Chasetown vs Gresley Rovers
Rovers rocked in the first minute – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Gresley Rovers’ plummeting fortunes took yet another nosedive last night as they lost to one of the quickest goals of the season.
There was no faulting Rovers for effort after Saturday’s dismal showing against Wolverhampton Casuals.
They worked like demons to cancel out Charlie Blakemore’s strike, registered in the opening 30 seconds of the game, but it was all graft and no craft, the only reward more bitter disappointment.
News that Rocester had won, ousting Rovers from top spot, passed barely noticed amid gloom of yet another defeat.
Manager Frank Northwood reflected afterwards: “We competed all the way but we just didn’t get the breaks. And when we got a chance to play quality balls into their box they just didn’t come.”
In fact, Rovers were restricted to only two strikes on goal in the whole 90 minutes. Trace Norton had the best chance of the night after 15 minutes, but he shot high and wide from 12 yards. Just after that a long range effort from Gil Land was well wide.
Land was attempting to atone for a tragic error that led to the killer goal. In the first move of the game Kevin Lane pumped in a high cross from the right that dropped to the near post, the ball somehow eluded Land’s effort to clear and Blakemore dashed in to whip a shot past Bob Aston from close range.
The pace was – and remained – furious as Gresley battled to cancel out their disadvantage, but the more they pressed the more likely it became that the home side would snatch a second goal on the break. Opportunities came regularly, with Aston touching full back Andy Cox’s cross onto the bar after 34 minutes then seeing Lane’s effort bound into his hands off a post in the 66th minute with Gresley encamped at the opposite end of the pitch.
The nearest thing to a Gresley goal came in the dying stages when centre forward Tony Dixon, attempting to clear a Denby corner, succeeded only in helping the ball towards his own goal but, typically of Gresley’s luck, it flew straight into the hands of keeper Andy Withington. Just to add insult to injury, skipper Denby was then booked for dissent after five minutes of stoppage time.
Chasetown (1) 1
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Scorer: Blakemore
Chasetown: Withington, Cox, Jones, Shelton, Richards, Lane, Hyden, Ansell, Dixon, Blakemore, Langston. Subs not used: Ward, Harrison.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Bottomley, Dick, Denby, Land, Astley, Barry, Norton, Acklam (Christopher 24), Smith (Edmonds 79), Lovell.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Richard Denby.
Referee: G Banwell (Stafford).
Attendance: 175
