Denaby Utd – Denaby 2 Peterbrough United 4 – Faltered Four Minutes and Lost

November 1956

South Yorkshire Times November 3, 1956

Denaby Faltered Four Minutes and Lost

Denaby United 2  Peterbrough United 4

A point apiece would have been a happier issue for Saturdays big crowd at Tickhill Square. Peterborough won their 12th Midland League match in 16 fixtures, virtually in the first five minutes of the second half. Denaby led 2-1 at halftime and had rustled Peterborough into a good deal of ruggedness in the process.

But instead of consolidation in the second half there came a faltering and quick disaster. Within a minute winger Smith had produced the shot which Smethurst could only turn onto the post. The ball turned into the net, and four minutes later a long lob from the left wing had been met by Gibson, who bundled the ball and goalkeeper over the line. And Peterborough were a goal to the good, 3-2.

The game then swung back into the pattern of the first half. Denaby were just that fraction less incisive and goalkeeper Walls handed the ball a good deal more confidently than he had done in the first half. Even so, he was lucky when Egan just missed diverted a fast-moving ball past him, and put, instead, inches wide of the post, and again when Holmes, like the man on the flying trapeze, flew through the air to hurtle a header – again just wide. If that second move had come off the roar would indeed have gone up over the crags!

And Peterborough hammered home their advantage in the 86th minute, when a sudden clearance from a Denaby attack found Smith completely unattended. He hared downfield with United’s defence in full cry and the position had been retrieved sufficiently to cause him to fire wide; but Gibson was there in the centre to divert the ball into the corner of the goal mouth; it was 4-2 and it was over.

One is left speculating what the outcome might have been had the referee, who was generally well up with play, seen an obvious infringement in the first half when Martin was on ceremoniously pushed off the ball in a goalmouth scramble. United appealed for a penalty, but play was waved on. It might have made it 3-1 at half-time.

Two in a Minute

It was fast football from the word go and there had been hairsbreath escape in both goals before Barnes clearance went directly to Peterborough’s winger, Halls, the first shot resulting from this unexpected gift was punched out by Smethurst and, Longworth had an easy task to score.

Perhaps the best goal of the match was Martin’s after 32 minutes, the goal which gave Denaby their interval lead, which was virtually a solo by the Denaby leader, and which involved a clever beating of full-back Sansby.

Denaby acquitted themselves well and will play much worse and win matches. But the injury problem was not eased. Bobby Southall, injured in a collision early in the game, was obviously put off his stride and was limping for the remainder. Duggan took another knock at the second half and Martin. Injured just before the end, had to be carried off after the whistle had gone for time.