South Yorkshire Times, September 14.
“Stats” and Wild reach the heights in Utd´s first win
Denaby United 1 Stamford Town 0
Never mind the score, Denaby’s first win of the season was much more convincing than a single goal. This stood their ground and refused to be upset by a burst of Stamford action in the first 10 minutes of this Midland League game at Tickhill Square, then settled down to the business of winning.
Stanford hadtheir chances into those first 10 minutes, but Stasiukiewicz, after his brilliant display at Alfreton in midweek, met everything that came his way in top form. Twice within a couple of minutes he threw themself at the feet of Elliott and Bull, and his positioning made stopping the Stamford forwards shots look easy.
When, Denaby attacked they were faster to the ball and faster moving it. 16-year-old Martin on the right wing, came off best against the Stanford defence. He is fast, a fighter for the ball and has the skill and ball control to match.
In defence, it was good to see Wild back at centre half control in the middle of the field and bringing the ball out of danger away from two and sometimes three attackers.
Practice will make Perfect.
Denaby missed chances, but the point was not that they missed them, but that they made them. Shooting practice can remedy the rest.
Denim set a stiffer pace in the second half than they did before the interval. Mullen had a centre dangerously palmed across the face of the goal by Aylin, and just managed to catch a shot from the centre forward at arms length a few seconds later.
Mullen was unlucky not to put Denaby ahead in the 62nd minute when he moved away from a couple of tackles and shook the bar with a shot which Aylin couldn’t reach. But less than 30 seconds later Ainscough got the goal that matters with a shot which slip through Aylin´s hands and legs into the net.
Midway through the second half. Denaby began to move through the Stanford defence with ease, but weak finishing robbed them of more goals.
Wonderful Save.
Aylin pulled off one superb save, coming from what looked like an impossible position to chip the ball away after Wood had carefully aimed at an unguarded gap between the posts.
With Stamford’s atrocious shooting Denaby had little to fear, but brightening up their own finishing would help tremendously.
Teams and ratings:
Stasiukiewicz 9; Whant 7, Foster8; Ainscough 8, Wild 9, Bellamy 7; Martin 9, Wood 7, Mullen 7, Wharham 8, Roebuck 8