Southern League (Division One)
Team: Collins, Newlands, White, Bowman, Hitch, Freeman, Hamilton, Mayes, Brown, Blackwood, Wilson
Attendance: 4,000
On 6th December 1902, Rangers travelled to Watford. The following match report appeared in the Uxbridge & West Drayton Gazette a week later:
‘This game was played at Watford on Saturday before a sprinkling of spectators, and in fine but cold weather.
The teams were not at full strength, and at the last moment Watford had to take the field without Morgan, who had not recovered from a severe kick received last Saturday.
Proudfoot won the toss, and Brown started for the visitors against a slight breeze. Play at the outset was slightly in favour of Watford, and a good chance was lost from a centre by Eames.
Hands against Bowman gave the locals another opening, but Brown put behind and then at the other end Lyon relieved in neat fashion a breakaway by the Rangers.
Proudfoot was prominent in some mid-field play, and then from a fine centre by Tennant, he only missed by inches.
The Rangers now took up the running, and Brown was very clumsy in dealing with an open goal.
A foul against McAvoy relieved the pressure on the visitors’ citadel, but the locals returned to the attack again, and Munn shot into Collins’s hands. At half-time neither side had scored.
On resuming, Watford assumed the aggressive. Tennant swung across a fine centre which was not turned to account.
Wilson broke away, and from his centre Horner only partially cleared and Brown had little difficulty in putting the ball into the net.
The locals tried hard to make amends for this reverse, but failed to do so, and Brown scoring again, the Rangers won by two goals to nil.’
Steve Russell
(Thanks to Colin Woodley for unearthing the match report)