Westfields vs Gresley Rovers
Gresley struggle - Dave Hackett - Burton Mail
Gresley Rovers' longest league trip, to Herefordshire-based Westfields, is by tradition a dour struggle - Saturday's instalment proved to be no exception.
At the end of the day it was left to Gil Land - pressed onto emergency striking role in the absence of broken wrist victim Paul Acklam - to come up trumps with a 64th minute winner.
Land met substitute Steve Adcock's left-wing cross, delivered from close to the bye-line, with a looping header which comprehensively beat Gordon Alged.
It proved sufficient to maintain Rovers' 100 percent league record and completed Gresley's first "double" having beaten Westfields 2-1 at the Moat Ground on the opening day of the season.
Chris Leigh quickly outlined Westfields' intentions to stop Gresley playing, irrespective of the cost with a first minute foul. Unfortunately for Rovers, Coventry official Mr Watson, whose performance severely criticised by Frank Northwood, allowed three other tackles by Leigh to go unpunished before finally cautioning him.
Gary Bower, son of Hereford United manager Ian, also went into the book for a foul on Richard Denby. The Gresley skipper, comfortably the game's best player earned himself a 61st minute booking for dissent.
Steve Astley's ill-advised back pass very nearly let in Ben Corner for a tenth minute goal, but, Martin Haskins spared his colleagues' blushes with a timely clearance.
It proved to be Westfields' only serious attempt on goal - not that Gresley were much better in a mundane first half.
The introduction of substitutes Steve Adcock, and Peter Perry proved a turning point, adding a tonic to a shapeless game and giving Rovers much needed width in midfield.
Westfields (0) 0
Gresley Rovers (0) 1
Scorer: Land 64.
Westfields: Alged, Williams, Bowyer (G Wood 78), Rowley, Higgins, Emery, Leigh (Powell 59), D Corner, B Corner, Herbert, P Wood.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Bottomley, Bromley, Denby, Haskins, Astley, Guest (Perry 59), Smith, Land, Beresford, Simpson (Adcock 50).
Gresley man-of-the-match: Richard Denby.
Referee: L L Watson (Coventry).
Attendance: 40
