Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 27 December 1924
Denaby Drop a Point
Was Over-Confidence Responsible?
Frickley’s Game Struggle
Denaby United 2, Frickley Colliery 2
Hopes were high in the Denaby camp that the return to form against Gainsborough heralded a period of victories, if not quite as substantial, then at least as useful. Speculation was rife among the supporters before the match with Frickley concerning the number of goals by which the United were going to win. Less than seven would have satisfied them, but there seemed no reason to doubt that the win would be a fairly substantial one. On form it should have been. After beating Gainsborough in a memorable match by 7–0, it was natural to assume that Frickley, down at the bottom of the table, should share the same fate. Form, however, proved, not for the first time, probably the last thing very deceptive. And Denaby lost one of the points.
The team, one imagines, entered into their task far too light-heartedly. They under-estimated the strength of the opposition, never a really safe and often a very foolish thing to do. Frickley men may have been willing matches, but from the slow they put up on Saturday, they are as “fit” a side as any in the Midland League. Not once did they show signs of losing heart, not even when things were at their worst. On the contrary they kept pegging away, repulsing attack after attack, occasionally initiating one themselves; the defence always cool and resourceful, forwards always ready to snap up an opening. They were two down during the greater part of the game, and equalised with only ten men on the field.
The game was marred by a particularly unfortunate incident, which occurred during the second half. Bussey was well away, when he was brought down by Coupe, himself an old Denaby player. The referee walked up to him, and to everyone’s surprise he received marching orders.
Denaby fielded exactly the same team that proved so successful last week with the exception that Gray, whose signature has been secured, replaced Burkinshaw, who was injured. Frickley made several changes in the side which lost to Scunthorpe, and the team was re-shuffled.
There was little to choose between the two teams in the first few minutes, and neither goalkeeper was called upon to deal with anything serious. Frickley, however, took up the running after a time, and Reed caused some anxiety to the Denaby crowd with a long range dropping shot. Bromage, however, managed to clear. At the other end Brayshaw shot wide, and Bussey, having cleverly worked an opening, missed badly, having only the ’keeper to beat. Denaby began to find their feet as time went on. The half, however, was 25 minutes old when they took the lead through GRAY. Pearson, who was doing well on the wing, sent in a shot, which Woollerton stopped but failed to hold, and the ball went out to Cooper, who touched it to the centre-forward. In the Denaby goalmouth, as the result of a nice piece of work between the Bussey, Kimber and right along the goal-line, but Bromage touched the ball out for a corner. The equaliser, however, came before the interval, from a corner through MARSH. Denaby went away from the centre, and Woollerton had to tip over the bar a shot from Bussey.
Denaby pressed hotly on resuming, and there was some excitement in the Frickley goalmouth. Pearson and Brayshaw testing Woollerton, and a free-kick just outside the area, taken by Lack, was got away. Marsh was badly at fault, shooting over when faced with an open goal. Fifteen minutes had elapsed when BRAYSHAW gave Denaby the lead with a clever goal for which he was entirely responsible. It was not long afterwards that Coupe was sent off, but despite that misfortune BROWN, drawing the goalkeeper and heading the ball over his head into the empty goal, made the scores level. Gray was injured and had to be carried off for a few minutes, but on his return he sent in a stinging drive just under the crossbar which Woollerton did well to save. For the remainder of the half, play was largely in Denaby’s favour but they failed to add to their score. Teams:—
Denaby United: Bromage; Lack, Taylor; Ashmore, Illingworth, Windle; Pearson, Bussey, Gray, Brayshaw, Cooper.
Frickley Colliery: Woollerton; Kenyon, Coupe; Gittins, Reed, Lee; Scott, Marsh, Robson, Rodgerson, Brown.