7th Jun 1931 Aarhus 0 Partick Thistle 5 (Friendly)

matches:1930-31: ← 50game 5101 →

?	Donald Turner	50y, 4m, 7d

	?
	?

	John Torbet (1-0, 23 mins); John Simpson (2-0, 28 mins); John Simpson (3-0, 50 mins); Johnny Ballantyne (4-0, 52 mins); John Torbet (5-0, pen 70 mins)


?	Johnny Jackson	25y, 6m, 9d
?	?
?	?
Hermann Brügmann	Bobby Grove	28y, 6m, 28d
Bruhn	James McAllister
Andersen	?
Rohde	Davie Ness	28y, 9m, 23d
Heeno	?
Petersen	John Simpson	23y, 4m, 5d
?	Johnny Ballantyne	31y, 7m, 11d
?	John Torbet	27y, 8m, 13d

		27y, 7m, 4d

notes

Olympic athlete Hermann Brügmann (also a footballer with Viborg FF) played as a guest for Aarhus. See 'Gallery' tab for photo.
This club is 'Aarhus FC' (1929-1938), the phoenix club of 'B 1921 Aarhus'. Tried and failed to compete with 'Aarhus Gymnastikforening' with whom they shared a stadium. Lost a play-off to reach the top flight in 1934 and went downhill from there. The club was disbanded in 1938, and the football department became part of Aarhus 1900.
We've translated the third goal scorer (“centre forward”) as John Simpson and the fourth scorer (“inside left”) as Johnny Ballantyne. Ballantyne had played inside left in the ten known preceding matches, and we know that he was in the touring party as he played in the Frem game 5 days earlier. We've been similarly bold in making the educated guess that the penalty kick would be taken by John Torbet, who was the automatic choice of the day.

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TTA report

The tour finished in constant rain with Thistle playing well within themselves - almost like an exhibition - against a poor team. Torbet tucked away a low cross by Ness (23) and Simpson shot home (28). Two “beautiful goals“ (50 and 52, scorers probably Simpson and Ballantyne) made it 4-0 then a penalty for hand ball (70, scorer possibly Torbet) made for a stroll in the mud.

Media report

08-Jun-1931, Aarhus Stiftstidende (a loose translation thereof)

PARTICK THISTLE WON 5-0 AFTER A GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE. Yesterday the rainy weather washed several kroner out of the Aarhus football club's coffers. No more than approximately 1,200 spectators for the match against the Scottish team Partick Thistle. If the weather had been good there would probably have been 500 more and the event would have been a success.

THE SCOTS WERE GOOD ENOUGH. The sporting result of the match was even further from success than that economic. It wasn't the Scots to blame for they formed an excellent team. Their handling of the ball was often like that sensitive as a violinist's grip. They could play triangles with their backs facing each other and the backlash was so certain that one should think they had eyes in the back of their necks although the style was not entirely Scottish such as the Rangers. What was wrong about the match was that AFC did not manage to resist by no meaning whatsoever. The consequence became that Partick Thistle admittedly gave a beautiful display but it happened not in combat and it all looked like a slow film.

PARTICK THISTLE WERE IN HOLIDAY SPIRIT. The Scots won 5-0 but it could have been far more. Perhaps they thought it was shame to further denigrate the hosts but their nonchalance seemed almost insulting. They often walked around smiling with their hands behind their backs and you could clearly see that a player like Grove on the inner-right was embarrassed when he had to run. But if preserves it was not necessary either. However, the ineffective and excessively fair game against the goal man that Partick Thistle delivered yesterday is not the game in England either, no, the Scots were in holiday mood. Centre-forward Simpson was hardest working. He was always excellently positioned, and it was not a few times he rushed through the defence and scored. It is indicative of the English perception of the centre-forwards problem that the Partick Thistle finds Simpson too eager and wants a more assertive man in this position. The famous Centre-halfback McAllister, you didn't think much of him. He hobbled around with a bad leg and yet you got such an impression of him that you might well think he might be a real fighter.

AFC FAILED MISERABLY. AFC's performance was below any imaginable low level. It must be admitted to the Aarhus players that they met the Scots under very unfortunate circumstances. It rained heavily throughout the match so the pitch was heavy and difficult to stand on and the ball was constantly sliding. It was just the weather Partick Thistle, who are used to something like this and possess exactly the balance in the body and well-practiced ball handling that comes into its own under such circumstances but even this does not excuse the AFCs. In any case, they could have met with their boots on properly so they could stand firm and they could also have fought quite differently than they did. When they felt that the Scots were playing with them they should have left. Yesterday AFC fooled the public for any hint of a fight. Viborg man Herman Brugmann was the only honourable exception. He ordered something and the whole hope of the audience was with him. Brugmann was probably the only one who had the speed to catch up with the guests. Bruhn and Andersen also followed quite a bit but they did not lay a big role.

THE SCOTTISH COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. The Scots started very cautiously and it soon became clear that if anything was come of the performance AFC had to settle for a goal or two, Brugmann was at the head of a corner kick from Heeno just about to take the Scots goalkeeper by surprise. As the Danes could do nothing, although the Scots game them an opportunity to take the lead, the foreigners had to do it themselves. There were many dangerous situations in front of AFC's goal but only in the 23rd minute did it go wrong. The Scottish half-wing Ness shot from an acute angle and the opposite wing TORBET put a toe on the ball and then hung it into the net. Five minutes later centre-forward SIMPSON got the ball in an excellent position and sent it is with a flat shot close to the post.

THE SCOTS SCORE AT WILL. Half-time became a pure Scottish instruction course. Partick was content to stroll and AFC seldom got in their way. In 50 and 52 minutes centre-forward and inner-wing managed to score a couple of beautiful goals. Later they played for a quarter of an hour then Rohde met the ball on the line with his hand and the Scots had a penalty they showed how something is done in its ideal execution. He went calmly to the ball and with the side of his left foot he sent the ball into goal 25 centimetres from the left post (70). Twice AFC came in on Partick's goal. Heeno fired a pretty good shot and Jackson had to make a real effort to get the ball out for a corner. The other chance was when Petersen pulled forward and was only a few metres from the goal, but his shot was a taunt against Jackson. Soon after, the final whistle blew for the least festive international match that has ever stood at the Aarhus Stadium and this event which was promised to be something the likes of which had never been seen is best served by sinking into the sea of oblivion.

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