South Yorkshire Times September 7, 1946
Midland league.
Gate was Record £96
Denaby off to a Rousing start.
Denaby United 4 Ransom and Marles 0
That full throated roar has come early to Tickhill Square. Four times we heard it on Monday, and after 90 minutes of football reminiscent of mid-season sparkle rather than hesitant initial essays, that victory roar really rattled the corrugated iron roofs. This opening match with Ransome and Marles, last season’s runners-up in the Midland league and (remembering last seasons remarkable fortunes) a side with a score to settle, was as attractive a fixture as Denaby could have hoped for. It attracted a £96 “gate”: it was a record – and they went away with their warmth of a really rousing show.
We were treated to a moderately mediocre 20 minutes from the kick-off. McGarr, Ransome’s inside left pushed in the only telling shot and it seemed at first that Denaby were not to find an answer to the ubiquity and cleverness of Bailey, the Ransome’s centre half. But they belied the eventual power of the forward line. On the whole, Ransome’s were the sharper in their movements in these early stages. Their defence knit solidly together and they were rarely harassed. It was a superiority, however, which, but for the beginning of the second half, was not to be enjoyed again.
Killourhy was the dominant marshal in attack. Long shrewd passes made telling inroads into the Ransome’s defence once Denaby settled into determined assault. And after twice going near himself, he shared in the movement which Robinson and Turner began, and which Chafer rounded off to give Denaby the lead after 28 minutes. Ransome’s were unlucky when McFadden crashed a lovely shot on the run against the Denaby upright. But it was decidedly Denaby’s day. And another Killourhy inspired move seven minutes later brought another goal. It came in the 37th minute. Another wave had taken Denaby into the Ransome’s goal, and though Bland held Chafer’s header from a goalmouth melee, Carver was there to see the ball safely on its way into the back of the net.
Tide of battle
Ransome’s might have atoned for many early mistakes in the first 10 minutes of the second half, had they taken as firm a grip on the game as they promised to do. The tide of battle ebbed and flowed, but if Ransome’s were an inspired 11, Denaby came back with equal determination. It was very nearly 3-0 when we had the joy of seeing Killourhy break suddenly away on his own with only the advancing Bland to allude. Bland it was, however who alluded Killourhy, and the third goal was to wait until the 27th minute of this half. It was thrilling in the making. In the 26th minute Strachan took a through pass from Wheat, and pushed home a shot that beat Bland all the way. From the stand he certainly did not appear to be offside, but after consulting his linesman the referee disallowed the goal; much, one might add, to the disgust of the Denaby supporters!
The clockwork movement which Strachan crowned in the next minute followed almost too quickly to be true. But the sight of Bland recovering the ball was testimony enough to marksmanship. Robinson, after one abortive attempt on the run, got the fourth goal after 31 minutes, and although Ransome switched to the overworked Bailey to lead the attack. Denaby rarely seemed in danger of losing their commanding position.
Feature of the game was a surprising punch of the Denaby attack. There was not a good deal of sharpshooting. But they blended well and they got adequate support from the halfback line. Asquith had a grand game at left back and Wheat was steady against the Ransome’s storming in the early stages of the second half. Millership showed many confident touches born of experience. Hunt and Bailey were often prominent in defence for Ransome’s, and McFadden was an energetic, if unsuccessful, leader.
Denaby have negotiated this initial hurdle with a confident burst which augurs well.