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Mining Review 2/5: Talent Scout (1949)
 

Synopsis

Warning: screenonline full synopses contain 'spoilers' which give away key plot points. Don't read on if you don't want to know the ending!

The commentary doubles as a synopsis and has therefore been reproduced in full:

Here's a colliery match at Frickley, in Yorkshire. One man in the crowd has a special reason for being here: Joe McGuire is a talent scout for Rotherham United. He spots future players at matches like this one.

Grainger, Rotherham's outside right, came from Frickley Colliery, spotted by Joe McGuire. There are 22 working miners among the players in Rotherham's three teams, eight of them in the first team. Joe watches them shape up. You've got to be keen on football to train in your spare time from a colliery.

Today, they're getting ready for the big match with York City. Top of the third division, Rotherham players have prospects - if they can use their heads. Mining Review put their shirts on Rotherham to win the York match, and lost them.

At York, a record crowd turned up, as well as Mining Review. Rotherham playing in the white shirts. The game started with Rotherham hard pressed by brilliant forward play by York. At this point, Rudd lost the ball and it looked as though Rotherham would score the first goal. But Cross, the York goalkeeper, saved the drive from Ardron, and Rotherham were back on the defensive. By half time, Patrick scored York's first goal. In the second half, York scored two more goals. Rotherham fought back. Rotherham managed to score with a brilliant cross drive but it was Rotherham's only goal.

At the end, the score was 6-1. Mining Review certainly chose the wrong day - because next week, when we weren't there, Rotherham beat Carlisle 8-1. But Joe McGuire knew they could do it!