Mexborough & Swinton Times April 26th
Slipshod Football.
Denaby Lose Last Home Match.
Denaby Utd. 2. Sutton Town 3
Denaby concluded their home programme on Monday evening in sad fashion, losing their fifth successive home game. Their visitors were Sutton Town whom they defeated at Sutton somewhat unexpectedly on Easter Tuesday. Only Picknett of the regular forwards turned out, and Rhodes was missing from the half-back line. Sutton were without Armstrong, Davis and Hamilton.
A small crowd watched a game that belonged very clearly to the end of the season. What little good football was played did not come from Denaby, who played in lackadaisical, slipshod fashion. They made but poor attempts at combination, and their shooting was terribly weak. The defence was very slack, and after only about seven minutes, Taylor allowed Mosley to run through, place the ball across accurately, for BROOKS to turn it easily past Bromage. PICKNETT, who alone of the forwards gave the Sutton defence much trouble, dribbled through alone to the Sutton goal.
Sutton the scored twice more before Denaby were presented with a gift goal, the Sutton right back, Clifford, turning a centre into his own goal.
Denaby had plenty of chances of equalising the scores, and for that matter of gaining a very comfortable lead, but had no skill or steadiness in front of goal, and Rose rarely had anything to make him exert himself. Near the end, Sutton again made some dangerous raids, Brooks once got clean away. Bromage ran out as a last resort to meet him, and succeeded in smothering his shot and clearing smartly. But no further goals came from either side.
Denaby were at their worst. The much reshuffled side had no understanding, but played disjointed, spiritless football. The forward line was weak. “Smith” the centre-forward, like the “Brown” of a fortnight ago, will not be heard of again.
Damms lounged easily about the field, and occasionally tapped the ball. Cooper expended a lot of energy in trying to retrieve bad passes, and in screwing the ball now and then into the Sutton goalkeeper´s hands. Cooper not infrequently made noteworthy efforts on the other wing, but was often too slow in centring. Pickenett ran about fiercely, fetching and carrying, and essaying the impossible task of infusing some spirit and cohesion into to attack. Chambers tried to adopt the role of “last hope” on numerous occasions, trying to dribble through the whole of the opposing defence on his own. Behind Taylor and Bisby kicked rather carelessly, and when they did get plenty of boot behind the ball, generally sent it right on to Sutton backs. Bromage appeared to be a little slow in getting to the shot with which Greatorex scored, but could otherwise hardly be blamed for the visitors´ success.
Sutton deserved their victory if only for their more methodical play, their better spirit, and their prompt seizing of some of the fewer chances that came their way. The outstanding man of the game was Greatorex, who was a clever and tireless forward, who did a lot of foraging and helping of his halves, showed sparkling footwork, and opened out the game well. Brooks was a good leader of the line, and the halves and Hart were sound in defence. Clifford was the one really weak spot of the visitors´ team. Teams:
Denaby United: Bromage; Taylor and Bisby; Chambers, Illingworth and Hill; Spencer; Picknett; “Smith”; Damms and Cooper.
Sutton Town: Rose; Clifford and Hart; Slack; Thorpe and Severn, Cutts, Greatorex, Brooks, Bowell and Mosley.