Frickley were better opportunists

Frickley 3, Denaby 1

The match at Westfield Lane on New Year’s Day, postponed from Boxing Day, provided skilful football and thrills for a fair sized crowd, with victory going to the team which took its chances. Denaby were the bigger and faster side, but Frickley adopting direct methods and shooting, well deserved their success because of their superior opportunism.

Frickley were handicapped from the start, Brownsword, their left back who was to have been rested owing to an injury to his leg, being pressed into service on the left wing to complete the team, he scored a good goal but was more or less passenger, and retired from the game 20 minutes from the end. Despite the handicap, Frickley played well, and the forwards, of whom Coles and Quinn were the best, showed a big improvement in their shooting ability compared with recent games. The defence was in great form and Jones gave our wonderful display at right back. The inclusion of White strengthened the middle line, in which Nightingale did well.

The Denaby attack rarely got the better of the defence, despite the wiles of Burton, their best forward, who had a fine game on the right wing, but so many of his bright moves fizzled out against the rugged Frickley defenders. Hanley led the Denaby attack dangerously, but did not finish accurately, and Padgett, who has just returned from army service in India on Saturday, played a useful game on the left wing. Sheppard was the pick of the halves

The exchanges were fast and exciting and Denaby took the lead after seven minutes, when Burton crossed a perfect centre which Padgett headed in. Three minutes later Brownsword equalised with a cool shot from a mix up in the goalmouth. Frickley went in front with a gift goal after 29 minutes, Taylor knocking shot by Cowles into the net.

Frickley increased their lead seven minutes after the interval, when Cowles placed a corner and Quinn cleverly hooked the ball over his shoulder into the goal.

The game was even but Frickley were always the more dangerous because of their sharp shooting and Cowles hit the underside of the bar with a smashing drive. Denaby pressed strongly against 10 opponents in the closing stages but the Frickley defence rose to great heights.