Denaby Utd Player – Lavery, Jack

January 1923

Mexborough Times, January 13th 1923

An interesting spectator of today’s match at Denaby will be Jack Lavery, who is visiting for the weekend, and has been asked to kick off.

This is a graceful compliment paid by the management of the Denaby club, to one of the cleverest footballers who ever wore Denaby colours.

The older generation of Denaby supporters will remember Jack Laverley perfectly. He is a Tyneside man, and came to Denaby in the beginning of season 1903.

He stayed with Denaby for three seasons, and during that time, Dicky Dunn and Tom Peters collected a remarkable series of players. Jack Lavery was the bright particular star of a fine forward line, which included men like Lindley, Tomkins, Doherty and Heppinstall, and behind them. Players of the calibre of Kelly, Nimrod, Welsh, Lawley, Lees and Hancock.

After wards, Lavery and Tomkins went on to Leeds city, and from there Lavery migrated to Swindon. He played in the Swindon team that reached the English cup semi-final of 1910, when Swindon were knocked out by Newcastle.

He is now back in his native team Tyneside as groundsman to the Hawthorn Leslie sports club, but he cherishes the memory of those happy days on the ground by the railway crossing, when we delighted to see him pulverise our enemies with his wonderful dribbling and shooting.

Teddy Glennon always had a great admiration for livery, and thought there was nobody like him in his day. He had the polish and craft of a master, and his style has been but sparingly and down in Midland league football, which is certainly not what it was in those days.

Also see: http://www.mightyleeds.co.uk/players/lavery.htm