One might attribute this success to the finding of the right combinations brought about by the lending of old Fall River standbys with former Bostonian talent and native developed products. For that is really the makeup of Fall River this season.
Weeding but where improvement was needed, regardless of how drastic was the pruning, Sam Marks did a good job in rebuilding his organization, injecting plenty of young blood with that of the veterans retained as a nucleus.
In scanning the personnel of the Fall River Club one is impressed by the blending of talent recruited from the sandlots in and around Fall River and players from other former clubs of the league.
Reder, the goalie, is a youngster who is a native developed product, and will be recalled as playing a sensational game at goal against Bethlehem in a National Cup tie game here last season when the new professional custodian sported the colors of the Walsh-Chevrolet team. To make room for Reder, Fall River disposed of such veterans as Findlay, Kerr and Harper, always rated as "top-notchers."
McGill, one of the backs, is a veteran of Fall River for several years, while McAuley, the left back, is a native of Canada and starred for Providence before being snared by the league leaders. McAuley is a player of the eccentric type, but well handled by the Marksmen, is displaying real skill, of which he is capable.
On the halfback line McPherson is a Fall River veteran of many years, noted for his accuracy in passing, while Priestly, the center half, is an old Boston player who recently joined the club and being of robust physique, is a glutton for work, never seeming to tire, no matter how hard the pressure might be. On the left wing is Bobby Ballantyne, one of the famous Ballantyne brothers, also a former Bostonian and claimed to be one of the best halfbacks in the country.
The arrangement of the forward line, rated by some critics as the best in the country, evenly balances the team. Alec McNab is the outside right, a player who it will be readily recalled figured in a peculiar deal last season when he was traded from Brooklyn to Boston and shortly after the negotiations suddenly appeared in a Fall River uniform. Gonsalves, a forward of great physique but a wonderful player, nevertheless, is one of the two home products on whom the team relies for goals. The other is Patenaude, the center forward, who, since he became a professional, rates with the leading centers produced in America and placed on a par with players of the caliber of Archie Stark, Davy Brown and several more of the veterans doing professional duty in major league soccer in this country. His goal-scoring ability is strongly reflected in the fact that at present he is the leading individual goal-getter in the Atlantic League.
The forward line is completed with McCawley, one of Philadelphia's aggregation of "fighting Irish" of several seasons back, who plays inside left, and "Tec" White, a very clever right wing forward.
This is a brief description of the team which will come here on Saturday afternoon, not only as the league-leading club, but as a team undefeated this season. George Young will referee.
The turnout will hardly equal the thousands who would be attracted to this game if played on the home grounds of Fall River at Tiverton, R. I., but with the great interest manifest throughout the Lehigh Valley and more distant points it is most certain that the game will be played before a record crowd.