Mexborough and Swinton Times March 6, 1936

Midland League

Pleasant Blend
Denaby’s Heartening Display
Guests Opportunism

Denaby 3, Notts Co. Reserves 1

This new infusion into the Denaby combine proves a pleasant blend. The nine Midland league games on Saturday yield only 25 goals, yet Denaby, who collapsed so discouraging to Chesterfield the previous week, shared with Burton and Chesterfield the highest scores of the afternoon – a good trio. And this by no means represented the measure of their vigour and superiority.

Difficult, perhaps to differentiate between the enthusiasm of the Denaby forwards. In Saturdays quagmire they worked as a man, but outstanding through it all were the dashing runs of Guest, and those hard telling bombardments of Blythe. If only there had been a little more luck to polish them off! After those first two goals, Guest worked his elusive way through for three successive opportunities to complete the “hat trick.” Three times he fired point-blank at Blythe only for the ball to come to rest safely in the goalkeeper’s arms. Like Earnshaw, Blythe gave a gallant show in the Notts goal. In the treacherous mud he brought off some splendid saves, and with Guest’s couple of goals at least he had certainly little chance. Denaby were thwarted of a much bigger, score solely throughout his efforts. The Notts healvess, in more cases than not, found the elusive and ever enthusiastic Denaby forwards too big a handful in the sea of mud, under decent conditions, perhaps, they might have fared better, but on Saturday not. The result was that Julian and the Reddish found work piling up, and continuing to pile, to breaking point.

Brilliant Goal.

Through the first stress, Guest got through for his first goal. A glorious dash up the wing, through to Fleetwood, a short punt into the centre and Guest, ever the opportunist, was cutting in to shoot high into the net. Then, after 35 minutes came the second goal – the greatest thriller of the game. Then a fraction of a second the crowd failed to appreciate the fact that the ball was actually in the net then came the roar. I have seen few goal scored at Denaby in such a brilliant manner. Guest could have been only a few feet away from the goal line when he received from Beadman. From yards out he sent in a hard low oblique drive which left Blythe in complete bewilderment. Goal and how!

Then Notts experienced their second snatch of bad luck. The first came in the early phases of the game, when only then would save the downfall of the Denaby goal – the ball sticking hard and fast when it had slipped from unsure fingers and cleared by Meddicot. Bramham, who, by the way, is doing very well this season, and who, it will be remembered, joined Notts from Brampton, two seasons ago, found himself with one of the few chances he was afforded on Saturday to score. The mud upset him – and the glorious opportunity was whisked away. The Notts inside forwards played heroically, but the wingmen were too inclined to hesitate, and the results were that Bramham, always well-positioned, was rarely able to get into advantage, before the Denaby goal. He found Sykes, the Denaby centre half, a big handfull – being on the small side himself- but in nine cases out of 10 proved elusive enough to have slipped his watcher when the occasion arose. But as I say, the outside forwards were tardy and in those few seconds the Denaby defenders were positioned and the danger was cleared. Bramham made some gallant attempts to get through one was somewhat unlucky to find Earnshaw on the peak of his form. One shot in particular, hooked round at an awkward angle, would have spelt danger had not Earnshaw been to the mark.

Laughter Maker

Denaby’s first goal was more of a laughter maker than a thriller. It resulted from a free kick taken by Sykes. As was expected, the ball cannoned into the Notts net with the speed of lightning. Blythe made one last effort to get to it as it sped the top corner of the net, but it was unavailing. It was a good shot, and a fine effort on Sykes’s heart. It certainly had its effect on the Denaby crowd. They appreciated that one thoroughly. Wright, transferred from Mexborough last week, did quite a lot of good work in a quiet way, and distributed the ball well. He was, perhaps, inclined to hesitate on occasions, but generally his display made up for those few lapses. Happs settled down very well and helped considerably to blot out the early rushes, and those in the latter phases of the second half, of the Notts forwards. Later in the game he did some splendid constructive work, the defence never suffering on account.

Denaby supporters may feel very enthusiastic in Saturdays display. Millington’s solitary goal for Notts was more of a snatch of personal brilliance than a genuine lapse of the part of Denaby defenders. It was certainly a surprise item. Julian was a hard worker for Notts in a team that never thoroughly settled down to their difficult tasks in the mud. Denaby’s victory was a splendid heartener.