Gresley Rovers vs Halesowen Harriers
Rovers make a point - Andy Parker - Burton Mail
Gresley walked a tightrope between triumph and disaster at Park Road on Saturday - and ended up the more satisfied of two title-chasing sides.
"A point gained, not two lost," was Rovers boss Frank Northwood's assessment. "We've not lost to any of the top sides apart from Paget. That means we've got to go to their place and turn them over."
With his team's hour of championship decision drawing ever closer - Gresley travel to Paget before the month's end - Northwood will unquestionably be keeping fingers crossed that his depleted squad will suffer no further casualties twixt now and then.
Key striker Graham Jones, whose three goals against Matlock Town had earned the Moatmen Derbyshire Senior Cup glory over the previous fortnight, was the latest to join the walking wounded with a septic toe prior to Saturday's encounter.
He watched alongside fellow striker Tracey Norton - now starting the long road back to fitness after a groin injury - and suspension midfield mastermind Ian Wells. Any one of those three could have made the difference to a finely-balanced encounter.
There was a suspicion, too, that Rovers were suffering from a tiny hangover after their Matlock glory.
Said midfielder Neil Lovell, now successfully restored to the side after an ill-fated sojourn with Sutton Town in the HFS Loans League Division One: "It was a bit like after the Lord Mayor's Show today. There was a lot of effort but no end product. Overall it was a pleasing result for us, although we had the chances to win it."
So too, did the home side, their confidence soaring after a monumental 4-0 drubbing of Rushall a week earlier. Yet after surviving a first half in which Harriers used the strong wind like a 12th player to bombard the Rovers goal, there was more than faint hope that Gresley would succeed where their hosts had failed. Alas, it was not to be.
At the end of the day the two most satisfied players were opposing keepers Tim Clarke and Bob Aston.
Aston was in action early, denying what seemed like a certain goal with a splendid double save from Steve Field after Harriers had used their aerial power to good effect.
But after a string of home chances had gone begging, Gresley's football brought them back into the game and stand-in midfielder Peter Perry brought the best from Clarke after connecting well with Kieron Smith's excellent crossfield pass.
After containing their hosts for half the game, Gresley came out after the interval intending to swap roles but Clarke soon denied Paul Acklam by tipping his looping effort from the right over the bar.
After that the half became a repeat of the first with both sides struggling for openings, although Aston's mishandling of a Paul Waddington corner created one moment of mayhem in which brothers Steve and Chris Field both saw close-range efforts blocked on the line.
Just a goal would have been enough to settle the job and both sides had time to go close again, John Bottomley miscuing his header from six yards after Perry had crossed well at one end, then Steve Brain curling in a vicious 25-yarde right at the death which Aston saved with his customary aplomb.
Halesowen Harriers (0) 0
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Halesowen Harriers: Clarke, Woodhouse, Tomlinson, C Field, Randle, Brain, Carr (Mason 91), Moss, S Field, Pooler, Waddington. Sub not used: Cooper.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Bottomley, Dick, Denby, Haskins, Page, Moore, Lovell, Acklam, Perry, Smith. Subs not used: Fearn, Guest.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Richard Denby.
Referee: K Dunn (Atherstone).
Attendance: 140
