South Yorkshire Times, November 17 1933
A Players’ Gallery
Sidney Mace
Sid. Mace who has been such a reliable member of the Thurnscoe Victoria team for the past five seasons, has captained the side for four years and no club could have had a better captain. Mace is justifiably proud that in a football career extending over 13 years he has never been sent off the field or even cautioned by the referee. When it is remembered that most of his time he has been playing in the hurly-burly of the Sheffield Association and local junior football this is certainly a record worthy of special mention.
As a boy Mace followed Eric Brook, Manchester City’s international winger, into the Dolcliffe Road school team. He was then a centre-forward and it was in this position that he later played with Oxford Road in the Mexboro’ Sunday School League. In his first season with this team he won the reputation of a penalty expert, scoring 17 goals with 17 shots from the “spot.”
He subsequently played for a short time with a Manvers Main team and after a period with Swinton joined Roman Terrace, who were then in the Mexboro’ Association League.
After three seasons with Roman Terrace, Mace, by his goalscoring performances, attracted the attention of Denaby United, who signed him after seeing him score four goals against Thurnscoe Park’ Avenue. He got a goal in his first match at Loughborough. This was in 1921 during the great coal stoppage and he recalls that with little hope of support at home and the prospect that the stoppage might be terminated at any time Denaby played 13 consecutive away games while he was with them.
After a season with the Midland League club, he went back to Roman Terrace and then moved to Thurnscoe, with whom he has now qualified for a benefit in point of length of service. Though he played at centre-half during his last season with Roman Terrace, Mace reverted to the centre-forward position until a season or so ago when he was tried with success in the half-hack line by Thurnscoe. He continued to score goals in spite of his change of position and last season topped the club’s list of scorers with 37 goals to his credit.
A model captain, and a strong and fearless centre half who plays the game in the spirit in which it was meant to he played. Mace has deservedly earned his share of the honours to be won in his sphere. He has two Montagu Cup runners-up medals, and a winners’ medal; two Mexboro ‘ Challenge Cup winners’ medals, and a runners-up medal; a Sheffield Association championship medal, and a Mexboro’ Sunday School League championship medal.