Gresley Rovers vs Wednesfield Social
Norton revs up Rovers – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Match-winner Tracey Norton has crossed the pain barrier more times than he cares to remember in two injury-wracked seasons at Gresley.
But on Saturday he gained nothing but pleasure for himself and Rovers with a sweetly headed clincher on 59th minutes.
It was, one suspects, an untypical goal for Wednesfield to concede. Strong in the air, with twin pylons Kevin Perry and Paul Page integral figures in their team plan, they nonetheless allowed Norton free access to Richard Denby’s pinpoint corner and the header was always too powerful to be anything other than a goal.
Perhaps the Black Country side would have done better had they had a Bob Aston between their sticks. For when Rovers allowed Page a similar heading chance from a 73rd minute Mark O’Sullivan corner he met the ball with all the power and venom required to beat the average Banks’s League custodian. Aston’s razor like reactions and flypaper hands, though, produced a marvellous save that was just as vital as Norton’s winning goal.
Not for the first time, either. In the first half the Rovers keeper had made a string of notable stops, notably from Paul Moore’s point-blank blast and teammate Carl Nicklin’s misguided backpass.
Wednesfield edged the first 45 on points but there was only one team in the second with Aston’s booming, dive bomb kicks adding extra ammunition to Gresley’s armoury.
With Richard Denby and the excellent Michael Guest snapping and snarling in midfield in an unusually abrasive Rovers show and Ray Skeemer, replacing flu victim Steve Astley, rousing the crowd with his effective rough and tumble treatment of the gigantic Page, Wednesfield were destined to what has become a rare experience in recent months – defeat.
Gresley Rovers (0) 1
Wednesfield Social (0) 0
Scorer: Norton 59.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Nicklin, Perry, Denby, Land, Skeemer, Guest, Norton, Maddocks (Hall 75), Smith, Acklam. Sub not used: Fearn.
Wednesfield Social: Lunn. Icke, McKay, Rowley, K Perry, Jones, Wilde, Trevor, Page, O’Sullivan, Moore. Subs not used: Lowe, Maund.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Bob Aston.
Referee: M J Arch (Kidderminst
Attendance: 241
