Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 29 March 1913
Beaten at Bramall Lane
Sheffield United Reserves 6 Denaby United 0
Denaby have had a very heavy holiday programme. On Saturday they were again away at Bramall Lane, where they came in for a pretty heavy slogging.
Denaby have some painful memories of things done to them in Sheffield, and Saturday’s game with the United Reserves did not show them in any better light.
Raybould, who has played indifferently at centre-forward, was tried at outside-left. Calladine, who has given a couple of decent shows at outside-left, was drafted into the centre to make room for Jack at outside-left, the latter having been in and out of the team this season in delightfully uncertain fashion.
It was a poor attendance which watched a not very inspiring game. The United got five of their six goals in the first half and two of them inside of the first five minutes. Indeed, Cheetham was through the Denaby defence in the first two minutes, and was immediately followed by Leafe.
A Glimpse of Denaby
Then came an interlude with Denaby prominent, and Joe Livesley was hard put to to keep out Lang. At this period Denaby put in some really good work, and had they had the necessary touch of luck, it is possible that they would have managed to challenge the United goal better.
Then Jack Westwood gave away a penalty, and although United failed to take advantage of it, Lindley shooting against the bar, it was discouraging to the team to see such slackness in their captain, and it was not surprising that a moment later Leafe put on the third goal with a very good shot indeed.
Denaby Plugging Away
Denaby plugged away hopefully for a time, but it was obvious that they were outplayed, and soon they were another goal under, Morris scoring with a good shot, which glanced in off an opponent.
Lindley gave them a fifth goal, and that was the position at the interval. The weather conditions were all against good football, but Denaby showed their best form in the second half. They always gave one the impression that they were a losing side, quite apart from the heavy score standing against them.
This notwithstanding, they were triers, and with Blackburn in form it was possible to make some sort of a recovery. Towards the end of the game they were undoubtedly the better team, and Joe Livesley alone kept them out with some very smart goalkeeping.
Smedley at the other end managed to get the ball into the net again, but he was declared off-side. Number six was eventually made up by Cheetham in the closing stages, and Denaby retired well and worthily beaten.
Ex-Bramall Lane In Form
Their defence was solid indeed, and came out of the game fairly well, despite the heavy score against them. Swinbourne and Jackson played a sturdy game on the Denaby side, and it was a curious coincidence that the two ex-United men, Jackson and Lang, put up the best show.
By the way, why will those Sheffield papers persist in giving Lang the Christian name of “Jimmy”? His godfathers and godmothers had quite a different idea on the subject.
Denaby’s weakness was that they did not adapt themselves to the conditions, and instead of slinging the ball about they stuck to it as if it were a nicely-spiced hot-cross bun. Their close combination was smashed up every time, and Livesley in consequence had only long shots to deal with.
A goalkeeper of Livesley’s class wants something hotter than that sort of thing to make him wince. Blackburn played well for Denaby, and so did Jack Westwood, despite the mistake he made in the first half, which might have given the United an extra goal.
Denaby did not expect to win, but they might have figured to better advantage in the final score had they adopted different methods.