Mexborough and Swinton Times January 13, 1928

A Notts. Marksman.
Pace and Method Win At Hampden Road.
Mexboro` Town 3, Notts. Forest Res  4

Mexboro’.: Bromage; Beaumont, Davis; Sylvester, Kennedy, Saxton; Bramley, Vollans, Carr, Shaw, Skeels.

Notts. Forest: Boot; Marsden, Hicks; Turner, Green Sturton; McLachlan, Bullen, Roe. Price, Townsend

Notts. Forest played some good football .at Hampden Road on Monday and were Mexboro’s superiors in team work. Mexboro’, on the other hand, did the more attacking and had by far the larger number of chances. The deciding factor in a keen game was the exceptionally-successful shooting of Townsend, who scored three goals—an unusual feat by an outside-left. On a mighty heavy ground, and with a ball that “weighed a ton,” the play was rather better than might have been expected.

Mexboro’ had Bramley at outside-right in the absence of Hancock, injured, and. Beaumont played right back. Skeels returned to the team.

Notts. settled down to the conditions at once and would have got an early lead had they not found Bromage at his most alert. The Notts. forwards ,played the right game: long passes and direct bursts for goal, with the wings always well employed; with the result; that the Mexborough defence was necessarily spread.

But Mexboro’ pulled themselves together in time and the spirited rushes they made, if they lacked the cool method of the Notts. attacks, gave Boot some difficult work. But he was in great form, too, and his backs were wonderfully sure considering. the conditions, So were Mexborough’s for that matter, and for a long time the defences held the upper hand.

The last quarter of an hour of the half had been entered on before Townsend centred perfectly along the ground and PRICE neatly diverted the ball past a helpless Bromage.

Immediately the ball was kicked off it was put out to TOWNSEND who ran down and took everyone by surprise by shooting into the net almost from off the touchline—a remarkable goal. A two-goals lead for Notts hardly represented the play up to the interval, except that it stood for first-rate opportunism.

After the interval we had a repetition of a tale that has become familiar at Hampden Road this season: Mexboro’ dominating the play and laying strenuous siege to their opponents’ goal, but failing to finish effectively. They gained encouragement in the first two minutes of the half, for CARR. snapped a chance that presented itself in a scramble round the Notts. goal. But after that Mexboro’ tried in vain. They had bad luck, true, but they were also guilty of slowness to get to the ball when near the Notts. goal. A long spell of siege of Notts. terminated in a break by the Notts. attack and another crack shot by. TOWNSEND.

Dick SHAW with the utmost coolness placed the ball well out of Boot’s reach with a deliberate shot from a centre by Skeels, and for the third time in the match Mexboro’s hopes revived. But TOWNSEND—who seemed this clay to be able to score to order—very quickly damped them again SIIAW again reduced the lead, but the sting went out of the play before the end.

In the mud the bigger build and superior training of the Notts. men became too big an advantage. Mexboro’ gave them a good game, but they were too often beaten to the ball, and they could not get the ball moving from wing to wing as could Notts. The outstanding Mexboro’ man of the day was Beaumont, who was put in at the last moment and played with rare judgment, taking position, tackling and kicking like a master. Davis was almost as good. The forwards did not hang too well together, and they lacked a leader. Carr was yards too slow for the Notts. defenders. Notts. had no weak spot, but the backs and Townsend stood out. Townsend was the fastest man on the field and the mud did not apparently affect him in the least. It was the finest display of wing play given at Hampden Road this season.