Denaby Utd- Denaby 6 Sheffield Club 2 – Changed Attack Riddles Sheffield Defence

December 1935

Mexborough and Swinton Times December 13, 1935

Easy for Denaby
Changed Attack Riddles Sheffield Defence

Denaby United 6 Sheffield Club 2

Denaby won more easily than the score suggests, from the kick-off it was clear that the result was going to be similar to that of a few weeks ago, when Denaby obtained a six nil victory in the Preliminary English cup round.

On Saturday unequal opposition and a slippery ground mitigated against any hopes of good football. It’s chief value from the home point of view was that it gave a chance of testing three new players, Walker, left half; Stringer, outside right, and Thorpe, centre forward. Allowing for the fact that there was very little to impede them on their way to goal, the new men were a decided success.

Game Struggle

Sheffield club made an early raid, but Earnshaw was not tested. The ball was whipped up to the visitor’s goal, and Hewitt scored from a centre by Fleetwood. That was after two minutes, and the ease with which the home team riddled the Sheffield’s Club’s defence so early was an index to the one-sided nature of the game.

Most of Denaby’s attacks emanated from Sykes. The second goal, which, by its simplicity must have surprised even the scorer, came from Sykes who sent a long low pass up the middle. Thorpe was up, and unmarked. It would have been difficult to have failed with the shot.

The visitors, however, fought back in game style, and from a melee in front of the goalmouth, Greer netted for them.

Denaby’s reply was a spirited dash down the wing by Guest, who tapped the ball past Wynspear and raced on to score. Secure in the knowledge that behind them they had lines of defence which were capable of dealing with any attack, the home forwards spent the afternoon in individual and concentrated experiments.

On the Sheffield club side there were one or two individual players worthy of mention. Had their notions of combined attack been better they might have had made a fight of it. Lodge and Moseley were an energetic left-wing, and used their passes to good advantage. Just before the interval the visitors had the misfortune to see Beighton, their left full-back, deflect a shot from Guest into the net.

Speculation

The second half was definitely dull. It was merely a matter of speculation as to how many Denaby would score. Whatever the home team did, was done with grace and sparkle. Perhaps this was in contrast to Sheffield club, who slithered and reeled on the slippery ground, Sykes came very much in the picture in the second half. He contributed the major share to Denaby’s last goal, a low shot by Thorpe. Only a few moments previously Fleetwood had sent a hotshot through a crowd of players and the next that was seen of it the ball was in the net.

Finally reward came to Moseley with a belated shot that found its way to goal. Griffiths, in the Sheffield goal, could not be blamed for the defeat. As a team Sheffield were deplorably disjointed, but Denaby played with excellent sparkle, and the result was expected. The goals that beat Earnshaw were “flick” shots, sudden and unexpected from close range. The rest of the team played with a confidence that was well-founded