Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 04 January 1913
Denaby Again Beaten.
Mexborough Town 2 Denaby United 0
On New Year’s Day, Mexboro’ Town repeated their Christmas victory over Denaby United with slightly more emphasis, and after a poorer display of football.
Unfortunately, the game resolved itself into a mere shadow of the fine tussle we witnessed at Denaby, and neither team did itself anything like justice.
The Denaby men were certainly off colour, and had not the best of luck, for they were unfortunate in being without the services of Pattison for the greater part of the game. The Denaby centre-half twisted his ankle towards the close of the first half, and took no further part in the game.
Apart from that mishap, however, Denaby scarcely ever shaped like a winning team, and seemed to lack the beautiful understanding which existed between them on Christmas Day.
They played the same side as in the previous match, save that Raybould was operating vice Calladine at inside left.
Mexboro’ made no change from the team which has done so well in the last four matches.
A Good Game.
The “gate” was not up to the standard of the old palmy days, when contests between these teams brought close upon three figures in, was easily the best Mexboro’ has enjoyed this season, and the receipts amounted to £57.
The ground was hard and dry, the afternoon was bright, and everything favoured good football; but somehow we did not get it in large quantities.
Mexboro’ were about value for their two-nothing victory, though they ought to have added considerably to their score, but they were not seriously pushed.
We seemed to miss the snap and verve of the Denaby game altogether.
Denaby had the luck of the toss, and most of their serious attacking was done in the first half.
There was a period in the early stages, lasting about fifteen minutes, when they were certainly the better team, and looked like scoring time and again.
But all their efforts materialised in only two shots worth mentioning—one by Lang, a great drive in the middle of a crowd of players which hit the rigging post, and a lovely low shot from Blackburn, which brought Rounds squirming to the floor, and made him glad to throw the ball round the post.
There was, too, a beautiful high centre from “Dido,” which Rounds fisted away.
Why Denaby Lost.
The secret of Denaby’s failure was to be found in the inattention which Blackburn suffered from.
He was obviously in form, and did quite a number of good things when he got the opportunity.
But he was starved with a persistency that amounted almost to deliberation, and when he did get a pass coming across, it came at a very awkward angle.
Lang in the centre leaned to Clarke, who, however, gave an indifferent display, and was rarely on the mark with a centre.
Peters was too individualistic, and was working for his own hand for the most part.
Altogether the Denaby attacks were too disjointed to count, and, behind, the half-back line was not happy.
Jack Westwood had a gruelling time with Rhodes and Gledwin, who were particularly lively, and neither Pattison nor Hill touched their real form.
Behind, all was snug.
Both Swinbourne and Jackson were in good trim, and Heath was his usual cool, clever self.
The two goals which beat him resulted from a rushing of the goal.
When Mexboro’ Won.
Early in the second half the Mexboro’ men stormed the Denaby citadel, and Hunter scored practically over Heath’s prostrate body, while ten minutes later Margrave slipped home the second in a general scramble right in the goal mouth.
Both these goals were as a result of movements engineered by the wiry left half-back.
Later it looked as if Mexboro’ would get a third goal from a beautiful screw shot by Beaumont, which hit the bar, and in the closing stages the Denaby goal had more narrow escapes.
But there was, in general, a dearth of good shooting.
That was to be expected, when Blackburn, the strongest shot in the Midland League, was left out of the picture completely.
He did practically nothing in the second half until near the close, when he set the Denaby forwards going, and Clarke, passing into the centre, left Peters with an open goal, which he unaccountably missed.
The darkness came on very rapidly, and the closing stages were more or less unintelligible to the crowds gathered round the ropes.
Altogether it was not a thrilling game, but the result satisfied the crowd.