The refereeing was not of the caliber that was expected from Walders; for his handling of the whistle was very slow and seemed to respond in a great measure from the requests of the spectators. His award of the second goal to Merchants was the result of an error first made in declaring Merchants offside in the penalty area, upon which first decision the Bethlehem halfbacks and forwards moved up the field expecting a kick-out from Ferguson. While in the act of moving forward, the Referee changed his mind and decided upon a toss-up between Ferguson and the forwards of the Merchants without notifying the remainder of the Bethlehem team or giving them any opportunity to assist in the defense of the goal.
The penalty kick taken by Fleming was ordered rekicked upon the basis of a claim that one of the Bethlehem players overstepped the penalty line prior to Fleming taking the kick, which violation was denied by the player and not noticed from the sidelines.
Merchants won the toss and Easton kicked off for Bethlehem but the Merchants half backs broke up the attack and Duncan was soon called upon to save a long shot from McGhee. Bethlehem's left wing broke away but Spaulding intercepted Fleming's cross, and play was transferred to the other end. Collier and Ferguson were steady and the ball was kept clear of the danger zone. A good pack through center by Campbell looked dangerous but Spaulding was too quick for Easton and a good chance to score was lost. Merchants now took up the attack and in a mix-up in front of goal during which Duncan was upset, Bart McGhee opened the scoring for Merchants from close range. Bethlehem protested the decision, claiming McGhee was offside but the referee ruled otherwise. The Steel Workers now seemed to wake up but the finishing was poor and it was not until the closing minutes of the first half that Bethlehem equalized, a shot from Fleming doing the trick from twenty yards range. No further scoring took place and the first half ended with the score tied at one goal each.
Both teams started off in determined fashion it looked as if a real contest would be witnessed in this half but after a few minutes play the game settled down to spasmodic attacks by both forward lines and the defense of both teams seemed to be too much for the attack, with the result that long exchanges by the fullbacks became a feature. After twenty minutes play Sattethwaith scored for Merchants after the referee had reversed his decision on an offside play. The goal came as a big surprise to all and the Merchants were now play[ . . .] hold their lead. Bethlehem took up the attack in earnest [ . . . ]like scoring at any minute, but Baggs in good form, stopped several good tries by Forrest, Easton and Fleming. A penalty awarded to Bethlehem for Campbell's handling looked good for the visitors and Fleming drove the ball into the net for the second goal but to the surprise of players and spectators alike the referee refused to allow the point. The kick was taken again by Fleming and this time he completely missed the goal. Merchants now seemed elated by the fortunate break and in a rush in front of goal during which Campbell and Collier seemed undecided as to who was in the best position to tackle Rohney the Merchants got their third goal through Rohney taking advantage of the momentary misunderstanding between Collier and Campbell. Duncan had no chance with the shot. Bethlehem now attacked with something like their former brilliance but the effort came too late to save the game, the best they could do being a goal from Forrest on a nice pass by Easton, in the closing minutes. Neither team had a chance to add to their scoring and a listless game ended in favor of Merchants by three goals to two.
Merchants -- Bethlehem
Babbs -- G -- Duncan
Spaulding -- RFB -- Collier
Campbell -- LFB -- Ferguson
Kirkpatrick -- RHB -- Murray
Napier -- CHB -- Campbell
Rusell -- LHB -- Corrigan
Andrews -- OR -- McKelvey
Satterthwaite -- IR -- Sturch
Rooney -- CF -- Easton
J. McGhee -- IL -- Forrest
B. McGhee -- OL -- Fleming
Final score -- Merchants 3; Bethlehem 2. Goals made by -- B. McGhee, 2; Satterthwaite, Easton and Fleming. Referee - -John Walders. Times of halves -- 45 minutes. Linesmen -- Knig and Pepper.