Mexborough and Swinton Times April 18, 1925
Frickley’s Staunch Resistance
Denaby Snatch Points in Last Effort
Denaby United 1 Frickley Colliery 0
Frickley may be at the foot of the North section table, but they’re a good side, sterling defence, and pretty lively in attack. They held Denaby, with a fresh breeze behind them, at bay for the all of the first half at Denaby on Tuesday, and afterwards gave them a keen fight for the winning goal until the last few minutes.
Denaby had been playing rather loose football in attack, and it was not until Hawkins went forward to help them and the halves give them a further push that in the 84th minute of the game a breach was at last made in the Frickley defence. It was a rather fluky goal, and Frickley may be sympathised with him failing in such fashion after so gallant a resistance. Yet, on the play, Denaby were the stronger side, and ought to have made the game safe along time before that.
In the first half Denaby did practically all the attacking, but the inside forwards, with the exception of Drew, were woefully weak in their efforts. Most of the good work Woollerton did in this half was the result of efforts by the Denaby halves, and by Drew and Vollans.
After the interval the Denaby attack shaped slightly better for a while against the defence, but Fawden and Kilner were still very slow, and Frickley forced them back, and had spells of attack.
But Matt Taylor was at his best, and not once did the Frickley men get past him. When he did make mistakes he recovered so rapidly that nothing serious occurred. Hawkins showed a tendency as a game went on without any goals apparently in sight, to try to help the attack, and finally he and Kilner change places.
Denaby woke up to the fact that the loss of a point in this game would leave York City a practically clear course to the championship, and it was an 11th hour rally, led by Hawkins that at last brought about the downfall of Frickley. Hawkins was sailing through alone when he was unceremoniously charged off the ball. He lay full length within a yard or two of goal while half the Denaby players were appealing for a penalty kick. Drew was attended to business, and recovering the ball, which Wollerton had kicked out, he put it across, and Windle shot from behind a crowd of players, the ball going just inside the post that no great face, Wollerton being unable to see what was happening.
This happened six minutes from the end, and a couple of minutes later, Wollerton made a great save from Fawden. All the best of the game was packed into the last 10 minutes. The great players of the day were Matt Taylor, who stood head any shoulders above every other man in the field; Wollerton who is a fine keeper, and Windle who has no superior that we have seen in the right back position in the Midland League.
Team: Bromage; Hawkins and Taylor; Windle, Illingworth and Brown; Kilner, Drew, Bussey, Fawden and Vollans