Mexborough and Swinton Times March 2, 1928

Mexboro’s Turn.
An Improved Display.
Mexboro’ 4, Scunthorpe 1

Mexborough: Bromage; Beaumont, Davis; Hill, Kennedy, Saxton; Hancock, Bramley, Briggs, Shaw, Vollans.
Scunthorpe: Unwin; Severn, Holland; Skull, Milson, Hunter; Wainwright, Maw, Bower, Allen, Foster.

Referee: J. W. Gilling Rotherham.

Mexborough on Saturday gave one of the best of their recent displays at Hampden Road and exacted satisfying reprisals for the 0-5 defeat at Scunthorpe a week earlier. Scunthorpe on Saturday were, frankly, not impressive; their attack was far below the lot we saw at Mexboro’ last season, and the rest of the team ‘was too – much carried on the shoulders ‘of Holland to be impressive. Mexboro’ were not brilliant, fore and aft there were, weaknesses, but the team certainly played with dash and determination and thoroughly earned their success.

The failure of the attempts to find local juniors worth trying on the right wing meant the retention of the regular pair, Hancock and Bromley; and most of the club’s older players were also in the side. Bromage made a welcome return to the defence and did a good afternoon’s work. The backs made a few mistakes but on the whole did their work well; and the halves were a good set with Kennedy outstanding. Forward the line was not well knit. Milson was the master of Briggs who had, an ineffective afternoon. Shaw was the schemer of the line and most effective forward on the field, and he and VOLLANS (picture) also made the best wing. Though Foster was clever – perhaps Scunthorpe’s cleverest forwards – VOLLANS stood comparison very well and is as good a man as Mexborough have at present. Bramley has not yet recovered his form and Hancock has apparently reached the limit of his development.

A good pace was set at the start of Mexborough put rather than more vim into their attacks. It was no more than their due when they got a goal after 15 minutes. VOLLANS’s scored it but a good deal of the credit had to go to Kennedy. He made a wonderful shot with a moving ball at least 35 yards out and the pace of it beat Unwin, will dropped full length a second after the ball hit the upright. Before Unwin could recover VOLLANS had bit the ball first-time into the net.

Not much later Shaw worke4 an ideal opening, for Bramley but the latter’s luck is right out just now. He missed badly. Severn played well this half, taking up- position shrewdly and kicking well against, Mexborough’s best wing but he fell off after he was shaken up in a collision. Unwin did some good work, too, but Shaw beat him after 25 minutes. A shot was diverted merely out to Hancock, who centred accurately for SHAW to head the ball into the right part of the goal. FOSTER got through and scored nine minutes before the interval and Scunthorpe were rather flattered by, the half-time score of 2-1 against them.

In the second half they had rather more of the play territorially than they had in the first, but they rarely looked dangerous. Their forwards were singularly ineffective in finish and there was a distinct weakness on the right wind. Wainwright has fallen far short of the promise lie showed in the days when he played for Doncaster Rovers. Kennedy failed with a rather doubtful penalty kick ‘early’ in the half. He forsook judgment for power and merely blazed the ball straight at Unwin and foozIed his second attempt at’ the rebound. But SHAW scored ‘two more ‘neat goals and the final score just about represented. Mexborough’s superiority in finish and pull in team work.

The game was quite a good one, with a lot of good football sandwiched between some rather ragged stuff; and Mexborough’s form was much better than son of the recent results suggest.