Denaby Utd – Denaby 1 Worksop Town 1 – New Champions Held

8 April 1922

Mexborough and Swinton Times, April 8

New Champions Held.
Mudlarking at Denaby.
Worksop Lucky to Draw

Denaby United 1 Worksop Town 1

Denaby are certainly dead out of luck. One of their best home matches of the season was ruined by theworst sample of weather that we have struck this turn.A few minutesbefore the kick off the ground was hidden by a blizzard, and when this cleared off the playing piece was revealed as a poultice.

As the players came on the field, grounds staffwere trying to let the water out of the goals, with all the touching optimism of a Mrs Partington. The visit of Worksop Town should have been worth £150, but it did not amount to a third of that figure, though the Santa Rosa impact, and the crowd, that part of it that was under shelter, had enthusiasm enough for 10 times its size.

The teams met at Worksop a fortnight before, where Worksop won 2-0. It was in that match that Dick Coope received marching orders, and subsequently suspension lasting to the end of next September. On Saturday, he was playing his last match before the suspension. On the part of a small but vociferous section of the crowdmischevious interest was taken in the return meeting of Coope and Lilley, and they shouted stupid and worthy incitements, which Coope wisely and properly ignored.

The game was full of incident and the players combated the conditions with surprising skill. Denaby were by far the best mud larkers. They adapted themselves to the conditions, while Worksop slipped and staggered helplessly. Denaby, indeed, and the great chance of bringing off a resounding victory over the prospective champions, for they had quite 80% of the play and should have converted many good goals scoring openings in spite of Worksop´s steady defence.

For most of the first are matters went steadily Denaby’s way, and after Brown until very ably with capital shot is from Wilson, Brayshaw and Godfrey, Brayshaw went through onhis own, beat three men, and found the net with a tremendous shot close-up.

Denaby success came after 32 minutes, but the exultation of the home crowd was short lived. Amos fired in a lovely shot from the left wing and Ekins dealt with it in good style, but Worksop, came again, this time on the right and banks got across a low square centre, which Ekins fumbled, and before he could complete the clearance Lilley was up and had the ball in the net.

Denaby were disappointed at surrendering a point in a game which they had dominated so thoroughly, but they certainly did not miss the victory for lack of opportunity.

I thought they should have had a penalty on one occasion, when Brayshaw was brought down by Simmonite, but apart from this, they had plenty of good scoring chances

Team: Ekins; Coope and Dawson; Peters, Ballance and Hill; Hamilton, Burkinshaw, Godfrey, Brayshaw and Wilson