Witton Albion vs Gresley Rovers
Aston can’t save Gresley – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
A brilliant goalkeeping display and a penalty that never was were the twin taking points as Gresley slid out of the FA Cup at Witton last night.
Rovers keeper Bob Aston produced a brilliant performance to deny the home side an emphatic victory.
But Rovers were convinced they were denied a golden chance to equalise on the stroke of half time when Richard Denby was felled by keeper Andy Newell.
“It was a definite penalty. I pushed the ball past him and he took my legs,” said Denby afterwards.
But referee Hubbard, who had handed Rovers a spot kick equaliser in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Gresley instead awarded a corner – claiming later that he and linesman had agreed that there was no penalty.
That controversy, though, tended to cloud the fact that Witton, despite Gresley’s heroic performance, would probably have won comfortably had it not been for Aston’s super show.
The keeper made his first spectacular stop after 25 minutes when he dived to grab a Paul Lodge piledriver in mid-air.
But he was powerless to stop Witton scoring what proved to be the decisive goal 37 minutes.
Lodge tried another blockbusting shot from the right of the box that sweeper Steve Astley blocked. But the ball deflected to striker Mark Edwards who snapped up the gift with a neat header at the far post despite Aston’s attempts to scoop the ball off the line.
Seven minutes later Gresley could have been level. Brian Beresford held the ball up on the edge of the box and Denby, racing past him, appeared to have gone round the keeper, before being unceremoniously floored.
Twice in the opening minutes of the second half Gresley again went close to a shock leveller.
First Beresford sent a dipping shot inches over after more good work by Denby, then Michael Guest burst into the area but opted to pass instead of shoot and Newell saved at Beresford’s feet.
The game became an Aston thriller after that with the keeper producing some great saves, the best from a close range, downward header from John Coleman who could not believe that the keeper had managed to keep the ball out of the net.
Witton Albion (0) 1
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Scorer: Edwards 37.
Witton Albion: Newell, Burrell, Mourne, Dawson, Ellis, Boyle, Barnett, Lodge, Edwards, Jarvis, Coleman. Subs not used: Higginbotham, Davison.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Bottomley, Bromley (Adcock 67), Denby, Land, Astley, Guest, Smith, Maddocks (Haskins 76), Beresford, Simpson.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Bob Aston.
Referee: J Hubbard (Leicester).
Attendance: 633
