Alfreton Town vs Gresley Rovers
Rovers suffer a tongue lashing – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Two defensive howlers early in the second half made Gresley Rovers’ Evans Halshaw Floodlit Cup initiation a painful one last night.
Leading through a neatly constructed Paul Acklam goal from the eighth minute, Gresley suddenly found themselves heading for a comprehensive defeat – and a tongue lashing from manager Frank Northwood.
“An awful performance all round,” was the Rovers supremo’s summing up of his side’s performance afterwards. “We did some silly things and gave them their first two goals,” he said.
Alfreton’s sudden about turn in fortunes did serve to spark Rovers into life after a featureless first half, however, and while the game as a whole may have been lacking in the cultured soccer Northwood demands it certainly wasn’t short on excitement in the second period.
It had all begun well enough for Gresley, Michael Guest and Tracey Norton skilfully crafting an opening for Steve Adcock to send in a deep left wing cross that Acklam met with a deft far post header on eight minutes.
After that though, Town’s slick approach work repeatedly threatened to open up Rovers’ makeshift line-up with only the final ball lacking from the home side.
Gresley were forced to defend grittily with twin centre backs Ray Skeemer and back-to-form Gil Land in busy prominence.
But their good work was laid to waste within four minutes of the restart when Adcock’s careless clearance was blocked by striker Ian Hutchinson whose right wing cross deceived Bob Aston, coming back off the far post to leave Bill Morris with a close range chance that he converted at the second attempt.
Gresley were spurred into action and Guest’s superb ball across the penalty box gave Carl Nicklin a sight of goal but Steve Chadbourne produced the save of the night to keep out his meaty shot. Instead it was Town who added to the scoring, Aston’s poor throw out leaving Guest struggling and allowing David Kind and Morris to set up Hutchinson for another close range goal.
With Alfreton continuing to probe the flanks Gresley were coming under severe examination at the back now and Kind should have scored a third for the home side but Aston saved from point blank range.
Land saw a towering header held on the line by Chadbourne before Aston was saving well again from Kind after Nicklin’s clearance had rebounded back towards goal off the full back’s head. Then Norton set up Acklam with time and space in the box but the striker wafted a disappointing effort high and wide.
Rovers were so close to a draw but instead found themselves 3-1 down in the 90th minute when substitute Keith Smith again found space on the right and Morris converted his cross with a crisp header at the near post.
Alfreton Town (0) 3
Gresley Rovers (1) 1
Scorers: Morris 49, 90, Hutchinson 58 (Alfreton Town); Acklam 8 (Gresley Rovers).
Alfreton Town: Chadbourne, Whitehead, Kind, Shirt, Julian, O’Neill, Marrow, Manners, Hutchinson, Morris, McAnulty (K Smith 64). Sub not used: Sleney.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Nicklin, Adcock, Astley (Mabel 77), Land, Skeemer, Guest, Norton, Acklam, Smith, Fearn (Haynes 50).
Gresley man-of-the-match: Gil Land.
Referee: J Barlow (Ripley).
Attendance: 151
