Gresley Rovers vs Rushall Olympic
Smith eases Rovers' title nerves - Andy Parker - Burton Mail
Gresley took another giant step along the road to the Banks's League title on Saturday.
With just 11 games to go that long sought-after target is now tantalisingly close if Frank Northwood's troops lift the coveted championship trophy in May this scrappy victory over Rushall will not stand out as a highlight.
With the title chips firmly down, though, it has become a question of "never mind the quality, look at the league table," for the Moatmen.
Rushall were defeated by a fortuitous Kieron Smith goal in the first half and, although Gresley dominated from start to finish, as has happened so often before this season they kept their fans on tenterhooks right til the final whistle.
Ironically, the three former Gresley players in the Rushall ranks all played prominent roles in a game that was more frustrating for Gresley followers than entertaining. Defender Peter Perry was crucially involved in the goal, centre half Stuart Watkiss came nearest to an equaliser and Dave Beattie almost provided Gresley right at the death.
Perry, who produced an almost faultless performance at sweeper for Olympic, erred with a badly aimed backpass that put keeper Steve Chandler in trouble after 36 minutes.
Chandler, dropping to his right, failed to hold the ball and Smith darted in to sweep it into an unguarded net.
Said the Nottinghamshire-based striker afterwards: "We said before the game that if we kept them under pressure at the back they were likely to make a mistake and that's exactly what happened."
Gresley, toiling in the sunshine on a hard surface that made the bounce of the ball entirely unpredictable, maintained that pressure and were unfortunate not to add to that score.
Tracey Norton could and should have added a second when he turned brilliantly past a defender within a minute of Smith's strike but shot over an unguarded net from a tight angle.
And when Smith produced another moment of class in the second half to create an opening his firm drive crashed to safety off the angle of bar and post.
Then a Richard Denby drive seemed destined for the top of the net before Chandler produced a superb save, turning the ball onto the bar, matched only by a late, diving stop to keep another backpass from Beattie from entering the net.
Gresley keeper Bob Aston, too, was called upon to excel when Watkiss decided to make a contribution at the other end of the pitch but saw his superb free kick kept out of the top corner by the keeper's athleticism.
These highlights aside, though, the game was largely a story of keeping the momentum going and staying a nose ahead of the opposition. And that could be the story of the rest of the season too.
Gresley Rovers (1) 1
Rushall Olympic (0) 0
Scorer: Smith 36.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Bottomley, Dick, Denby, Land, Astley, Scally, Norton, Acklam (Christopher 75), Smith, Lovell. Sub not used: D Page.
Rushall Olympic: Chandler, C Page, Bradburn, Perry, Watkiss, Wakefield, Hill, Beattie, Winwood, Morris, Bullock (Hughes 76). Sub not used: Wootton.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Gil Land.
Referee: A Smith (Rubery).
Attendance: 303
