The Stoke players were given a sumptuous pre-match meal of plaice and by half time only 7 Stoke players were able to carry on-remember there were no subs in those days.
Even the club officials suffered and it was the famed Stoke goalkeeper, Leigh Richmond (Dick) Roose, who was in distress before the game started. Roose was a Welsh international who took advantage of the flexibility of the goalkeeping law which did not change until 1912. Prior to 1912 the goalkeeper could wander all over his half of the pitch with the ball in his possession, so long as he bounced the ball every four steps. Roose was usually a slippery fish in this case and was able to set up attacks a long way into the field.
But on this day Roose could only wander off the field into the lavs. After 10 minutes Stoke were a goal behind. The stand in goalie Meredith was very unhappy and let in three more.
At half time the busiest man was the Stoke director, Dr Moody, who treating his players, recognised signs of lead poisoning. He had not eaten the meal and was fit and healthy. Moody described his team's dressing room at half time, as a cabin on a cross-channel steamer in bad weather.
Stoke, honestly, resumed the second half with only 7 men- in these days a game has to be abandoned if a team cannot field 7 or more men? Stoke then had two gallant players return against Doctor's orders but this did not stop the Liverpudlians over running them.
Roose studied at Aberystwyth University and in London where he was known as a Doctor of Bacteriology, strangely enough.
The final score was 7-0, there were only 7 fit men on Stoke's team and Stoke went on to lose their next 7 matches. Nothing new there then?
Stoke Ramblers were formed by Old Carthusians (old boys of Charterhouse School) in 1863 when they were working locally on the North Staffordshire Railway. In 1868 Henry Almond, an OC, was mentioned in The Field, mentioning matches that the club, Stoke City, was playing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Richmond_Roose
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