Swinton & Mexborough Times, September 01
Two “Hat-Tricks”
Denaby´s Attack Overwhelms Chesterfield.
Denaby United 7, Chesterfield Reserve 1
It will be granted that Chesterfield Reserve had a most unlucky evening at Denaby on Monday. But that having been said it must be stated that Denaby were in such brilliant form that nothing could hold these and the result would not have been much different had their opponents been treated more kindly by fortune.
Only one change from Saturday was found advisable. Godfrey returning to the leadership of the front line in place of Damme. Monday´s display appears to have settled the centre-forward question.
A feature of the game was the remarkable number of accidents – mostly minor ones, happily, Matt Taylor was the first to suffer, a knock on the knee in the first ten minutes sending him off for a while and he was lame on his return. After the first half-hour, there were rarely 22 players on the field, and early in the second half Chesterfield lost their goalkeeper.
Chesterfield´s first blow was to lose the toss and to play, in the first half, against a squally wind and a dazzling sun. The wind dropped later, so that the visitors had all the worst of the conditions. These things must be pointed out in fairness to Chesterfield, but without detracting one iots from Denaby´s performance.
Denaby´s opening did not give a hint of what was to follow, for Chesterfield´s play was the more cohesive. Denaby played rather disjointedly for a while and it was not until well into the half that the attack became a co-operative force.
Nevertheless, Denaby were two goals to the good in twenty minutes. The first was an awfully simple affair. Shots by Chambers and Godfrey had been charged down, but Scriven got the ball into the middle again. Clever close headwork by Godfrey and Chambers carried it forward. There was a tussle with the defenders. Massie, the Goalkeeper, ran out, the ball was slipped across to SHAW and he had merely to tap it into an open goal.
A smart piece of work by Scriven carried on by Shaw, gave Godfrey a clear chance, but he missed it. Hamilton retrieved the ball, and gave the centre-forward a second chance, opportunity, and GODFREY headed through this time.
A forceful effort by Kennedy, and a Denaby left-wing raid had given Massey work to do before BARNETT burst away in a tricky one man effort, to score a good goal after 30 minutes.
Just one more minute had elapsed when Shaw was tripped when very near. COOPE took the penalty kick and put well past Massey. The returning sunshine after a downpour of rain was in keeping with Denaby´s spirits. The lead might well have been reduced again by McIntyre, in a perfect position, and good combined work by Whitfield, Dent and McIntyre gave the Denaby defence something to do. A corner was well cleared and Hamilton was next racing clear away, only to fall over Massey, who had come out to save his goal. After he latter had recovered from the effects of the collision. Chesterfield mad another spasmodic effort, Whitfield and Barnett being just off the mark. Then the Denaby attack began to give of its best combining delightfully, making good with deft accurate, close passing movements, varied by sudden flashes out to the wings. Their assault was too hot to be withstood for long, Godfrey worked a nice opening for SHAW who neatly gained position, and, with a swift ground shot, scored an artistic goal after 40 minutes. The game was all Denaby´s to the end of the half, a hard drive by C. Taylor being stopped by a defender – to his sorrow – near the interval.
Godfrey and Co. were at it again almost immediately on the re-start, and Whitworth stopped a scoring drive from Kennedy with his head, saving a certain goal and being knocked out in the performance An easily repulsed Chesterfield attack was followed by great work on the Denaby left, ending in Scriven swinging in a beautiful cross shot which Masse turned aside. Shaw promptly leapt in and shot to the opposite end of the goal, and Whitworth again turned goalkeeper, but used his hands this time, SHAW took the kick, scoring easily, for Massey had been crippled during the attack, and now had to leave the field. Whitworth deputising to the end. Only 15 minutes of the half had gone.
The Denaby men now seemed content, but not so the crowd. Six goals were not enough for them. Play was quiet for some time, the incidents of note being the smart interception of a difficult Chesterfield centre by Harrison, and numerous accidents to players. The burly Kennedy seemed to be unable to avoid hurting people. Yet the play was practically free from questionable tactics.
Thirty-eight minutes of the half had gone when Hamilton and Chambers sent GODFREY off, and he dribbled cleverly through to score a pretty goal. Five minutes later GODFREY received a forward pass, again manoeuvred his way through the defence and scored. This completed the scoring, Shaw and Godfrey both doing the “hat-trick”.
On such form, Denaby are going to be one of the keenest candidates for the championship. The attack was a vital, co-ordinated force, full of energy and skill. Especially clever was the close work of the inside forwards, and the headwork – not so often used in attack – of the three inside men was nothing less than jugglery. Chambers worked tirelessly and cunningly to open up the way for his comrades, and Shaw was clever and incisive. On the wing, Hamilton was speedy and tricky. Young Scriven, though still lacking confidence enough to go through alone, showed enough promise to convince everyone of the necessity of persevering with him. He was fast and forceful, lacking only the experience that would have made him the most dangerous winger on the field. Godfrey was the ideal leader, keeping his line ever moving onward, and himself ever on the alert for the opening that could be turned into goals.
The halves, to a man, were sound, brainy and resourceful. Chesterfield could rarely get past the trio. The defence, even with Matt Taylor a cripple most of the game, was good. Coope miskicked rather too often for a back, but then, he was called upon to do a lot of extra work, and to him must go a good deal of credit for the fact that Harrison was usually idle. What little the last-named had to do was dealt with a smartness and judgment that marks him a reliable defender. The team had not a weak spot.
In regard to Chesterfield, the outstanding features were the heroic defence of Whitworth, the good work of Cochrane and Tyler, and the skill of Barnett. McIntyre was a forceful winger.
Teams:-
Denaby United – Harrison; Coope and Taylor (M); Taylor ©, Kennedy and Hill; Hamilton, Chambers, Godfrey, Shaw and Scriven.
Chesterfield Reserve – Massey; Cochrane and Whitworth; Edwards, Tyler and Mellon; McIntyre, Barnett, Dent, Whitfield and Milner.