Gresley Rovers vs Sittingbourne
Top-draw Rovers – again – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Another game, another stalemate for Rovers: yet Saturday’s 1-1 draw at the Moat Ground – Rovers fifth of the season in the league and their third in consecutive games – was easily the most entertaining.
Anticipating a stern examination against a team made up largely of full-time professionals, Rovers were fired up for action before the off and outplayed Sittingbourne in a stirring first half.
Only when the Moatmen’s limbs – though not their resolve – began to tire in the second half did the Kent side find themselves able to impose their undoubted class on the game, and in the end the draw was an honourable and fair result for both teams.
Yet again, though, Rovers saw two points slip away for want of converting chances into goals.
Sittingbourne had barely a sniff of a chance – Murray Jones’ snap shot from 25-yards that Bob Aston pushed round a post to safety representing their only serious goal attempt – before the Beazer Premier Division’s largest crowd of the day, a sizable visiting contingent among them – saw Rovers take the lead.
£220,000-rated defender Neil Emblen – as big on self confidence as he was on nifty footwork – tried to play himself out of danger on the edge of the Town area when a traditional hoofed clearance into the back gardens of Church Gresley might have been more appropriate but found himself under pressure first from Paul Acklam, then Martin Devaney and finally Richard Wardle.
Three Moatmen were too much even for Sittingbourne’s superstar to handle and when the ball broke to Acklam on the 18-yard line the striker, making his first full appearance of the season buried the opportunity with a shot into the bottom left hand corner of Lee Harper’s net.
Harper was the next Sittingbourne player to display defensive qualities not associated with professional players, dribbling the ball round Acklam then allowing it to run straight to Devaney, who quickly teed up his partner only for Emblen to atone for his earlier goof with a last-ditch tackle on the six-yard line.
Rovers sensed a kill in the offing and when Graeme Rigg’s through ball again opened up the visiting defence Devaney took the ball round Harper only to see his angled drive cleared off the line by Carlton Wynter.
Devaney then set up Craig Weston with a similar chance but the law of averages failed to favour Rovers and again the ball was hacked off the line, this time by Micky Harle.
Acklam then produced a vintage turn to throw off the Sittingbourne defence only to shoot narrowly wide from the edge of the box.
Rovers kept up the momentum after the break with Devaney again racing clear and firing in from a tight angle, Harper just doing enough to deflect the ball for a corner.
Two minutes later it was Rovers keeper that provided the heroics, Aston bravely blocking ex-England international Mark Barnham after halftime substitute Jeff Ross had set up the chance.
Then Mark Blount’s attempt to head back to his keeper almost let in Simon Beard, the youngster saving the day with a splendid recovery tackle.
Devaney raised Rovers’ hopes of a killer goal by bursting clear onto Dave Swainston’s throw, Harper deflecting his angled shot just wide of the far post, then Weston and Wardle linked to give Devaney a clear header but Harper again saved well.
With so many chances going begging the feeling grew that it would turn out to be Sittingbourne’s day and sure enough, after Nick Stanborough had denied Dave Arter from Barham’s cross the ball was quickly returned to the far post where Arter grabbed the equaliser at the second attempt.
Rovers were hanging onto the game now but in a rare break substitute Simon Osborne and Devaney almost created a winner for Richard Wardle, his header from 10 yards flying agonisingly wide. The Devaney released Christian Moore in the final minute but the substitute’s curling shot from the left hit the far post and rebounded to safety.
Gresley Rovers (1) 1
Sittingbourne Town (0) 1
Scorers: Acklam 25 (Gresley Rovers); Arter (Sittingbourne Town).
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Blount, Swainston, Rigg, Evans, Stanborough, Wardle, Weston, Acklam (Osborne 64), Devaney, Marsden (Moore 68).
Sittingbourne Town: Harper, DeKhors (Ross 45), Beard, Day, Emblen, Wynter, Barham, Elsey, Arter, Harle, Jones (Ambrose 75).
Gresley man-of-the-match: Stuart Evans.
Referee: D Timmins (West Bromwich).
Attendance: 787
