Mexborough and Swinton Times April 6, 1928
Tense struggle at Hampden Road
Another Match Winner
Mexboro’ 2 Wolverhampton 1
Mexboro’: Stubbs; Lawrence, Hardy Hallam, Street, Boulton; Machin, Gittins, Hardy; Beard, Parker.
Wolverhampton: Norris; Neat, Preece; Unitt, Golsby, Moore; Brown, Turner, Povey, Whittingham, Bloomfield.
Referee: E. A. Milton, Sheffield.
Mexboro’ on Saturday passed through by far the stillest task yet set them in their great bid for the national elementary school trophy. In Wolverhampton they were up against superior weight and strength; and had to call on their reserves of craft and “stickabiliiy” to win through to the semi-final round. But they did it—gallantly and deservedly. Wolverhampton were beaten by a better team who refused to admit the possibility of defeat into their reckoning.
It was a desperately near thing: the 5000 odd watchers were kept palpitating in doubt and excitement till the whistle signalled the end of 70 crowded minutes. For once Mexboro’s clever and thrustful forward line was defied 55 of the 70 minutes passed in fruitless striving before a single goal reward was gaited; and even when the tables had been completely turned on Wolverhampton in the short space of three minutes the fight had to be strenuously maintained to the end to hold the advantage. Wolverhampton put up a grand struggle and left keen appreciation and admiration in the hearts of the Mexboro’ crowd.
Death or Glory.
This was no contest of that history as the Liverpool tie on the same ground was: Saturday’s match was a desperate tussle strength, spirit and opportunism – an exhibition of what we loosely style “cup tie football.” But he was a thoroughly sporting bout, nevertheless.
Boys on both sides took hard knocks grimly hut undauntedly; and never for a moment was the ball forsaken for the man. The delighted crowd bad not for many a long day watched on that ground the efforts of 22 such game young triers, and Mexboro’ won just because, in spite of the tenacious spirit of Wolverhampton, they had the greater will to win—the spirit of the conquerors. Their superior football craft—for it undoubtedly was superior, taking the teams as a whole would not have availed them but for that.
But the reason why Mexboro’ look good enough to bring home in the end a great national honour lies in the indomitable spirit that inspires the team and makes them ten times ‘more formidable when fate has thrown the odds against them. At Worksop, for the first time since the match at Hemsworth, they were set the trial of facing a goat arrears, and they rose to the test and conquered. On Saturday they were again required to fight back to turn a losing battle into a winning one; and again they rose to the test and vindicated themselves.
A Brilliant Debut.
The match was actually won and lost between the 55th and 59 minutes of play. The ball course of changing a winning team was then vindicated to the hilt. Charles Machin (picture), the Adwick Road boy who displaced Burton at outside right, was throughout an outstanding play in spite of his four feet something and he consummated, triumphantly a dashing, brilliant afternoon’s debut by playing a secondary part in the scoring of Mexborough’s equalising goal, and a primary part in the scoring of the winner. No boy could have made a more notable debut: to enter a first-rate team in the last eight of a national compel; ion and play the match winner’s part —that was his. This stocky little son of the new secretary of the Mexboro Athletic Club, Football Section has a punch in his foot of astonishing power. From the first his centres were of the type that goals come from; and his corner kicks would have enhanced the reputation of an adult winger. More than that, he never faltered in his clashes with the big defenders against him. He more than held his own against an apparently hopeless disadvantage in weight and length of limb. On only one occasion that I noted did he make a faulty disposal of the ball. He turned the right’ wing front a rather lame section of the Mexboro’ team into one of its most dangerous elements–and he won the match in the last resort. While every Mexboro’ player deserved honour, while every one of the eleven pulled his full weight, it was Machin who found a way through a defence that threatened to baulk all efforts to the end.
The South Yorkshire Way.
Apart from the winning spirit the distinguishing feature of Mexboro’s work as compared with that of Wolverhampton—and, indeed, any other team they have met—was touched on with shrewd judgment by a leading official of the Wolverhampton Association in the exchange of tea-table compliments after the match, in the Garden Street restaurant. This gentleman, an old referee and watcher of hundreds of school games in a lone career of association with the sport, said:
“In all my experience I have never seen boys trap a ball so surely and kick so strongly and accurately as the Mexboro’ boys do. You have a great team. “
So that’s that! It is the carry with the boys of South Yorkshire; when they set themselves to master a game they go straight to its finer points. Think only of the number of those who have made good in first-class football – and who belong – to ‘South Yorkshire.
In those first 25 minutes of the second half Wolverhampton were outplayed by a team that gave a, wonderful exhibition of ball mastery and distribution.
Big and strong as they were the lads of Wolverhampton could not keep pace with that rapid “killing” of the ball, the lefty Ford punches, that overhead jewellery, that in the end brought Mexborough there just and due reward
(to be continued)