South Yorkshire Times, November 3rd, 1951
Merit of Victory Not Begrudged
County Were the Masters
Denaby United 1 Notts County Reserves 2
Goals, indeed, win matches, and Saturday’s score sheet says Denaby were beaten 2-1; but it was much more than that. Notts. County Reserves were far and away the best Midland side I have seen at Tickhill Square this season. For 80% of the game United’s stouthearted defence following the County forward line as one might chase a Will o’ the Wisp. Evans, McPherson and Adamson always had Denaby in trouble and when Mitchell and Brown flushed into the picture there was always a desperate situation in the making.
County’s first goal after four minutes was the ideal example. A Mitchell oblique cross and Evans was there to touch the ball into the net. Two minutes earlier there had almost been another.
For brief periods there were spells of Denaby ascendency, Cooling was the master half-back in these sorties. Wood, on his part, aided and abetted admirably. Time and again he attempted to find Sarson (picture) or Rowney a square yard of room into which to manoeuvre and there was that thrill of the half when the hard-hitting Sarson smashed in a shot which Bradley knocked out magnificently. Rowney, racing in like a fire engine crashed the recoil out of the ground. That was the only time United promised a goal in the first half. Wheatley tried, Sarson tried, but no gilt-edged opportunities were left lying about by County defenders and too often there were individual attempts to do too much. That policy was always doomed to failure. In the 40th minute McPherson scored with a flying -header from a move akin to the first and the score read 2-0 at half-time.
Wood had the ball into the net four minutes from the re-start but the goal was disallowed and it was not until the 78th minute that Alf Lee scored United’s consolation goal from a penalty. In the meantime, Mayhall had saved a penalty shot from Evans.
But County were rarely at full throttle. One “cert” Jack Williams (who had another grand game) kicked off the goal-line towards the end of the first half, others Mayhall fielded with his customary agility and anticipation. County always held the initiative and I don’t think even the most ardent United supporter would grudge them the merit of their victory.