Beginning the Year Well
Mexboro’ folk ought to be proud of the Mexboro’ Town team, and the Mexboro’ Town team ought to be proud of Mexboro’ folk. In short, to summarise the situation with one of Mr. Micawber’s bursts of confidence, both can commence the new year in the comfortable employment of mutual admiration.
On Friday, Mexboro’ Town met and defeated Denaby United’s Midland League team. That is why Mexboro’ folk should be proud of them. On the same day Mexboro’ supporters rallied round the club in the most loyal and patriotic manner, to such an extent that more than half the spectators on the Denaby ground were Mexboro’ folk. That is why the Town team should be proud of Mexboro’ folk, for the best thing which can happen to a football club, next to big and profitable gates at home matches, is a big and friendly gate on foreign soil.
The circumstances which led to Denaby United playing their Midland League eleven against Mexboro’ Town, although the match was only a Sheffield Association fixture, have already been explained, although I fear not to the full satisfaction of some Mexboro’ committee men, who still regard it as a deep-laid scheme, on the part of Denaby United, to deprive Mexboro’ of the chance of winning the Sheffield League championship, by way of revenge for the defeat Mexboro’ felt it their duty to inflict upon Denaby in the English Cup. It’s not possible to induce these persons to believe that the Denaby committee’s single, simple, and very natural object was to attract a gate, which the Denaby Reserve team never would attract if it tried twenty years.
However, to cut the “cackle.” If the Denaby committee had no unamiable or very sordid motive in slipping their first team against Mexboro’, the Denaby players had no intention of making Mexboro’ a present of the match. They went on the field determined to give the Sheffield Leaguers a drubbing if they could, and they believed they were able to do that. They regarded themselves, and were regarded by their friends, as a better side than that which Mexboro’ knocked out of the English Cup, and possibly they were. The most important equation of the problem, however, was the fact that Mexboro’ were also a vastly improved side, that they also knew it, and were prepared to prove it.
They did—and I come to the play at last. Denaby won the toss and kicked down what is called the slope at Denaby, although it is the flattest slope I have seen anywhere. Hakin started the ball, and the game was at once taken into Denaby quarters. Mexboro’ went into the play with a vigour and vim which astonished the crowd, and early on seemed to knock the vigour and vim out of the enemy. The game was less than five minutes old when Rodgers sent in a slanting shot which unfortunately struck the cross-bar, enabling Massey to clear from the rebound. Almost immediately Mexboro’ took it back, and Meakin had the mortification, with his first shot for Mexboro’, of placing the ball just outside the upright.
Nothing daunted, however, the Sheffield League team kept on trying, and when the Denaby forwards got going from the goal-kick, there was a prompt movement of halves and backs to break up their combination. Denaby’s idea of victory was not at this time abandoned, however, and after one rebuff they tried again, the result being a fast and very even game. Young man Tayles presently put away a hot shot from Nimrod, and Powell pulled up Reid just in time to prevent his clear course for goal.
There was plenty of incident in the game, but, as George Sheehan would say, “it did not develop.” A rattling attack by the Mexboro’ five saw Massey save smartly from Hakin, while just afterwards the McRodgers had another bit of hard luck by heading on to the cross-bar. So, with most of the play in Mexboro’s favour, but yet with the defence of the latter kept at full stretch, the first half-hour wore away, and there was nothing scored.
Then, after many good shots had failed to find the net, Mexboro’s winning goal came very simply and softly. The ball was bobbing about in an aimless kind of way in front of the Denaby goal, when it alighted at the foot of the slim McRodgers, who, more by way of speculation than otherwise, gave it a touch in the direction of goal. Lawley tried to divert it, but kicked over it, and Massey, dashing from the opposite side of the goal, was just too late to reach it. It was a very soft goal indeed, but the Mexboro’ half of the crowd accepted it gratefully, and made a bad crack in the welkin when they cheered.
Every effort was made to increase the score, and until half-time the Denaby defence had a very bad time. Porter and Lawley were repeatedly beaten, but stayings means got the better of Massey, who was not to be caught napping again, and when the interval arrived, with Mexboro’ leading by a goal to nothing, it was, so to speak, anybody’s game.
Denaby began afresh with considerable determination, and Tayles, with a bit of luck, got rid of a long shot from Chapman. Then Billy McBiggs set the forward line of the Sheffield Leaguers going again, and Massey charged suffered a fresh bombardment. The old Wednesday man, in quite his best style, caught a long shot from Rodgers and coolly threw away in the face of the onrushing forwards, and sturdy as a rock took the bumping which came as the result of a late effort to bundle him through with the ball.
For ten minutes the play ran in favour of Denaby, but the Mexboro’ defence were playing for keeps, and repeatedly cleared their lines. Biggs, by himself, was a tower of strength, and Hosey has probably never been tied up quite so completely as he was by the Mexboro’ skipper. None of the forwards were allowed to get a clear shot at goal, and if they had Tayles, by the style in which he did what work fell his way, showed he was capable of taking care of himself.
Time slipped by very comfortably, and still Mexboro’ kept their lead. Moreover, there were several times when an ace of increasing it. Meakin, once or twice got in some rattling centres, which Hakin tried to convert, and might have done had it not been for Massey.
The end came, as the end always will. Mr. Parkin, the active and intelligent referee, at length sounded his whistle, and Mexboro’ had won two Sheffield League points against a Midland League team, by one goal to nothing—which is “mix.”
It was a victory they had thoroughly earned, for they had been the team all through. Their forwards play was infinitely smarter than Denaby’s, and there was no comparison between the teams in the matter of defence. On the whole, the game was pleasantly contested, very little feeling was shown by the players, and what fouls there were were about evenly committed.
The man on the spot