Gresley Rovers vs Oldswinford
Gresley gun for top spot – Rex Page – Burton Mail
Gresley Rovers put on their Sunday best at the Moat Ground yesterday at the start of an important phase in their quest to retain the West Midlands League championship.
Rovers counted the cost of Sabbath soccer at the turnstiles when they drew their lowest crowd of the season.
More importantly, though, they secured the points needed to lift themselves back into the top six.
Now, with home games to come against Chasetown on Wednesday and Pelsall Villa on Saturday Rovers could soon be back in familiar territory near the top of the table.
Oldswinford – once Gresley’s favourite whipping boys – are made of sturdier stuff these days, but their ambitions were limited to seeking respectability after Rovers had swept them aside with a three goal blast in 11 minutes of the first half.
Predictably, it was evergreen striker Brian Beresford who set Gresley on their way in the 14th minute, expertly hooking the ball into the roof of the net after Gil Land had headed on John Barry’s cross.
Phil Bate did well to keep out of a searing low drive Kieron Smith but the Black Country side found it impossible to contain a Gresley side in full cry.
Land connected with Richard Denby’s well-flighted free kick to convert a far post header in the 21st minute and four minutes later Paul Acklam struck with an equally-convincing header from 12 yards after meeting Richard Wardle’s cross.
A crowd hungry for more of the same after the interval was left disappointed, but it was not for want of trying as Denby drove Gresley forward relentlessly.
The midfield maestro could himself had a hat trick if his accuracy had matched his shooting power.
Alan Cooke produced a brilliant tackle when Wardle seemed poised to snatch the first goal of his Gresley career and the safe hands of Bate also spared Oldswinford further embarrassment.
He clutched an Acklam header and denied the luckless Smith the goal of the game after Wardle had cleverly wrong-footed the visitors’ defence.
Gresley Rovers (3) 3
Oldswinford (0) 0
Scorers: Beresford 14, Land 21, Acklam 25.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Barry, Dick, Denby, Land, Evans, Wardle, Smith, Acklam, Beresford (Weston 64), Lovell (Venning 81).
Oldswinford: Bate, Probert, Cooke, Tomlinson, Cartwright, Brookes, Marsh, Evans (Bridge 85), Price, Booth, Blackham. Sub not used: Galloway.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Richard Denby.
Referee: A Black (Nuneaton).
Attendance: 395
