Tipton Town vs Gresley Rovers
Rovers’ wrath – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Gresley maintained their 100 per cent league record but that was not enough to quell the wrath of manager Frank Northwood.
The Rovers supremo was seething after skipper Richard Denby and striker Paul Acklam were both forced to limp off in the space of two first half minutes with leg injuries.
Rather than Tipton’s physical qualities, it was Town’s excuse for a pitch that Northwood had to blame.
“It had had nothing done to it – it was no more than a parks pitch,” he moaned – although in truth that was rather unfair on the majority of parks.
Tipton’s presence in the current campaign thus far has been as cannon fodder and again Gresley only had wayward finishing to blame for netting a hatful of goals.
Kieron Smith and Andy Moore squandered good opportunities and Acklam hit a post after a superb turn in the box before Gresley’s enforced reshuffled.
Then Gil Land headed a goalkeeper’s clearance back upfield for Moore to release substitute Andy Maddocks to score neatly.
Gresley’s profligacy and Tipton’s dogged defending kept the score down after that but after the home side had had the audacity to draw level through Martin Hartle after Steve Astley had been comprehensively beaten on Rovers’ left flank the league leaders hit back with a gem of a goal.
Smith and Moore did the spadework on the right and Maddocks popped up in the right place to head Smith’s cross over the keeper.
Brian Beresford netted his eighth goal of the season from the spot after his overhead shot had been handled on the line but two minutes later blushed redder than a Rovers shirt after ballooning a second spot kick opportunity wide following a foul on the rampant Scott Elliott.
Tipton Town (0) 1
Gresley Rovers (1) 3
Scorers: Hartle 57 (Tipton Town); Maddocks 41, 60, Beresford 82 (pen) (Gresley Rovers).
Tipton Town: G Price, Hall, Kelford, Baker, Hooper, Nash, N Price, Bradley (Miller 65), Hartle, Evans, Charles. Sub not used: Fownes.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Stokes, Dick, Denby (Lovell 24), Land, Astley, Moore, Smith, Acklam (Maddocks 22), Beresford, Elliott.
Gresley-man-of-the-match: Martin Dick.
Referee: M J Penn (Kingswinford).
Attendance: 90
