Leyton's defence and although beaten twice before the finish by Reid and Edwards, they were in no way disgraced.Hatton was the most conspicuous of the Ironworks forwards, while Dove, Neil, Dandridge and Chisholm all played well in defence with goalkeeper Furnell having a very easy task." — TAM, Morning Leader, 6 October 1897.There was a two-week break from fixture commitments before Thames Ironworks briefly resumed their FA Cup involvement in the third qualifying round. On 16 October 1897, they faced St Albans and lost the game 0–2. Disappointment soon faded, and it was perhaps in the third London League game away to champions 3rd Grenadier Guards, that "The Irons" found real belief in their ability to challenge for the London League. The managed to win 1–0 against a team who had beaten them 4–1 and 5–0 during the previous season. On 27 November they faced Novacastrians F.C. in the first round of the London Senior Cup, which they won 1–0. The second round tie against 2nd Grenadier Guards was postponed after the Guards withdrew, and The Irons were granted a walkover. 1897 ended with "The Irons" top of the table and unbeaten in the London League, having only conceded five goals, three of them coming in a 3–3 thriller against local rivals Ilford. It was another game against Ilford F.C. that kicked off the new year on 1 January 1898. This time, in front of their home crowd, "The Irons" won 4–0. January continued in a similar vein with a 4–2 win against Stanley F.C. being quickly followed by their highest scoring game of the season on 15 January, when a 'ten goal thriller' against Bromley F.C. went The Ironworks' way 7–3. On 22 January there was yet another game against rivals Ilford F.C., this time in the third round of the London Senior Cup. Revenge for their New Years Day's defeat was had, and Ilford triumphed over "The Irons" 3–1. After two draws in late February and early March, their impressive league run continued with a 5–1 against Bromley on 19 March, and a 3–1 home win against 3rd Grenadier Guards F.C. on 2 April. The penultimate fixture of the London League season was against second placed Brentford who were only one point behind "The Irons". The game caused much local interest, including a newspaper feature in the East Ham Echo'' prior to the game, containing an article on