South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 09 February 1952
Mansfield Won on Merit
Denaby Utd. 0, Mansfield Town Res. 2
Mansfield won this mud-bath on merit. They established an early tempo which Denaby successfully countered midway through the first half, but save for a final United “burst,” Mansfield cut out the work again in the second half.in the 44th minute when the first half slowed ever sign of remaining goalless, and Pearson, after an earlier mortifying slither when he had all the opportunity and all the room in the world to have scored, snapped in a beauty in the 57th minute to complete Mansfield’s victory.
The Mansfield defence, notably the half back line, played a grimly valiant part in their success, holding Denaby forward line who worked the ball well enough, particularly in the first half, but rarely got in a telling shot. Cooling, whose prompting took them so often into the picture in both halves, tried to show how with a gem of a rocket early in the second half. But there were no “takers.”
Sarson had a spell of bad luck in the first half when the most difficult ground surface—muddy, and in patches, frozen snowbound—denied a shot from a position as advantageous as Pearson’s and Revel was able to canter in, collect the ball and run it to safety before Bramley was even called on. Then Revel, later in the game, got a most opportune foot to a hard, low, Law drive which was deflected high into the air. Perhaps if one of these chances had gone right for United we might have seen more goals, for Rowney and Wheatley were often on the scene only to be “killed” by sound Mansfield rearguard.
Jones was often called on in serious Mansfield attacking and handled a difficult ball well. Harston has rarely played a harder all-out game.
Considering a ground surface which churned up badly in the second half, it was surprisingly good football, watched by a very thin gate.
Denaby will be unchanged for their visit to Mansfield on Saturday, fielding Jones, Harston, Williams, Cooling, Lee, Surtees, Wheatley, Law, Sarson, Rowney, Wilkinson. Reserve, Hibbert.