Gresley Rovers vs Alfreton Town
Astley gains revenge – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Stand-in striker Steve Astley scored one of the best goals of the season – and then one of the most extraordinary – to give Gresley Rovers a satisfying revenge victory over Alfreton Town at the Moat Ground last night.
Two weeks before Town had given Rovers an unpleasant Evans Halshaw Floodlit Cup baptism, winning 3-1 in the two sides’ opening Western Section game at Alfreton.
But a repeat win for the north Derbyshire side never looked likely last night.
Reshuffled Rovers went for the throats of the HFS Loans League guests from the off, skipping through the clinging Moat Ground in a delightful first half attacking display.
Alfreton, showing several changes from the side that beat Gresley, were forced to defend in depth but finally emerged to give Gresley a 20th minutes fright when centre half Colin Julian had time to bring the ball under control and tee up a shot that flew agonisingly across goal.
The game had seen everything but a goal and when one finally arrived it was a cracker. The ball flowed smoothly from Rovers half into Alfreton’s, Nicklin slit the defence with a pinpoint through ball and Tracey Norton laid the ball off perfectly for Astley to bury a low shot from 22 yards.
Thirteen minutes after the break Astley added an equally memorable – but considerably more unorthodox – second.
There seemed little danger as he pursued Julian down the left with the defender apparently in control but Astley somehow emerged with the ball at his feet on the edge of the box and no more than a yard from the goal-line. A cross looked the only option but instead the big frontrunner shot across the face of the goal, past Massey and into the far side of the net.
Gresley Rovers (1) 2
Alfreton Town (0) 0
Scorer: Astley 43, 58.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Lovell, Hall, Denby, Land, Skeemer, Scally (Bottomley 45), Norton, Astley, Adcock (Haynes 84), Nicklin.
Alfreton Town: Massey, Whitehead, Kind (Manners 53), Knight, Julian, O’Neill, Morris, shenton, Smith (Butler 51), Kalinis, Reddish.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Steve Astley.
Referee: P J Robinson (Derby).
Attendance: 295
