Denaby Utd – Denaby 2  Huddersfield Town Reserve 1 – A scratch team

1 October 1910

Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 01 October 1910

A Scratch Team

Denaby United  2  Huddersfield Town Reserve 1

Things seem to take a turn with a vengeance on Monday, when Denaby’s patched up team actually beat Huddersfield reserves 2-1, after having quite as much of the play as a superior Huddersfield side.

The game attracted but a few hundred, though the conditions were mild and well -shaped football. Huddersfield made two changes in the team which drew at Mexborough.

The Denaby team made strange reading. Led by Jack Westwood, it turned out as follows:

Shepard; Middlemiss, Jackson; Swinborne, John Westwood, Jack Westwood; Mercer, Fitton, Jones, Marsh and Thackery

The ravages of Grimsby’s vigourous play can easily be detected. The side bore an unreal aspect and very few enthusiasts would have given a great deal for its chances at the outset.  The late arrival of the referee rendered it necessary for a linesman to officiate at the outset

Denaby’s Dour Defence.

Denaby set off at a capital pace in the second half, and the recovery of Huddersfield, which had been looked for, was long in coming, Still Denaby could not afford to trifle with their lead, for, if my memory serves me faithfully, it was Huddersfield who won 3–2 at Mexboro’ last year, after being two under at the interval. And, as the game, progressed, things went none too well with them. Mercer had crocked himself in the first half. The Castle Donnington flier (for he is a flier when in trim) has a weak spot under his knee. It was that defect which prevented Castle Donnington from transferring him to Blackburn Rovers ‘last year, and the hurly burly of the first half found it again, so that he was practically useless for the rest of the game.

When it was too late Huddersfield abandoned their close-passing tactics for the more open game. So far they had been trying to carry the ball through, and the bustling Denaby backs had come out on. top, each time; too. But so soon as they made straight for goal success attended them. McCready got away and slashed the ball in the middle. It bounced over little Jimmy Middlemiss, and the new man, Taylor, catching it on the pitch, shot a lovely goal. Middlemiss, hereabouts, was in difficulties with a strain on the left shoulder and he went along with Mercer to make up a passenger right wing. Swinbourne went full back and Harry Fitton half-back.

It was at this stage that Huddersfield began to do a lot of pressing and Jack Westwood playing a great back game, saved ,Denaby repeatedly. Thackrah fell back to help him but even then the strain was terrific. However the Denaby defence and at the end, and the scratch team came off the field flushed and triumphant. Joseph come off 10 minutes early, anything but close, for they got very nasty knock on the ankle, but

Things like these you know must be,
After a famous victory