Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 10 January 1902
Denaby on The Wrong Tack Against Monk Bretton
Monk Bretton 5 Denaby United 2
Denaby went to the Monk Bretton ground on Saturday with only ten men. It is hard to understand how this should have been allowed, especially as Monk Bretton are undoubtedly one of the strongest sides in the Sheffield Association League. Meakin was the absentee. There was only a poor attendance.
In spite of the disadvantage under which they laboured Denaby played a strong game for the first quarter of an hour, and after that Monk Bretton roused themselves and gave Hardy, the Denaby custodian, plenty to do. In this half he made a capital substitute for Hancock: he saved brilliantly from McDonald on one occasion. When the game was about twenty-five minutes old Hardy ran out to clear, and when he had got to within three yards of the leather it screwed mysteriously, with the result that Taylor registered an easy goal for Monk Bretton. It was not long before M’Neil threaded his way through the Monk Bretton defence and equalised.
Monk Bretton, hoverer, were soon on the warpath again, and Lunn put them in front with a terrific shot at thirty yards’ range. Just before half-time, lamentable weakness on the part of Monk Bretton di fence gave Crawcroft his opportunity. The player in question scored at short range, thus putting Denaby on equal terms again.
At this period Denaby were only playing with nine men. Chatfield, their centre-half, who had been playing a capital game, having had to retire through injuries After the scoring of this goal be resumed, but he was never the same man again.
Half-time: Monk Bretton, 2 goals: Denaby, 2 goals.
In the second half it appeared for a time as though Denaby, with a strong breeze in their favour, although they were a man shbort, at any rate, would hold their own, and perhaps pull of a win. They did not last the game out, however. In the last twenty minutes the Monk Bretton team were all over them and assisted by anything but judicious kicking on the part of the Denaby backs, M’Donald, Taylor, and Hesketh all registered goals for the home side.
The game thus resulted : MONK BRETTON 5 goals. DENABY 2 goals.