South v North

Regular readers of Sing Up The River End! will know that between 1921 and 1958, the Third Division of the Football League was organised on a regional basis. During part of the fifties, an annual match was played between players representing the two competitions, and in those four seasons a number of Norwich City stars turned out for the South :


16 March 1955 - Canary goalkeeper Ken Oxford kept a clean sheet as the South triumphed 2-0 in the game, which was played at Reading's Elm Park.

13 October 1955 - Ron Ashman played in the 3-3 draw at Accrington Stanley's Peel Park. The second half of the match was televised live on the BBC.

8 October 1956 - Norwich City's all time leading goalscorer Johnny Gavin was in the Southern side that won 2-1 at Highfield Road, Coventry. Former Canary Roy Hollis also played, though by that time he had become a Southend United player. The match was refereed by Arthur Ellis, remembered by many for his involvement with It's A Knockout in the seventies.

30 October 1957 - Roy McCrohan played in the 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park, with Roy Hollis again featuring.

The only match in the series without Norwich City involvement was on the 2nd of April 1957. The North won 2-1 thanks to a last minute goal from former Canary striker Alf Ackerman, by then of Carlisle United.

To be chosen to represent the Division was a well received accolade. Decent crowds of between ten and fifteen thousand suggests that fans enjoyed the occasions too. After 1958 of course, the lowest level of the Football League was split into Divisions Three and Four, therefore putting an end to these representative fixtures.
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