Lincolnshire Echo – Monday 24 October 1949
Lincoln City Reserves 0 Denaby United 2
Beaten 2-0 by Denaby United, Lincoln City Reserves were an unimpressive out-of-gear team. They had their share of the midfield play, but rarely looked capable of getting a point from the game.
A glance at the Junior Imps results gives pointer to tin main weakness this year—lack of a marksman. In only three of their matches have they scored more than once, and six of the remaining games, including three out of the last four, have failed to produce a single goal. It was again this weakness, together with faulty passing and a general raggedness throughout the team, which led to City’s downfall against Denaby, who, although not a strong side, were faster off the mark, used more direct methods and bad a much better understanding with each other.
City’s inability to get a coordinated attack moving was due many times to Denaby’s use of the offside rule, but their policy was apparent right from the start, and although some of the early decisions against, the Imps seemed questionable, the home forwards had no excuse for continuing to fall intothe trap with such monotonous regularity.
Amateur Tried Hard
Play suffered as a result of these tactics and in uninspiring game Rowney’s two goals both well-deserved were the only bright features. Bean, the Hovers amateur, and Eastharn, inside forwards with contrasting styles of play, iried, without much success, to get the line moving, but Westwood was never happy at centre forward, Windle was subdued the left, and Gray was not often in the picture on the opposite wing. Dykes and Parr, too, were below form, although they were responsible for second half shots which were as good as any with which Hackett had to deal throughout the game. The defence, which has had to take too heavy a share of the work, week after week, was not at its best, but nevertheless, took any honours there were for the Imps. It was City Reserves’ fifth successive defeat.