Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 29 March 1913
Denaby Beaten at Home
Denaby United 1 Goole Town 3
Bearing in mind the heavy holiday programme which both teams had fulfilled, it was not to be expected that the meeting of Denaby and Goole, on the former’s ground on Tuesday afternoon, would be productive of very inspiring football; but, although play generally was of a scrappy order, interest in the game was well maintained.
Denaby have experienced their due share of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune this season, and they were not immune from bad luck on Tuesday, for they had to take the field minus the services of Mercer, their centre forward, and Blackburn, outside right.
In spite of this, however, they started off in promising style, and within ten minutes Peters found the net, neatly converting a centre from Calladine. Denaby continued the pressure for a time, but then they dropped away altogether, their shooting and combination becoming as weak as water. Their ineptitude put new life into Goole, and it was by no means flattering to the visitors that Bartlett brought the scores level before the interval.
A Solitary Ray
The second half found Goole playing the brighter football, and Heath was early tested. Goole obtained the lead in rather lucky fashion. Heath was fistling away from Bartlett, and turned the ball into his own net.
After this, there was only one team in it, and the one bright spot in the display of Denaby was a splendid run by Raybould, who went clean through the Goole defence, but finished weakly, shooting straight at Suter when a goal seemed certain.
Play deteriorated to a great degree in the closing stages, and when Padley headed through from a centre by Huxley, both teams were going about their work in a half-hearted manner.
Why Denaby Failed
That Goole deserved to win cannot be denied, but the margin of their superiority was not so pronounced as the score of 3-1 would seem to suggest. They won primarily because they slung the ball about and followed their movements up, whereas Denaby were content to play the close game, with the result that they very rarely got near enough to cause Suter any anxiety.
Goole would have done better had their intermediate line been stronger. The halves kicked wildly, and seldom gave the forwards a decent pass; the result was the front line had to act on their own initiative, and were much over-worked.
Denaby’s halves, on the other hand, lacked precision, and distributed their passes with judgment, and it was only the utter ineffectiveness of the forwards themselves when in the danger zone that was responsible for Denaby’s defeat.
Individually, there was little fault to find with the quintette, but collectively they gave a display which was very much below Midland League form. Heath, in goal, acquitted himself well, and both Swinbourne and Jackson kicked with confidence. Nimrod was, perhaps, the best of the halves, but Johnson and Westwood did much good work.
Goole Disappointed
The result was somewhat of a disappointment for the spectators, for as Denaby had very creditably kept their own end up at Goole on Good Friday, it was anticipated that they would, at least, gain another valuable point on Tuesday, but alas! Goole were on the same errand, and after all is said, it must be admitted that the spoils of war went to the better team.