South Yorkshire Times March 30, 1928
English School Shield.
(Second round)
In The Last Eight !
Great Second Half Rally at Worksop.
Lawrence’s Day.
Worksop 1, Mexborough 4
Worksop: Madin; Jones, Mellor; Edson, Webster, Stagg; Argyle, Ellis, Cashmore, Harrison, Forrow
Mexborough: Stubbs; Lawrence, Hardy; Helen, Street, Bolton; Burton, Gittins, South, Beard, Parker
On a glue pot at Worksop on Saturday Mexborough fought back so magnificently after being a goal down at half-time that they won 4-1 and deserved it. It was a great demonstration of a masterful fighting spirit that promises to carry Mexborough through to the final round of the foremost elementary school tournament. They are now in the last eight.
Local Midland league players and follows know Central Avenue at Worksop; on Saturday the ground was at its stickiest. But once again elementary school boys proved their stamina and skill. They overcame the conditions sufficiently to keep the play going at top speed from beginning to end. Mexborough’s reputation had preceded them and Worksop and no delusions about the job in front of them; so when Harrison got that only goal of the first half their jubilation was tremendous – and the subsequent disappointment the severer!
The goal was a near thing, Beard must plead guilty to giving the initial opening, but he did it while playing the role of rescuer to his defence in a trying situation. Unfortunately he tried to manoeuvre the ball away instead of “getting rid,” and Worksop’s nippy right wing broke through. Harrison’s shot was low and very hard; but Stubbs was not wholly beaten. He got to the ball at full length, gathered it in his arms, and threw it clear. While half the 2000 crowd was cheering a great save, the other half had spotted the referee’s prompt signal towards the middle of the field and was acclaiming a goal. The referee was on the spot and did not hesitate; from the middle of the stand it was impossible to tell whether the ball was a foot over the line or not – it certainly could not have been more.
The proportion of chances that came to them Worksop could claim a right to the slender interval lead; in every other particular the play was even. Both goals had been narrowest of escapes. Perhaps the narrowest was Worksop when Madin so splendidly saved Beard’s best shot of the half and Clifford Parker managed to miss the goal at 3 yards range – they must be said he had not a wide mark to aim at. But Stubbs also made one glorious full-length saves from Ellis and neither side could really claim a marked advantage on the first of play. There was just that goal to give Worksop heart to face a strenuous second half.
The Gluey End
But there were two more decisive factors. One was the state of the ground in a large patch in front of the goal that Mexborough defended in the first half; the other the determined spirit of the Mexborough team and their superior strength, teamwork and finish.
Gittins wisely chose – and winning the toss for, I believe, the first time since he has led this team – to give his defence the worst end of their work in the first half. The defence at the end referred to had literally to dig the ball out and all the odds were on the opposing forwards. It needed the strength almost of a superman to get the ball away to the other end of the field when the opposing right-wing attacked. Even Hardy found it too much. On the face of it looked as if this stout back played his worst game in that first out; but when his vis-a-vis of Worksop had to tackle the same task in the second half the matter took a different aspect.
Another thing that turned the game was the policy of South (picture) in the second half. Before the interval the dominating figure in the game was Webster, a tall, slim, flaxen haired boy who did the work of three and did it well. He and he alone unable Worksop all their own: he and he alone kept his forward moving Mexborough’s held in check. He was in every spot where his help and shrewd work were needed. After the interval South made it his special business to cramp Webster; to keep at his shoulder, to tackle him before he had time to turn; and then Worksop’s weakness became apparent.
From the first few minutes of the second half Mexborough looked a winning team. They at once developed a more open game; they punched the ball hard forward, swinging freely out to the wings, and gave the Worksop defence no rest.
Parker on the Job
The actual turning point occurred early in the half. South suddenly put Parker away. He got through, left all opposition behind and finished with a flashing shop into the far end of the net.
A little later Hardy placed a free kick nicely into the goal and Madin made a partial clearance. South was hanging back waiting for it, and he coolly and deliberately lifted the ball over the ends of the players and into the net before Madin could get back.
A little later Gittins was going through when the defenders sandwiched him and sent him full length in the goal mouth. He himself took the spot kick – and Madin collected the ball.
Gittins got the last goal with a characteristic shot at 50 yards that left Madin helpless – and that’s the whole story !
Parker’s clever goal