Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 15 March 1913
Poor Game at Denaby
Denaby United 3 Halifax Town 0
If anything was wanting to knock the last remnants of bottom out of this season’s football enthusiasm at Denaby, it was the announcement of the club’s intention to withdraw from the Midland League, and a mere handful of spectators turned out in bright genial weather to witness the Denaby team’s return match with Halifax Town.
We got little satisfaction out of the afternoon’s display, for even the balmy weather in which the match began did not hold, and in the first fifteen minutes of the second half we were visited with a sudden and extraordinary blizzard. As the players returned to the field the sky grew black as night, and after a few minutes’ fierce rainstorm the snow came and made the field and the players—some of whom rushed miserably for shelter—look like a Christmas card or a pantomime transformation scene.
It was bitterly cold, too, and the players, without their ordinary interest and enthusiasm for the game, were in a pitiable plight. The football, from start to finish, was poor, half-hearted stuff, and was not Midland League class by a long way. Denaby were the best of two inferior teams, and their defence, which of late has improved considerably, easily held a weak and disjointed Halifax attack.
Blackburn’s Falling Away
Denaby eventually ran out winners by three goals to one, and they should have bagged another point had not Blackburn, who has gone off amazingly, and is scarcely likely to be sought for at the end of the season after such a series of disappointing performances, missed a penalty kick with the most beautiful and patent ease.
Denaby’s first goal came in the third minute of the game, and though the Halifax left-half (A. T. Sharpe, some time Leicestershire amateur cricketer, netted the ball, full credit is due to the youngster Calladine, who was appearing at outside-left vice Clarke, for a very fine centre indeed.
After that the game fell as flat as ditch-water, and both sets of forwards were terribly remiss. The pick of the Halifax bunch was Nixon, the outside-right, and even he blundered and stumbled all over his corner at times. Still, he was enterprising and persevering, and had his inside support at all. Heath would have had a long first half, instead of enjoying a comfortable and leisurely view of the game.
The Halifax inside-forwards, Wild, Green, and Smyth, were obviously shirking the big Denaby backs, who, although they had things made rather easy for them, nevertheless showed up well. Tom Peters was operating at right-half for Denaby, and Mercer again appeared in the centre-half berth.
Denaby’s Goals
After the blizzard the football touched a faster pace, and in the midst of an almost fierce Denaby attack the home team managed to settle the issue with a penalty and a couple of goals.
The penalty was awarded against Birtwistle, the Halifax right-back, who had, until he fouled Raybould, played a good sound game. Blackburn took the kick and shot sky-high. It made little difference to the trend of events, for in the next run down Cladine got a very nice goal from a pass from the right, while straight from the kick-off Bisby pulled his way through to give Blackburn his opening for the third goal.
That was the limit of the scoring, though in the closing stages Heath had a lot of tough hand-to-hand scrambling to do, the Halifax men, who never quite gave us trying, letting him holdy and at close quarters. He showed up brilliantly, and made one or two startling saves. Nixon was again the best of the Halifax forwards indeed, the only one who could be charged with being dangerous.
A Criticism
Denaby were fortunate in meeting a not very strong side in a listless and indifferent mood. Nevertheless, there were good points about the Denaby display. Both sides were at fault in their footwork, and Lair, for one, was quite clumsy at a pass. No save penalty kick and subsequent redeemed the mistake with a goal, and he was not too well fed. Sharpe kept a very tight hand on him in addition, but Sharpe would not have availed much against the real Blackburn.
Calladine was not far short of being the best forward on the field, and he and the veteran Bisby were certainly the most effective wing of the two. Mercer did a lot of good work in the half-back line, but the Denaby captain is beginning to show signs of wear and tear. Swinborne and Jackson played a cool strong game, and what Heath had to do he did in his usual clever spectacular way.
Denaby, by their victory, gained the distinction of having beaten a team home and away, which is one to be prized in this district in these hard times.