Star Green ‘un – Saturday 16 January 1909
Denaby’s Decline
The new year decline at Denaby is inexplicable. Here you have club running right up to Christmas as Lincoln City’s most dangerous rival for the Midland League leadership, going, apparently, with the start of the second half, all to pieces.
The temporary loss of the services of Jim Hancock, the captain, who is still kept out the team through the injuries sustained at Mexborough on New Years Day, has had an adverse effect upon the players, who are not re producing the fine form have for long seen served by them.
And what makes this falling-off the more regrettable is the fact that lately Lincoln City have shown marked evidences of weakening. Had Denaby only kept up their wonderful home record of victories, the occasional away slips would not have prevented them being still strong aspirants for the championship.
However, to quote Charles Read, “It is never too late to mend,” and passing disappointment) will be forgotten if only Denaby shake off the influences the moment and come to their best again. Seeing that their last three matches have dropped five points out of a possible six, it will readily understood that their supporters are asking “Why this failing off?”
And if I were asked to explain I should be inclined put it down to two things. One I have already mentioned, the loss of Hancock, and the other the present comparatively poor form of Padley, the centre-forward.
Last season Padley was perhaps the best pivot in the Midland League, and though I hardly retaining that standard since coming to Denaby, did excellent service to his new club up to Christmas, following which he “died away” to ineffectiveness. Padley is undoubtedly a clever player, but he has developed his individualism at the expense of combination, with the result that the attack has been found wanting in the last few matches. Still, I have seen sufficient of to believe that is too good man to off form for long, and, if am not mistaken, shall soon see him and his colleagues in winning form again.