South Yorkshire Times August 26, 1950
Supporters are Expecting Better Showing at Tickhill Square
Denaby United lose opening match before 2,500 Home Crowd
Denaby United 0, Scarborough 1
“In the midst of life…..” The18th minute goal which, before a “gate” of 2,500 gave Scarborough victory in the first match of the Midland League season at Denaby on Monday, came less than 60 seconds after the first full throated Tickhill Square roar stop
Saxton’s first serious scoring burst had been brilliantly smothered by goalkeeper Hannaby, and the applause for both feats was murmuring as Scarborough swept the ball to the other end for left-winger MALCOLM to push it well wide of Mayhall into the Denaby net,
Osborne (picture), notably, and Lee, on whose height and resourcefulness there were constant demands, tried unavailingly to put United back into the game, but there was little to attract such a useful ” gate.” United will have to show something better than this.
True, it was the first match of the season, but one cannot lose sight of the fact that eight of the eleven were regulars last season and that Jack Williams, despite his absence, is no stranger to United. Williams produced his old craft and his partner, Lockwood, every ounce of that 90-minute energy one has come to expect from him. Clark, ex-Rotherham, at inside-right, and Cherry, who hails from Oxspring, outside-left, were not impressive and the bulk of the work in the forward line fell to Edwards and Boardman. Saxton was always ready for action, but few chances came his way.
Accent in the first half was, to a large extent, on Scarborough. Their raiding and infinitely greater speed on the ball in midfield, showed Denaby’s all-round defensive work to need a good deal of tightening Mayhall, facing a blinding sun, was helped to some extent by Scarborough’s shooting inaccuracies, hut he put in some grand work in the later stages of the game, notably towards the end of the first half. He had a good game. The goal that beat him was just one of those things.
Scarborough rarely slackened in the second half, and though United had their chances, one notably a few minutes from the end, they never looked goal-inspired.
Summing Up: A disappointing start, but consolation in that United will rarely have a poorer game. We look forward to much better things.