Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 21 December 1912
Football in the Wind.
Denaby United 3 Lincoln City Reserves 4
The hurricane somewhat spoiled Denaby’s “gate” on Saturday on the occasion of the visit of Lincoln City Reserves, who were expected to provide the home team with a brace of points.
Expectations once again went astray, Lincoln licking the Colliers by the odd goal in seven after a game extremely interesting, despite the adverse conditions.
Denaby, as usual, seeking to put more vim into the attack, made changes in their forward rank, and Blackburn, whose brilliance of late has been considerably dimmed, was absent through an injury sustained in the cup-tie with South Kirkby on the previous Thursday.
Tim Peters came in at outside right, and young Clarke occupied the outside left berth, while Lang once again took up the duties of centre forward.
The game had not long been in progress when Denaby, with the wind hustling them, were making things extremely hot for the Lincoln defence, in which Strong did not belie his name, and was an active spoiler of many well-intentioned efforts.
Lack of Inches.
Denaby’s supremacy served but to illustrate their weakness this season, and it was again evident that the forwards as a line would be all the better for the introduction of players of bigger build.
The wind naturally kept the ball in the air, and, against a resolute defence, the lack of inches of the Denaby forwards proved a somewhat serious handicap.
Still, the pressure was so persistently maintained that Denaby were not long in booking the first goal. It had Lang’s signature to it, and was a characteristic effort.
Then, just as things were shaping nicely, Lincoln broke away, and with the Denaby back-division caught napping, Galeson took Miller’s forward pass and rushed on to score.
Heath’s movement to check him being made an instant too late.
Denaby again took up the role of attackers-in-chief, but could only get another goal before the interval, this point coming from Tim Peters, who was rushing about with the energy of the wind.
Denaby in this moiety certainly minimised their chance of victory, and ought, but for that bit of fatal slackness, to have crossed over with a clear two-goal lead at the very least.
The general opinion at half-time was that the home team had had stiff luck facing them.
Denaby on their Merits.
But the opening exchanges of the concluding moiety turned out somewhat different to anticipations, for Denaby, showing acute defensive tactics, often had the Lincoln forwards hopelessly offside, and their own attacks over and anon galloping away on dangerous raids that kept Strong and Co. on tenter-hooks.
For some twenty minutes Denaby held their own against the wind, but then came a bad mistake on the part of Jack Westwood, who on the far left fringe of the penalty area needlessly handled a harmless pass, and forthwith mulcted his side in a penalty, from which Hubbard put the “Imps” on level terms.
This was a bit of a “facer” for the home team, and altered the complexion of the game so thoroughly that ten minutes later Lincoln were two goals in front, Miller in each instance being the scorer from well-placed corner kicks, Heath, as in the case of the penalty, not having a ghost of a chance to save.
A Final Effort.
With a quarter of an hour to go, and what was a tremendous adverse balance, in the face of the existing conditions, Denaby seemed to have “shot their bolt,” but they rallied in a style reminiscent of palmy days, and repeatedly galloped in the teeth of the wind to harass the Lincoln goal in determined fashion.
Time and again they broke through, and at length Lang, with a lovely shot, reduced the arrears.
The closing stages saw Denaby sustaining their effort of enough the game out of the fire, or rather out of the wind, and both Raybould and Heath almost had Goldsborough beaten, the Lincoln goalkeeper twice just pushing the ball round the post.
Unlucky to Lose.
From the above details it will be seen that Denaby were more than a shade unlucky to lose.
Their forwards, in scoring three goals, may be said to have done well, and Lang showed a welcome revival in strong finishing efforts.
The pace he worked up and sustained throughout a hard-fought game was a revelation to those who had thought him played out.
For sheer impetus and virility he was only beaten by Tim Peters, who, however, did not mix his dash with judgment.
Raybould was hardly on the mark with his shooting, but Clarke worked very hard on his re-introduction as outside left.
Little fault could be found with the half-back line, in which “Rob” Hill is developing into a player worth keeping an eye upon. He has a faculty for intuition, and made good use of the ball whenever he was in possession.
Pattison, too, shapes better each time he turns out as centre half, while Jack Westwood wears remarkably well.
The backs, notwithstanding the quartet of goals put up against them, did well on the whole, Lincoln’s points coming off through the virtue of haphazard “snaps” which found their billet.
A Capture.
Heath is a distinct “find” for Denaby.
I know of no goalkeeper at present putting up a better game than his in the Midland League, and Denaby will be lucky if they can keep him long.
The reverse, unwelcome as it was, cannot be taken seriously, considering the unusual conditions, and in the circumstances, those who are wanting a line on which to make their Christmas bets on the Mexboro’ and Denaby games, cannot with any confidence take the visits of Lincoln to Mexboro’ and Denaby as a reliable criterion of the respective merits of the two teams.