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Combinado del Pacífico 1933-34

West Ham United entertain illustrious visitors from

South America

"Combinado del Pacífico" toured Europe from September 1933 to February 1934

West Ham United had made a decent enough start to the 1933/34 Football League Division Two campaign, winning four and drawing two of their opening nine matches to sit seventh in the table by mid-October.

Perhaps the most encouraging thing about the Hammers’ season so far was the number of goals the team was scoring – 25 in just nine matches up to that point. At the grand old age of 36, Vic Watson – West Ham’s all-time record goal-scorer – was still banging them in, netting nine, while Tommy Tippett had five to his name. Jackie Morton had scored three times, while Jim Barrett, Len Goulden and Jack Landells had netted twice apiece.

PERU CHILE

While promotion to Division One was the priority following a disappointing 20th-place finish in 1932/33, West Ham took time out from league action for a very special challenge match played at the Boleyn Ground on October 16, 1933.

A team called "Combinado del Pacífico" toured Europe from September 1933 to February 1934.

West Ham United 2 - 2 Peru-Chile XI

West Ham United:

Jack Rutherford, Alfred Chalkley, Albert Walker, Edward Anderson, Jim Barrett, Joe Cockroft, Jimmy Wood, Jack Landells, Vic Watson, Tommy Tippett, Jackie Morton

Peru-Chile XI:

Juan Valdivieso, Arturo Fernandez, Antonio Maquilon, Eduardo Astengo, Vicente Arce, Alberto Denegri, Roberto Luco, Eduardo Schneeberg, Alejandro Villanueva, Lolo Fernandez, Mario Pacheco

Referee: Mr F Ratcliffe

Everybody at West Ham was clearly looking forward to welcoming their South American visitors.

In a short article entitled ‘Monday’s attractive game’ printed in the official programme for the London Combination visit of Southend United Reserves two days before the big game.

“We understand that our South American visitors intend fielding their strongest side against us next Monday. It is their intention, they say, to make London remember their visit. It seems as if they have saved all their energy for a super-exhibition in the Hub of the World – London.

“For our part, we are taking no chances. British soccer has suffered quite enough shocks (England had lost to Scotland and drawn with Wales in the 1932/33 Home Championship) and our full League side will be turned out to meet them.

“Apart from the competitive and novelty sides of this meeting, there should be much to watch in the methods of this Chile-Peruvian XI and, who knows, perhaps much to learn?”

The article also helpfully revealed that the K Div Met Police Band would be playing the Chilean and Peruvian national anthems before kick-off, while tickets would be priced at five shillings".

The official programme for the friendly match itself featured a welcome in Spanish to ‘our friends’ from South America.

The team was a combination of Peruvian and Chilean players, mostly internationals. The majority of the squad were Peruvian, and dominated by players from Universitario, with reinforcements from Alianza Lima, Atlético Chalaco, and Colo-Colo. The European press reported the team under various names, for example "Peru-Chile XI", "South American Team" or "All-Pacific".

The side was captained by the gifted Chilean midfielder Guillermo Subiabre, who had represented his country at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam and the 1930 FIFA World Cup in Uruguay, where he had scored a group-stage winner against France and also in a 3-1 defeat by Argentina.

Lined up alongside Subiabre were no fewer than six members of Peru’s 1930 World Cup squad – goalkeeper Juan Valdivieso, defenders Arturo Fernandez and Antonio Maquilon, midfielder Eduardo Astengo, Placido Galindo and prolific forward Alejandro Villanueva, known as the ‘Peruvian Dixie Dean’.

Villanueva was such a legend in his homeland, where he is credited with inventing the bicycle kick, that his club Alianza Lima re-named their stadium in his honour following his death from tuberculosis at the age of 35.

Guillermo Subiabre

Juan Valdivieso

Antonio Maquilon

The fixture itself, the programme explained, had been made possible by a Mr Reginald Gubbins, an Irish emigrant who had settled in Peru and even launched an ambitious bid to become the country’s President.

Mr Gubbins’ brother Jack led the party of players and officials on their tour, which began with a 6,000-mile pan-Atlantic voyage from the Peruvian port of Callao to Liverpool.

It was clear the Hammers were anxious to avoid a defeat at the hands of their exotic opponents in a radio-gram sent from on board the steamer “S.S. Alkmaar” of the Royal Netherlands Steamship Co. bound for Liverpool, it read “Expect to arrive at Liverpool on September 26th. Have won games played at Colon by 5-1 and at Curacao by 7-0"

Lolo Fernandez

PLAYERS

From Universitario, Peru:

Juan Criado (GK)

Arturo Fernández (D)

Ricardo Del Río (D)

Eduardo Astengo (M)

Vicente Arce (M)

Alberto Denegri (M)

Plácido Galindo (M)

Enrique Landa (M)

Teodoro 'Lolo' Fernández Meyzán (F)

Carlos Tovar (F)

Pablo Pacheco (F)

Luis Emilio de Souza Ferreyra (F)

Alfredo Alegre (F)

From Alianza, Peru:

Juan Humberto 'Mago' Valdivieso Padilla (GK)

Carlos Alejandro Villanueva Martínez (F)

From Atlético Chalaco, Peru:

Antonio Maquilón (D)

Alfonso Saldarriaga (D)

From Colo-Colo, Chile:

Juan Montero (M)

Roberto Luco (F)

Eduardo Schneberger (F)

Alejandro Villanueva

Arturo Fernandez

Souvenir Flag presented to John Morton

With such playing riches at their disposal, West Ham would need their ‘full League side’ to keep their opponents at bay. With the threat of an unwanted defeat in mind, manager Charlie Paynter named a strong starting XI including Watson, Morton, Tippett, Landells and England international Jim Barrett.

In the first half the South Americans gave the Hammers a lesson in the finer points of football; excellent ball control and neat ground passing had the home side in a tangle. Following a pin-point pass in the 25th minute by Villannueva, Pablo Pacheco ran in a crashed the ball into the net for a half-time lead. After the break the Hammers infused more life into their play and were more dangerous. Within ten minutes Watson had levelled the count with a header from a Morton corner kick. On 73 minutes a clever reverse pass by Landells gave Jimmy Wood and easy opening for the second goal. Shortly before the end the Americans equalised from a free kick for hands. Carlos Villanueva gave a short pass to Roberto Luco who easily beat Jack Rutherford the Hammers’ ‘keeper.

Image courtesy of Jay Morton

Newspaper Sources:

The Times (London), The Manchester Guardian (Manchester), The Scotsman (Edinburgh),

Het Vaderland (Den Haag), El Mundo Deportivo (Barcelona), La Vanguardia (Barcelona),

The New York Times (New York City), Reichspost (Wien), Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad (Rotterdam).

"Combinado del Pacífico" 1933-34

DATE VENUE OPPONENT SCORE

11/09/1933

14/09/1933

01/10/1933

02/10/1933

04/10/1933

09/10/1933

11/10/1933

16/10/1933

25/10/1933

28/10/1933

29/10/1933

01/11/1933

11/11/1933

12/11/1933

18/11/1933

19/11/1933

24/11/1933

30/11/1933

04/12/1933

08/12/1933

17/12/1933

26/12/1933

06/01/1934

07/01/1934

13/01/1934

15/01/1934

18/01/1934

21/01/1934

25/01/1934

03/02/1934

09/02/1934

14/02/1934

17/02/1934

??/??/1934

0-7

1-5

1-1

2-1

3-0

6-1

2-2

0-3

2-1 40th anniversary Sparta Praha

2-2 40th anniversary Sparta Praha

2-1

3-1

2-2

2-2 Racing Club de Paris & Club Français

2-1

2-5

4-4

4-1

10-1

DRAW

1-1

2-1

3-1

2-3

0-2

3-1

2-2

0-3

0-1

1-1

1-7

1-0

1-2

0-0

Curaçao

Colón Rangers

Bohemian FC

Glentoran FC

Celtic FC

Heart of Midlothian

Newcastle United

West Ham United

Sparta Rotterdam

AC Sparta Praha

SK Slavia Praha

FC Bayern München

Berlin XI

Club Français

Paris "Entente" XI

SO Montpellier

OGC Nice

Côte d'Azur XI

FC Barcelona

Madrid XI

AS Saint-Étienne

US Pro Vercelli

Marino FC

Real Victoria

Marino FC

CD Tenerife

UD Salamanca

Athletic Las Palmas

CD Gran Canaria

Real Victoria

Marino FC

Sportivo

Real Victoria

CD Tenerife

UD Salamanca

Curaçao, Willemstad

Panamá, Colón

Irish Free State, Dublin

Northern Ireland, Belfast

Scotland, Glasgow

Scotland, Edinburgh

England, Newcastle

England, Upton Park

Netherlands, Rotterdam

Czechoslovakia, Praha

Germany, München

Germany, Berlin

France, Paris

France, Montrouge

France, Montpellier

France, Nice

Spain, Barcelona

Spain, Madrid

France, Saint-Étienne

Italy, Sanremo

Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.

Spain, Santa Cruz de Ten.

Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.

Spain, Salamanca

“We must confess that we did not expect such strong opposition from our South American visitors as that shown here last Monday. “There is no doubt that they are capable of playing very good football. Individually, some of the members of the side are extremely clever.

“It was pleasing to note that, although the winning of the game meant so much to them, and the prevention of their so doing so much to us, it was one of the cleanest possible.

“We were told by Mr Reginald Gubbins that the diplomatic side of the tour was really of much more importance than the football point of view.

“That being the case, we can assure him that as far as we are concerned, we shall retain most pleasant memories of their visit.”

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