South Yorkshire Times – Friday 27 October 1933

Mexboro’ Mishaps

Lincoln’s Lucky Day

The luck that favours the top dog helped Lincoln to a lucky victory at Hampden Road on Saturday. A well-fought fast game of bright football ended unhappily on two disputed goals and a disturbed crowd with a prejudice against a hapless linesman on whom fell no unfavourable responsibility. Till the game was wearing well to its close Mexboro’ had victory in their grasp; then two breaks away and two goals, both hotly disputed on the grounds of offside. On each occasion the referee saw fit to consult his linesman before pointing to the middle, and on each occasion the yells of execration might have been heard out in the suburbs (Swinton, for instance). Not being in a position to give judgment on the matter, we leave it there, except to say that they were, in any event, two unsatisfactory goals to settle the issue in anyone’s favour after such a splendid tussle. And Mexboro’ were sadly handicapped by the absence of Kelsall through injury while Lincoln snatched their fortuitous win.

The Lincoln men were not so mighty of stature as some Lincoln reserve teams of the past, but they played with the old snap and pace. Mexboro’, trying out new blood in the forward line, in the two positions that were weakest the previous week, set off in most encouraging fashion. The newcomers were Banks, who comes accredited with experience with Chesterfield and Crystal Palace, and displaced Taylor at centre-forward; and Rogers, a right winger from a Rotherham district junior league club. Lincoln were quickly scurrying about to save their goal, but at a very early stage Poskitt showed that goals were not going to be easy to get. Still, the one that did presently come was well earned and cleverly got. Kelsall swung the ball across prettily, after retrieving it almost off the line, and Dotchin judged his header perfectly.

That notable effort was quickly cancelled out by an opportunist goal by the wandering Iverson, a long-limbed fellow whose official position in the Lincoln forward line was inside-right, but who took on himself the license of a James or Jack. At any rate he was the real hot stuff in the Lincoln attack, which was none too impressive, taken altogether till the opening stages of the second half, when it looked like scoring every time it kicked the ball. Lincoln, then, were going all out to retrieve Mexboro’s second lead-giving point, again a header, this time by Fell, who got nicely into position to convert Rogers’s corner-kick before the interval. Wilkinson, Winstanley and Barron survived the inspired spell of Lincoln, and from then on the game was largely Mexboro’s, but nobody could find a way past Poskitt’s sure defence. His judgment was first-rate and his handling splendid. Then came the anticlimax. Twice Read was put through and each time he scored, once after Wilkinson had parried a shot and given him the rebound. A draw would have been a more satisfactory result all round. On the play, while Lincoln were the more polished set, Mexboro’ were the more tricky and resourceful, and the two sets of qualities balanced each other very nicely. The football occasionally reached the high standard we used to enjoy weekly a few seasons ago.

The Mexboro’ attack was vastly improved from the lifeless, individualistic line it was against York. Banks lacked a yard or two of pace (perhaps remediable with training) but showed himself to possess a shot in either foot. He caused Poskitt to make one thrilling one-handed save that was among the best single incidents of the game. Rogers is full of promise. He took the ball nicely, beat his man as often as not, and showed judgment and accuracy in putting it across. The half-back line was dominant, almost throughout. Fell played, probably, his best game for Mexboro’, and Burkinshaw was a polished player as there was among the twenty-two. Equally good in his way was Moxon, who rose to his best and was always in the thick of defence and attack. The defence was generally sound, even with Chapman absent, and Wilkinson did a lot of good, cool work in goal. Lincoln were held together by Barber, a commanding figure at centre-half with a shrewd sense of ball distribution; Iverson, who led Mexboro’ many a dance; and Poskitt, who is fit for the Football League any hour.