South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times — Friday 01 May 1903

Football Fracas at Newark.
Denaby Players Assaulted.

Our Denaby correspondent states that the Denaby United team were rather roughly handled after the match at Newark on Saturday.

The crowd rushed at the Denaby players as they were leaving the ground, and Shaw, a half-back, was knocked down and badly bruised.

Roper also was struck on the way to the dressing room. Shaw, arriving at Mexbro’, had to be assisted home, and he was found to have been severely bruised about the legs and head.

The Denaby players assert that the crowd of the players was totally uncalled for, and, no doubt, the Newark club will be called upon for an explanation.

The secretary of the Newark club stated:— “I will you be good enough to allow me to contradict such a gross mis-statement, in justice to the Newark Club. What really happened was this:—

About two minutes before time one of the Newark players was kicked by a Denaby man, and was rendered unconscious. He was carried off the field, and a doctor had to be sent for.

A lot of hooting took place, and the Denaby player in question thought it advisable to hasten his arrival at the dressing-room.

Beyond the hooting nothing of the nature of a ‘fracas’ took place, and the report is entirely erroneous.”