Mexborough & Swinton Times, December 08
More Like It
Denaby Return to Form Against Gainsboro´
Three Goals and a Great `Keeper´
Denaby United 3, Gainsbro´ Trinity 0
Denaby United got back to the winning way on Saturday, proving in unmistakeable fashion their superiority over Gainsboro´. Except in goal and at back, the Trinity were outclassed, and at least two-thirds of the game was played out in their half.
Matt Taylor´s suspension necessitated the bringing in of Haslam at back and Chambers was at right half. Scriven´s prospective successor was Cooper, the young Maltby winger, who has been helping the Reserve.
The game was played under rather bad conditions, drizzling rain turning the playing piece into a treacherous slippery surface, and the ball into a heavy, greasy thing, difficult to control. But the game was a surprisingly good one, fought at a remarkably fast pace.
Play opened with a series of storming attacks by Denaby, Godfrey shooting just wide of the mark, and Chambers, dribbling through, also missed. Hamilton had a good chance, the ball reaching him in a good position, from the other wing, but he delayed his shot and it was charged down. The inside forwards, with the help of Kennedy, made a burst, but Shaw could not accurately direct the greasy ball. A fine-cut centre by Hamilton travelled right across, Godfrey slithering almost into the net in his effort to get to the ball.
Denaby could do anything but score in the first few minutes, in spite of the sturdy play of Froggatt and Brown. Godfrey, Shaw and Briggs made several dangerous raids, but kept the ball a little too close and several times got themselves into a tangle on the slippery turf. Cooper, receiving from the middle got in a good shot, but Froggatt headed out.
Presgrave led the first real Gainsboro´ advance, but got his centre a little too far forward, and Harrison cleared. Then Shaw suddenly seized an opening, ran on and put the ball across to the right, GODFREY came up at top speed, carried it on and finally whipped it past Wollerton – a clever goal.
Gainsboro´ were roused to greater efforts by this, and from a centre by Presgrave, Curtis shot, the ball travelling low towards the bottom corner of the net, but Harrison dropped across to save splendidly. Another forward movement by Gainsboro´ saw chances wasted by the fumbling tactics of the inside men. Denaby came desperately near scoring again a little later, a powerful drive by Chambers being charged down and Shaw missing a great chance. Kennedy headed out a dangerous dropping centre at the other end, then Wollerton saved a header from Godfrey.
The Denaby backs played the right game, playing well out on the Gainsboro´ forwards, and the ball was usually booted away from the toss of the latter, before they could properly get going. The halves also kept a strangle-hold on Copley and his men, and it was mostly Denaby during this half. They swarmed round the Gainsboro´ goal, and Wollerton did remarkable things. Once after Cooper had centred well and Godfrey had had a drive blocked, Briggs took a flying shot from a few yards range, the goalkeeper saving in wonderful fashion. A heavy ground drive by Kennedy was also ably dealt with by Wollerton, who again showed clever anticipation in meeting a header from Briggs – the result of a good run and centre by Cooper. A series of brilliant short passes by Shaw, Godfrey and Briggs carried the last named into a perfect position with the ball at his foot, but the whistle went for off-side. It was an error and the referee promptly acknowledged it, but it certainly looked as if the error had robbed Denaby of a goal. Briggs would have had hard work to miss.
Wollerton again saved finely a header from Godfrey, an attempt to convert a perfectly-placed corner kick by Cooper. Just before the interval, Shaw got possession of the ball, switched it across to Briggs, the inside right ran on, passing all opponents, and as Wollerton came out, shot wide of him. In some amazing fashion, the goalkeeper dived and got one hand to the ball to divert it from the goal. As the crowd put it if Gainsboro´ lost, it was anybody´s fault but Wollerton´s. He had a great ovation as he retired and deserved it.
Gainsboro´ at once took the initiative on the re-start, Harrison having to run out to clear, while Chambers nipped in to get the ball away from a dangerous looking situation. The Gainsboro´ right wing was always dangerous, and had to be given no rope. The left however, was subdued, and Copley could rarely get away from Kennedy. Godfrey made a spirited flash, and whipped the ball across from off the line. It rebounded from a back and Cooper returned it for Briggs to head in, but Wollerton again saved well. Briggs once more headed in from a centre by Shaw, but Wollerton was again ready. The goalkeeper also fisted out a centre from Hamilton, several heads waiting to nod it in. Briggs lifted the ball over the bar from a good centre by cooper. The latter gained a corner, and his kick sent the ball to Kennedy who, to the amusement of the crowd, coolly lifted his foot and allowed the ball to pass under it.
Chambers brilliant work at right half helped to keep the Denaby attack moving, and only splendid work by Brown kept the Denaby right wing trio out. After a brief Gainsboro´ attack, Godfrey caused a thrill by dashing off with a clear field over-running the ball, recovering it, and passing to Briggs, Wollerton ran out and got the ball, clearing coolly as Briggs flung himself at it.
But the hard-working inside right at last got his reward, after 76 minutes play. Cooper made the goal possible by a clever and speedy dash down the wing, and a fine centre, BRIGGS was on to the ball at once and drove it with terrific force past the helpless Wollerton. It was a very swift movement, cleverly crowned, and the defence could do nothing.
Gainsboro´ again rallied and Coope missed a kick. This enabled the visitors to get to close quarters, and Davis shot well, but Harrison made a fine save. No more chances of that kind came the way of Gainsboro´ who were well held without Harrison´s interference. Four minutes from the end came a third goal for Denaby. BRIGGS opened out another attack, and receiving the ball back from Shaw, went clean through the defence, bringing out Wollerton and slamming it past him into the net.
Just before the end, somebody – it was difficult to distinguish who in the thickening November fog- succeeded in missing the net from about six yards range
Gainsboro´ owed a very great deal to Wollerton. What the score against them would have been but for him, there is no telling. He stopped at least four shots which, on ninety-nine occasions out of a hundred would have scored. The backs were very good, Brown especially, and Presgrave was the most dangerous forward.
For Denaby, Chambers played a great game, and all the forwards were good. They missed many chances, but the conditions fully excused all those. Godfrey was in one of his most dashing moods, and Briggs was a most persistent and tricky worrier. The right wing was a very dangerous one. On the left Shaw worked openings with his usual craft. Cooper who had the unenviable job of trying to fill Scriven´s place did very well indeed, and with further experience looks like minimising the team´s loss in that respect to a very great extent. He showed great speed, good ball control, and ability to beat a half or back. His centres and corner kicks were usually exceedingly well judged.
.