Gresley Rovers vs Wolverhampton Casuals
Carl takes the credit – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Gresley coach Steve Dolby saw Wolverhampton destroyed by three goals of superb quality – then backed a player who DIDN’T score to be his side’s attacking ace as the second half of Rovers’ title challenge unfolds.
Dolby picked out skipper Richard Dolby’s 75th minute goal – superbly created by Carl Rathbone – as “the best from a team point of view” and added: “Rathbone is doing everything but score at the moment.
“He’s only scored once for us since he arrived from Bromsgrove but I’m convinced the goals will come flooding in for him soon.”
Rathbone’s contribution to his side’s third goal – a rare right foot strike by Denby from the edge of the box – was one of the highlights of a game doomed to be largely a torrid affair by a bitter blasting wind and Casuals’ apparent intention to keep the scoreline as respectable as possible by defending in numbers.
A superbly executed turn on the right by the former Tamworth front runner left a defender for dead and, when Kieron Smith laid back the swiftly delivered far post cross, Denby did the rest.
It was a tremendously constructed effort, yet for individual skill Craig Weston’s goal seven minutes earlier was a classic in it’s own right.
The midfielder picked his way through a minefield of tackles on the edge of the Casuals box to create enough space for a powerful and precise left foot shot that buried itself into the top of the net before keeper Mark Fletcher had time to blink.
Casuals’ last line of defence had earlier been singly responsible for preventing am avalanche of goals. In the first minute Smith burst clear onto Denby’s through ball but the keeper flung himself full length to save. Then Weston released Smith for another effort that was equally well fielded.
After Rathbone rounded the keeper only to miskick in front of an open net it seemed frustration similar to that of the previous week’s encounter between the two sides might be on the cards but after 37 minutes two defenders missed a clearance and John Barry brought order from chaos with a far post cross that Smith converted with a leaping header.
Such treats were to be few and far between for a bumper 471 crowd but Gresley’s 11th straight league win was only in doubt when Ronnie Walker escaped in the box to deliver an on-target header that produced a diving save from the otherwise largely inactive Tony Moore.
Casuals never had a look in after that and Denby was inches away from sealing a second consecutive 4-0 win when he exchanged passes with Smith before drilling a shot against a post.
Gresley Rovers (1) 3
Wolverhampton Casuals (0) 0
Scorers: Smith 37, Weston 68, Denby 75.
Gresley Rovers: Moore, Barry, Elliott, Denby, Land, Redfern, Weston, Smith, Beresford, Rathbone, Lovell. Subs not used: Adcock, Acklam.
Wolverhampton Casuals: Fletcher, Pincher, Tudor, Thompson, Butler, Lawler, Drury, Foster (Crutchley 67), Loftus, Lees (Sayers 67), Walker.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Richard Denby.
Referee: T Johnson (Fenton).
Attendance: 471
