities of scoring the winning shot, and if they failed to use them it was mainly in consequence of the hard and slippery state of the ground. Portsmouth, having been successful in the toss, had the benefit of the wind in the first "half," and after Edmonds had breasted the leather by the half-backs A. H. Godfrey, by a pretty dribble and a neat shot, obtained the first goal for Portsmouth. Soon afterwards, from a corner kick, followed by a little scrummage in front of the Cowes goal, J. H. Smith smartly headed the ball through, the home team being thus two goals to the good at half-time. In the second "half," with the wind, which blew stronger than ever, deal against them they were necessarily compelled to adopt more of a defensive game, though their forwards several times worked the ball down to the Cowes goal, and were unfortunate in not scoring. The 93rd forwards played in excellent form, their passing and dribbling leaving nothing to be desired, while they made several fine shots at goal, two rather lucky ones coming off and thus equalising matters. In the last few minutes of the match both sides made determined efforts to again score, though without avail. For Portsmouth A. H. Godfrey as centre dribbled in fine style, and R. E. Davies (captain), A. E. Kindersley, H. Brooks, Edmonds, and J. H. Smith (forwards) made some excellent runs and smart passes; W. O. Adames in his dashing play at half-back was well supported by Dawson; A. C. Smith and R. Hemingsley stuck to their work as full backs, the heavy kicking of the former being particularly serviceable; and Gibbins was as cool and alert as ever in goal. Next saturday the Club will have a members' match at North End, the players being afterwards entertained at high tea, to be followed by a smoking concert, by General Harward, one of their Vice-President.
