Victorian Soccer Season Files - 1923

By 1923, the Melbourne Metropolitan League was back to being a two division affair, as well as having a reserves league divided into two sections. The league and cup double was completed by St Kilda, who featured the notable Maurice Vandendriessche in their ranks. Their record was as follows:

St Kilda's stuttering finish to the season saw them have to win the league the hard way, via a Championship Play-Off that went to a second replay. As they and Footscray Thistle had finished on equal points, the Play-Off was decided as being a preferred way of determining a champion, ahead of using either goal average or goal difference. At the bottom of the table Northumberland and Durham United, the 1919 champions, were relegated. With second and third last Windsor and Melbourne Thistle also finishing on equal points, it was ruled that they would also face off in a Relegation Play-Off.

The Relegation Play-Off was full of drama, with Thistle deeming the ground unfit and refusing to play the game. Windsor kicked off, scored a goal and claimed a 1-0 win, and though the inference in the newspapers was that the result would stand, a second game was staged the following week. This time Windsor won 2-1, but Melbourne Thistle claimed that Windsor's W.Smith has moved to another club that season and was ineligible. There is no evidence of another play-off being held, and Thistle remained in Division One in 1924 while Windsor went down to Division Two.

Having defeated Preston 1-0 to clinch the Dockerty Cup Final, St Kilda blew a lead in the league with two successive losses to that side in September to end the season. This saw them joined by Footscray Thistle, necessitating the Championship Play-Off. After a 2-2 draw, then a goal-less one, the Saints finally emerged triumphant with a 2-1 win at the Coburg ground (Merlyston).

Spotswood bounced back from being relegated in 1922 to win the Second Division by a point from Newport. Though not all results can be found, a report noted after a late season win that Yarra Falls had captured the championship of their league (Reserves League Section B). From the results available it is most likely that Northumberland and Durham United A won the Reserves League Section A title.

There were a few results missing from Division One, but publication of the league table in The Age made one of them easy to work out. The latter missing results have been worked out by comparing known results to the tables and matching against fixtures.

In Division Two there were more results missing. There is a final table (complete), which does not come from Trove so I assume I found it in The Sun. That allowed a few results to be worked out, but there are still some missing.

In Division One, Footscray Thistle's 5-1 win over Albert Park in the final round was the most goals scored in a game and equal with 4-0 wins by St Kilda over them, Northumberland and Durham United over Windsor and Brunswick over Melbourne Thistle for the biggest winning margin. Hat-tricks for Morris (Albert Park) v Preston and Maxwell (Windsor) v Preston were the most goals scored in a game. Maxwell finished the league's leading scorer with 12 goals.

So here it is:

Victorian Soccer Season 1923

Also I've made a file for the reserves league:

Victorian Soccer Season Reserves 1923