Gresley Rovers vs Harrison's
Rovers roar in with a 3-goal blast - Andy Parker - Burton Mail
Super mean Gresley Rovers don't give many goals away these days.
Thus the sight of the ball resting in the back of the Moatmen's net is an unusual one - and one which had the effect of waving a red flag at a bull on Saturday afternoon.
Off-key Gresley looked set for a below-par afternoon until Harrisons' Steve Snaith shot his side into a 24th minute lead. Rovers were visibly shaken into devastating action.
But if they were angry at Snaith's 20-yard shot - which appeared to fool keeper Bob Aston as it skidded just inside the foot of his right hand post - that was nothing to compare with the wrath of manager Frank Northwood, who revealed afterwards that he had given his side a thorough tongue-lashing during the interval - even though they had effectively turned the game around by that time.
"They had a right telling off," growled the veteran supremo. "I reminded them that people pay to watch them and that if they didn't do the business for me then I'd fine them. At the end of the day though, I thought we deserved to win convincingly."
Gresley should certainly have added to the three goals they scored in a withering five-minute burst just before half time. Despite Harrisons' spirited resistance, they dominated the second half and should have scored at least twice more, Kieron Smith heading a good chance against the crossbar and Martin Dick blasting a late penalty high over the bar.
Dick's earlier spot kick had put Gresley level on 37 minutes after the lively Neil Lovell had downed on the right of the penalty area by defender Steve Clarke.
What followed was pure delight. First Andy Moore cleverly pulled the ball back from the right and Paul Acklam, at full tilt, superbly half volleyed past the helpless Martin Wilkinson. The Bob Aston's huge punt upfield was touched on by Smith for Acklam to grab his second with an unerring drive from the edge of the box.
"Paul's goals were superb, brilliant," said Northwood afterwards.
Acklam, though, was less pleased. "I'm glad those two went in because they were all I got right all afternoon. I thought that was my worst game of the season," he said.
If that was a poor performance, heaven help the team Gresley play when he's on form!
Gresley Rovers (3) 3
Harrisons (1) 1
Scorers: Dick 37 (pen), Acklam 39, 42 (Gresley Rovers); Snaith 24 (Harrisons).
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Bottomley, Dick, Denby, Haskins, Page, Moore (Fearn 61), Lovell, Acklam, Jones, Smith. Sub not used: Perry.
Harrisons: Wilkinson, Bestall, Cooper, Matthews, Clarke, Meeson, Glaister, Morris, Tonks, Edwards (Morris, 69) Snaith. Sub not used: Tongue, Docherty.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Martin Dick.
Referee: M J Watkiss (Wolverhampton).
Attendance: 326
