Denaby’s Retiring Manager – Mr Harrison’s Good Work – Matt Taylor in New Role

April 1935

Mexborough and Swinton Times April 19, 1935

Denaby’s Retiring Manager
Mr Harrison’s Good Work
Matt Taylor in New Role

Mr Percy Harrison, who at the annual meeting of the Denaby United Football Club on Sunday morning was outvoted for the position of secretary – manager of the club, is not the first good man to be the victim of circumstances and suffer through the fickleness of popular opinion.

While extending every good wish to Matt Taylor, a successor, in his new position, I should not like to let the opportunity pass without paying a tribute to Mr Harrison’s work for the club. An ex League player himself, he has guided the destinies of the club wiser and tactfully during the six years he has been in charge.

The lot of the manager of a club like Denaby, Mexborough and Frickley in these days is a hard one. He has to compete with people who can offer greater inducements than he can ever hope to extend, when attempting to get the players he wants. Very often he has to be content with what the “scouts” of first-class clubs choose to leave him. Only by showing something like the foresight of a clairvoyant can he pickup really good players, but unless these youngsters are so raw that higher class clubs will not run a risk on the potentialities, he has little chance of getting them to sign.

At Denaby, Mr Harrison as put in a lot of hard work, and despite the poor run the club have had this to it must be recalled that she has accomplished some notable achievements for them in the past. It was he used to steer them into the first round of the FA Cup full seasons ago, all to seize teen beaten by a single goal after putting up a magnificent fight at Carlisle.

In each of his six years as secretary manager he has transferred at least one play to a better class club, and often, as in the present season, these transfer fees have been the salvation of the club financially. The way in which he managed the recent transfer of Burbanks to Sunderland, getting a much better fee than at one time seem likely for the player, should have earned him the gratitude of the club. However, I do not doubt that he will regard this turn his fortunes with proper philosophy, and will join as in wishing his successor best of luck.

Though new to this sort of work, Matt Taylor knows sufficient about the game to make a success of it. He has in the past given the club faithful service on the field and there is no question of is not working just as loyally for them off it.

As far as tactics on the field are concerned, Matt should be able to give the players much useful advice, and his experience should also enable him to spot players likely to be of value to his club. If this appointment means that his playing days are now over, he will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that he has maintained creditable form right to the end of his playing career, but has been one of the most consistent members of the team this turn. He did his bit towards the splendid win over Grimsby on Saturday.