Denaby Utd – Denaby 2 North Shields 1 – Victory Shock Was Turn Up For Book

October 1958

South Yorkshire Times October 18, 1958

Denaby Victory Shock Was Turn Up For Book

Denaby United 2 North Shields 1

Have the Denaby United selection committee at last found a solution to their forward line problem—or was Saturday’s 2-1 home victory over powerful, high ranking North Shields merely another isolated incident doomed to fade into failure within a week or two?

Forecasts of a “renaissance’ at Tickhill Square have been made on previous occasions this season and in every case the prophets have been confounded. The main stumbling block has been the forward line, and the forward line’s stumbling block has been, nine times out of ten on the left wing

It seems rather strange, therefore that the committee should have retained winger Bainbridge. a player obviously below Midland League standard, in every match this season until last Saturday when they had a left wing forward of the calibre of Frank Ayre playing in the reserves’ side. Their decision to bring Ayre into the side to the exclusion of Bainbridge was a wise one. But with Denaby over 10 points behind the League leaders, was it made too late?

Ayre, who scored the winning goal for Denaby in the 65th minute, played for the senior side two seasons ago. Last season he played for Selby in the Yorkshire League and he began this season as a Denaby, Sheffield Association League forward.

Another Denaby player making an Impressive League debut was Don Oslear, reserves’ goalkeeper, who put on a good display of goal-stopping in the cup tie with East End Park two weeks ago. In the early stages of the match he was given some rough treatment by the /North Shields forwards, but he held  them at bay until the 35th minute when inside left Brian GLENDINNING opened the scoring.

The second half brought an early powerful burst from the Denaby forwards and after 50 minutes a powerful long range drive by inside right HANKIN beat goalkeeper Billy Hunter to level the scores and AYRE dropped the winner into place 15 minutes later

Summing up. United were slightly the better side, although their opponents’ forward line was rather faster. An early defensive slip enabled inside left Glendinning to pass the ball easily to left winger Prior a few yards from the Denaby posts, but the wing man’s shot curved past the upright. Otherwise the home defensive play was commendable and the side well earned the ovation which they received from the delighted fans as they trotted off the field.