Tipton Town vs Gresley Rovers
Frank lost for words – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Frank Northwood’s terse “no comment” after 90 minutes of drudgery at Tipton summed up the implications of a dismal 0-0 draw.
Northwood had hoped his previous week’s verbal broadside would relight the title spark in his flagging Rovers. It didn’t.
Instead the Gresley chief was left speechless by an inept performance, preferring to let sidelined centre half Martin Haskins do his talking.
And Haskins, whose injured hamstring may keep him out of Thursday’s Moat Ground shoot-out with title favourites Blakenall, had no compliments to pay at all.
“We needed to battle for the first 20 minutes and we didn’t. They got their heads up after that. The team is good enough at Gresley, but you’ve got to earn the right to beat teams. We didn’t show any fight at all.”
It could have been a different story, though, had Gresley taken the lead through what was ultimately their best chance of the game after just eight minutes.
Michael Guest flighted a perfect centre from the left but Graham Jones, ironically the man who took the brunt of Northwood’s wrath after the previous week’s home draw with Rocester, headed high over.
The game went downhill rapidly after that, even though Gresley, if anything, stepped up their possession up after the break. Tipton found themselves under constant bombardment, but the flash of inspiration Gresley needed was nowhere to be found.
Only Andy Moore on the right looked like providing anything akin to a regular service of crosses, but Tracey Norton missed one inviting opportunity by a whisker and, after a typical goalmouth melee from another Moore centre, Richard Denby only half hit his volley straight into the arms of keeper Keith Garrington.
With the wind in their faces after the break Gresley needed to adopt a more cultured approach, but invariably the final ball was lacking.
Still, with Dean Page typically dominant at the back, Gresley hogged possession but even the introduction of both substitutes failed to shake Tipton’s strengthening resolve.
Both had chances, Andy Maddocks opting to try and set up a colleague rather than teat the keeper as Guest’s cross dropped out of the sun to find him unmarked, then Steve Astley bringing the save of the game from Garrington with a low effort whipped away from the foot of the post by the keeper.
Gresley’s dejection at the end was in complete contrast to Tipton’s elation. The home side had earned a point that could save them from relegation. For Gresley, two more dropped means the title champagne can almost certainly go back on ice for another season.
Tipton Town (0) 0
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Tipton Town: Garrington, Danks, Burns, Fox, Mullinder, Moroney, Shettlewood, Powell, Holcroft, Winsper, Eyre (Atterbury 80). Sub not used: McNight.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Bottomley, Guest, Denby, Skeemer, Page, Moore, Norton, Smith (Maddocks 55), Jones, Wells (Astley 60).
Gresley man-of-the-match: Dean Page.
Referee: M J Penn (Kingswinford).
Attendance: 72
