South Yorkshire Times March 6th 1965
Vandals at Large at Tickhill Square
It’s all happening at Tickhill Square – fire in the Officials’ Stand, smashed floodlights and mysteriously trampled turf, spell out hooliganism which takes a steady toll at the ground of Midland League club, Denaby United.
Week in week out, the local idiots find some new object at Tickhill Square on which to vent their anger. It used to be a Press Association telephone, installed for the convenience of reporters covering Denaby’s matches and which, as regularly as clockwork, was smashed every week.
Since the telephone was removed to a safer place there have been other outbreaks.
“You can’t keep pace with this silly damage,” Denaby United president Mr. Jim Richards told the “South Yorkshire Times” this week.
Floodlights smashed
He went on, “The latest damage is the smashing of three of the grounds six floodlights. The bulbs cost quite a bit to replace. Several times this season, the Press Box in the Officer’s Stand has been damaged, and just before the start of the season a fire was found smouldering in the box. It was lucky the groundsman spotted it, but we had to fit new timbers and supports.
“Then a week ago, the ground was rolled on Thursday in preparation for a match. On the Saturday you simply couldn’t tell the roller had been near it – the children had virtually ploughed it up.”
And Mr. Richards warned, “These people – personally, I think they are teenagers rather than children – will be prosecuted if we catch up with them. We are doing our best to keep the club out of debt, and all the time these vandals are managing to put us further in it.”
DENABY ARE CONFOUNDING THEIR CRITICS
Pessimists and critics of lowly Denaby United have been confounded in one way or another during recent weeks (comments BOB TOMLINSON).
The PESSIMISTS have pointed out how indescribably poor have been the gates at Tickhill Square this season – down to 100 and even less most weeks.
But the forecasters of doom have taken a knock, admittedly a small one, as the gate at the last home match with Stamford Bridge showed a 150 per cent improvement.
It was around 250 – not stupendous perhaps, but significant of the club’s improved form.
Perhaps spectators are taking the advice meted out by club president Mr. Jim Richards in these notes last week to “wake their ideas up”.
The CRITICS have pointed out the record of centre-forward Jimmy Kelly, scorer of only two goals this season, until three weeks ago. Then, Jimmy hit back, scoring both Denaby’s goals against Gainsborough and one of their two goals in the draw with Stamford.
HIT BY BREAK
The cancellation of Saturday’s match at Alfreton comes as an unwelcome break in United’s fixture card. A fortnight’s gap between matches can play havoc with the “togetherness” and general form of a side.
To quote Mr. Richards, “This will do us no good at all – neither financially nor from a playing point of view.”
It may be worth recalling that the last time Denaby went a fortnight between matches – ground conditions forced the cancellation of the home game with Bourne – United lost 9-1 to Grantham in the first match after their enforced lay off.