Mexborough & Swinton Times, April 4, 1908

The Home Record Gone
Rotherham Town’s Hard-Won Points.

Denaby Utd 2 Rotherham Town 2

One of the finest “gates” seen at Denaby this season watched on Saturday one of the finest games seen at Denaby this season. The visit of Rotherham Town aroused extraordinary interest in the district, largely because of the direct bearing of the result upon the Midland League championship.

About 3,000 people watched the kick-off, and of these fully 800 came from Rotherham, while there was a considerable proportion of Mexboro’ Town’s supporters present. Rotherham Town’s team was much as usual, but Denaby, by reason of the lack of a reliable centre-forward, was carved about a little. It was, however, the same team which defeated Nottingham two days previously, with the exception that Beard was dropped, and Hofton came back to his old position, thus letting in Moseley at centre-forward once again. Denaby won the toss and attacked the Colliery goal, with a powerful sun behind them. The teams were as follows:—

Denaby Utd: Hancock; Lawley and Marshall; Nimrod, Kelly, and Hofton; Blackburn, Bennett, Moseley, Dyal, and Ball.

Rotherham Town: Micklethwaite; Beevors and Eaton; Palethorpe, Robinson, and Bratley; Marr, Lumb, Cowell, Shearman, and Tasker.

Rotherham opened with a burst on the left, Lawley, however, stopping Tasker neatly. Then the Denaby left got going, only for Ball to make a mess of a clever pass from Dyal. However, Denaby could not be held, despite clever work by Robinson, and away they went, Ball troubling Eaton sorely. The ball came across from Bennett, who centred neatly for Moseley to bring down Micklethwaite with a really smart shot. The ball was nicely cleared. But Hofton met it and smashed it back. Micklethwaite being hopelessly beaten inside two minutes. With the sun dead behind them, Denaby were going strong, and a scrimmage in front of Micklethwaite might easily have resulted fatally for Rotherham.

The Clifton Lane and made a feeble effort, but Lawley and Kelly held them well. Denaby again got away, but a badly judged centre by Bennett. Them. A free kick, not far out, look bad for Rotherham, but Lumb charged down Hofton’s shot, and the chance was missed.

Then Rotherham came very night scoring. Lawley made a bad slip. Marshall followed it up by heading onto Lumb’s knee, and the old Mexborough man pushed forward towards the open goal. He was overtaken by often, and knocked off the ball, but Carol had taken up the running, shooting straight at Hancock, who cleared the face of the old crowd of Rotherham’s forwards – very close thing.

By now some little feeling was introduced into the game, but by players and spectators, and the referee cautions Lumb and dealing gently but firmly with Rotherham linesman, was a very unpopular referee for the moment.

Lumb hereabouts distinguished himself some pretty manoeuvring but Kelly and Holston were generally too much for him. At the other end to splendid polls by Dale brought the ball well into position, only for the same player to put well over.

Hereabouts, however, the visitors, especially on the left, were showing excellent form, and a corner given away by Hofton, let them in. Several times the whole front line got going, only to be stopped by Marshall. A free kick did them no good, and the ball went to Hofton, who placed neatly to the wing, from whence the ball flashed in and out ‘of Micklethwaite arms like lightning. The ball travelled quickly to the other end, and smart work by Lumb let in Marr, when the game was stopped for injury to Hofton. Rotherham, however, were persistent, and on the restart pressed the Denaby defence right to the goal-mouth, where Cowell got in a, murderous shot which Hofton luckily got in. the way of. However, the ball came out to Lumb, who made no mistake, but banged the ball hard home a few minutes from the interval. Denaby played up desperately, and Micklethwaite had some anxious moments, especially when Kelly sent in a shot of his own particular brand, with all the players round the goal. He saved cleverly at the expense of a corner, and by great good fortune managed to get rid of a beautiful flag kick from Blackburn.

At half-time each side had one up, and the heavy Rotherham contingent, who evidently had considerable respect for Denaby’s prowess, were, of course, in high good humour.

The Town were early aggressive in the second half, and Robinson was only just wide with a flying kick, which looked all over a scorer. Tasker also had a go but he was well wide. Rotherham came again, but Lumb hindered Shearman when the latter had a good opening and an excellent chance of obtaining the lead again. Coming up, Blackburn served Ball with a good centre, but the ball went out off Micklethwaite fist. The resultant corner-kick bringing nothing material. But Blackburn was up and doing, and he provided Bennett with an opportunity of putting in the best centre of the day, Ball making a desperate, but ineffective attempt, to breast the ball through.

Making headway, Rotherham went to the other end, and Shearman forced a corner, the kick coming to nothing. Then commenced a vigorous battle between the Denaby backs and the opposing forwards, and much heavy punting was done until the play settled down in the Town area. Now some really exciting play was seen. Blackburn kept whipping in shots for the players to scramble over, and away behind Nimrod and Kelly were feeding like stokers. Nimrod once Nimrod once had a shot on his own, which was only saved by the marvellous witness of the goalkeeper Micklethwaite, who, flinging himself at the ball, struck the post with his head, and saved his side. Confusion between Blackburn and Ben nett, spoiled an excellent opening, which had been made by the winger, and Dyal a moment later headed on to the net. It was Rotherham’s turn now, and Shearman, racing to the other end, scored a magnificent goal from the 25 yards’ distance, probably the best goal seen on the Denaby ground this season. Hancock followed it all the way, and yet he was beaten, from the moment it left the ground to the moment when the ball, swerving round his head, found the top corner of the net. The jubilation of a thousand elated Rotherham_ sportsmen was short-lived. Denaby got going, and Dyal, twisting round sent across to Ball, who, meeting the oars_ who, meeting the pass, banged the ball home from 30 yards’ distance—a wonderful shot. Tremendous excitement now prevailed. Even the players were infected, and Denaby were too flurried to rush the ball in when success seemed certain.

Denaby were now putting in all they knew, and were bearing down the Rotherham defence in their strenuous endeavour to save the home record. With two minutes to go, Bennett got possession and centred bang in front. Moseley flung himself at the ball and encountered Micklethwaite instead, being knocked out for the moment.

So Denaby’s last chance bad gone, their home record was broken, and the game ended.