Halesowen Harriers vs Gresley Rovers
New boys come under Frank fire - Andy Parker - Burton Mail
In a classic game of two halves, Gresley Rovers saw a 3-0 halftime lead wiped out at Halesowen Harriers on Saturday.
A strong, swirling breeze blowing from one end of the pitch to the other was undoubtedly a factor - but that didn't prevent Rovers boss Frank Northwood from lambasting his shellshocked troops afterwards.
"Disgusting" was Northwood's verdict on Rovers' second half performance.
And he singled out the two new men in his team for particular criticism, saying: "They didn't give us anything - they were nonentities.
"But it's a team affair and we lost our way in the second half. In the end we were lucky to get anything against a mediocre Halesowen side."
Northwood's verdict was, perhaps, a little harsh, particularly on Michael Guest, who added visible bite to midfield, especially in a first half ruled by the visitors.
Scott Hall had already headed Paul Acklam's cross against his own bar when Rovers went ahead in the 5th minute, Acklam tapping the ball over the line after Richard Denby's free kick from the edge of the box took a deflection.
In-form Acklam made it 2-0 after Kieron Smith had intercepted a poor backpass from Ian Guise, then newcomer Jason Darkes' cross set up the third, Smith rounding the keeper to finish clinically after Acklam's half volley had been blocked.
But it all went wrong after the break and Rovers were punished by two goals in a minute, the first a sensational volley from Paul Waddington and the second a close range finish from the unmarked Adam Nicholls - all this after a string of excellent saves by Bob Aston had appeared to help Rovers weather the storm.
The final indignity came when Darkes, back in defence to cover for the injured Martin Dick, knocked a 20-yard backpass wide of Aston into his own net via a post.
Halesowen Harriers (0) 3
Gresley Rovers (3) 3
Scorers: Madeley 64, Nicholls 65, Darkes 77 (og) (Halesowen Harriers); Acklam 5, 32, Smith 41 (Gresley Rovers).
Halesowen Harriers: Lunn, Nicholls, Shepherd, Shotton, S Hall, Brain, Guise, Merchant, T Hall, Madeley, Waddington (Kettle 75). Sub not used: Henley.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Barry, Dick (Beresford 72), Denby, Land, Page, Weston (Evans 69), Smith, Acklam, Guest, Darkes.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Paul Acklam.
Referee: A G Wiley (Walsall).
Attendance: 240
