Mexborough and Swinton October 14, 1938
Battle Royal
Full Points for Denaby and Full Marks!
Denaby Utd. 4, Mansfield Town Res 2
Well, this was a battle royal! It has been left to two struggling members of the Midland League .to provide us with our first real’ taste of goal-hunting. And did we enjoy it! From the moment that Hodges flashed away from the whistle with a cross goalmouth scare to the goal that Statham rammed Ihorne with the -last kick of the match there was never a second when we were left hoping that something would happen. It happened for ninety minutes—and it happened well! After Betts’s second goal after seventeen minutes in the second half the world just’ went topsy turvey! Seven minutes later Denaby had added three goals to’ their first half orphan! What entertaining football this was!
Early Threats.
There were always threats of goals in the first half. First Hodges, then Carter, then Betts! For all his hat trick, the Denaby centre-forward had rotten luck. Once he failed to connect with a centre for a “cert.” And there were’ other-times when a little less bluster from a worrying-wind would have helped a lot. However, we can’t grumble! This was more or less an experimental Denaby. Stone, Ford, Betts, Lowe and Rowell formed the forward line, but right-half had been left-open for. Ran Happs and Irwin partnered Williams. Dwyer was in goal. The result of that half-back Move was measured in goals! Happs played a grand game, and with vigorous support from his colleagues, he helped to feed the forward line with opportunities to exploit Betts’s capabilities. The score suggests how Betts reacted.
As We Expected.
The first goal came as we expected it would; a sequel to one of a continuous series of sharp thrusts down the centre of the field. Out to Stone winged the ball and in to BETTS the wingman sent it back. The Denaby centre-forward found Black on his knees and scored easily and simply. It was some minutes before CARTER equalised, and although there were many narrow escapes (ninety per cent of them in, the Mansfield goalmouth) there was no further scoring before halftime. For endless seconds in the second half Mansfield rallied and it seemed as though once again the prize was to be snatched away. Then everything went crazy!
In the 17th minute Kitchen-got the ball near the halfway line, winged it across to Ford and Ford to Stone.’ Once again, the wingman centred narrowly across the Mansfield goalmouth and again BETTS responded, his shot flying into the far corner of the net. Attack and counter-attack—but always beautiful scheming from this Denaby’ half back line—then (22 minutes) Lowe worked the ball magnificently and BETTS took the opportunity so brilliantly offered to complete his hat trick. And this was not all. Two minutes later FORD got a fourth goal!
Gallant But Subdued.
It was’ a gallant but subdued Mansfield that fought back for that last despairing goal by STATHAM with seconds to go. Patterson usually found that Betts gave him the slip and his colleagues, Wycherley and O’Neill, found the Denaby forward line at its best. Both Dwyer, and Black got through a good deal of difficult work welL Carter, Statham and Hodges were the pick of the Mansfield forwards. Well done, Denaby! A true tonic! Full points, and full marks for a grand -show!