Denaby Utd – Denaby 5 Hull City Res 1 – Five Set The Fashion

15 March 1958

South Yorkshire Times March 15, 1958

United’s “Merry Christmas”

Five Set The Fashion

Denaby United’s Midland League season is beginning to develop into a story of statistics. Those five goals they hit against Grimsby Town Reserves for their first home league’ victory on a merry Christmas morning seem to have set the fashion, for two more home victories have come ‘in fives,’ the latest against a luckless Hull City Reserves at Tickhill Square) last week-end. Result was 5-1, and it was Denaby’s first “double.”

Nine matches this season have I seen five goals scored one way or  the other (five of the nine have I been 5-1 results)—v. Notts Forest lost 5-1; v. Upton won 5-1; v. Grimsby won 5-0; v. Worksop lost 5-2; v. King’s Lynn lost 5-1; v. Bradford P.A. won 5-2; v. Mansfield lost 5-2; v. Bradford City drew 5-5; v. Hull City won 5-1.

And by way of further interesting comparison, United have scored 22 goals to date this year as compared with only 27 for the whole of the r first half of the season. Seventeen have been scared in the last four matches. All of which suggests that things are looking up!

After waiting until December 25th for their first home league victory, Denaby’s home successes I have now overhauled those registered away (v. Goole, Mansfield and Hull). The seven victories have seen 24 goals scored with a concession of eight.

Pleasant Reading

This is indeed pleasant reading for Denaby’s “regulars” and Saturday’s heartening victory offered considerable compensation for the biting cold that clamped down on Tickhill Square and the blizzard that at times almost obscured it.

It was not an afternoon which to assess merits. The game began in a flurry of snow. The pitch was soggy and slippery. Suffice it to say that United fought for every ball in the first off, took all the chances that came their way, scored three goals in the first eight minutes and two more before half-time.

No wonder one spectator, hopping about to keep himself warm, asked, “Been feeding ‘em on undercut this week?” They eased off in the second half, sufficiently to bring a further comment from the line side – “What are you doing, Denaby – given it to em? But after letting and at times attractive Hull city made the early running, they settled back into a more comfortable ride and whenever Hull beat the defence, Smethurst was the brilliant figure. He played a blinder in the second half – in more senses than one. (The other was that the blizzard that develops so heavily about 10 minutes from the end so that the crags were almost lost in the white haze of driving snow).

A Good Game

Bedford had a good game and it’s excellent prompting, placing the ball forward with thoughtfulness, scare care and skill. Southall, too, got through a lot of work – in company, in this direction with Lawley.

Woodger also had a good game and Alex, on the opposite wing, scored his first Midland league goal for United. Egan, was now scored in each of the last four games, was unlucky to miss a single; it had to be credited to Hull full-back Taylor who tragically the bomber crashed it instead under his own crossbar.

The goals came via Lee (2 mins), Allott (5 mins) – from Lee’s pass, Taylor – own goal from an Egan shot (eight mins) Roberts – a shot that completely foxed Fisher (31 mins) and Egan (44 minutes)

Rickenson got City’s only goal one minute from time