South Yorkshire Times, March 2nd,1934
Half Back’s Goals Wipe Out Denaby Lead
Denaby United 2, Barnsley Reserve 2
Denaby looked good for victory for about two thirds of a fast, but not particularly polished, game at Tickhill Square on Saturday, but a late effort by a half-back saved Barnsley a point. Denaby again had a team largely infused with amateur players, including one youngster of about seventeen, and put up a surprisingly good show.
Skelton made a notably good deputy for Seth King and caused Rose, the Cudworth man, to make one of the best of several good saves achieved by the two goalkeepers. With the wind in the first half Denaby had much the better of the play and earned their two goal interval lead. The first goal was the result of a perfectly timed shot by Armand, who rounded off a nice right wing movement with a pile-driver taken on the run. The second goal was an even more notable event in its way; it was scored by Smith, Denaby’s hard-working half-back, who thus scored his first goal in four years with the club. But the wind had at least as much to do with it as had Smith. He took a free kick not far from the touchline, and put the ball high into goal, where the wind caught it in the last few yards to give it a swerve which completely beat Rose. This was in the nature of a “gift” from the elements, but before and after that Rose did some agile work to prevent Denaby’s eager young forwards getting one or two more that their exertions earned them.
They resumed against the wind with just as much dash and fire, but Barnsley’s first break away brought a goal as reward for the best bit of footwork in the match. Five Barnsley players participated in a dazzling bit of “carpet work,” that culminated in a short range shot by Jones with which Astle had not the slightest chance. In the last quarter hour, Holley, son of George Holley, the once famous Sunderland inside-left, went centre-forward in an effort to find an equaliser, but it was again Jones the right-half, who did the trick, with a first-rate shot after the forwards had failed again and again to get past the stout Denaby defence, in which Taylor was a bulwark and Astle an alert goalkeeper with excellent anticipation.