Denaby Utd – Denaby 1 Scunthorpe Reserves 4 – Scunthorpe Were a Tough Proposition

April 1956

South Yorkshire Times April 21, 1956

Scunthorpe Were a Tough Proposition

Denaby United 1 Scunthorpe Reserves 4

Denaby United gave a workmanlike performance against Scunthorpe’s reserves in Monday evening’s Midland league match at Tickhill square, and though they were beaten 4-1, the result could easily have been 4-3.

Each Scunthorpe goal followed a long period of Denaby activity in the Scunthorpe half, and the two goals United missed were the result of failure to convert a penalty after 71 minutes, and a shocking bit of bad luck three minutes earlier one, when with the goalkeeper Malan out of his goal and grounded, the ball was first hit against the post, leaving its muddy imprint as a mark of a fortune, then against the crossbar, then into the net only to be nullified. The referee had pointed to the centre but a linesman’s flag intervened. It was in this goal mouth scramble that Gray was injured and later had to have three stitches inserted in the wound above the right eye. Scunthorpe themselves should have had a goal in the first minute when Davies crossed the ball in front of the Denaby goalmouth and first Callan, then Fawcett, then Jones – running together in a line, failed to meet it and turn it into the net.

Left No Doubt

Let’s get one thing straight: Scunthorpe left no doubt about the worthiness of their high-ranking Midland league position. They were one of the liveliest sides we have seen at Tickhill Square for many a long week: those lightning bursts were electrifying. Rain which made the surface shocking in the second half slowed the tempo a little, but they were always dynamite in spite of a long siege laid on the Scunthorpe half by a Denaby side reduced at the 68th minute to 10 men – and one of those 10, Morgan – limping badly. By and large Morgan has done a grand job of work for Denaby, but he has been playing under the handicap of a pulled muscle for the last two months – a job cheerfully undertaken to help out the side at this difficult backlog period.

The game saw the unusual position of two centre half’s operating at centre forward Barnes played there in the first half, Gray switched from centre half to centre forward in the second half and Barnes returned to his rightful position. Gray made a somewhat better job of it – but there were only near goals.

Jones got the first Scunthorpe goal after 29 minutes following the first serious slip Gray had made up to that time, and Horsted’s lightning burst brought the second, scored by Callan after 34 minutes. Two minutes before half-time Callan was grounded unfairly and Jones converted the penalty.

A Flying Start

Duggan and Gray between them made the goal scored by Morgan after 48 minutes, a fine start to the second half by United. In the 68th minute came the three near misses and Gray’s departure. After 71 minutes Paulson was brought down and Flint took the penalty. Milan saved his shot. And six minutes from time, and one of the rare occasions we had seen Scunthorpe in attack this half, Davies scored Scunthorpe’s fourth goal. Minutes later Smethurst distinguished himself with a brilliant save of what looked like another “cert.”

Both teams played themselves to a standstill in this game. It must have been extremely hard going in the second half on such a surface, and if it was cheerless to United supporters for lack of points, it was certainly a game worth watching. And few would grudge Scunthorpe the verdict.

In response to a request from Lincoln. Denaby’s match with City reserves at Denaby on Monday, April, 23rd, will now be played at Denaby on Thursday, April 26. (K. O. 6.30)