Mexborough and Swinton Times, March 3, 1939.
Denaby´s Main Trouble.
Was Lack of Power in Midfield
Lincoln Strongly Represented.
Denaby United 0 Lincoln City 5
Denaby United’s main trouble, as revealed in Saturday’s game, is a lack of power in midfield. Lincoln were on top throughout not, as might be expected, because of overwhelming individual superiority, but because their wing halves and inside forwards could always get hold of the ball in midfield and hold it long enough before being tackled, to make a telling pass. Denaby will have to pay serious attention to this defect. Fore and aft they were quite sound, but because of this failing in midfield, the defence was terribly overworked.
Lincoln fielded a defence which, on paper would do justice to any Second Division team. There was an old friend, Tommy Leach, at centre half, and the backs, Nevin and Robinson, are well-known to Sheffield “fans”. This trio proved rather too strong for Denaby’s experimental forward line, but we saw enough of the new left-wing pair to feel confident that they should give the club a good service.
Denaby’s forward line, which included four new players, obviously lacked confidence, and did not combine well. Three forwards, Spirritt, Wilkinson and Senior, showed well, but Orrell, the centre forward, found the still agile and hard tackling Leach, rather too much for him. He only had two chances of shooting, and each time he had the misfortune to slip down. Townsend could make no impression on Nevin, who gave a grand display. Denaby were again well served in defence, and Williams kicking, particularly in the last half hour was beautifully clean. The wing halves worked hard enough they did not position themselves to well, and Sherwin and Happs were sound as ever. Green made a number of splendid saves and was not to blame for any of the goals were scored.
Denaby were not as inferior as the score suggests, but they promised more than they achieved.
Record to date:
Played 27 Win 1 Drawn 2 Lost 24 Goals 23 Against 135 Points 4 Position 22 of 22