Rocester vs Gresley Rovers
Rivals’ blank day – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
By the standards of previous Rocester v Gresley games, Saturday’s muddy West Midlands League Cup stalemate at the Riversfield was a poor affair indeed.
High in graft and low in craft, it was a game of few scoring chances and while Gresley, predictably enough after their recent 4-0 mauling of the Romans at the Moat Ground, dominated possession for much of the proceedings, Rocester will reflect on a greater share of missed chances that could have put them safely through to the semi-finals.
Mark Sale, Rocester’s pylon of a centre forward, created the first opening minute, lumbering past a string of challenges but sidefooting the ball inches wide of Simon Harrison’s left hand post.
Minutes later, Rovers defender Steve Astley, endeavouring to save a throw-in, instead set up Mark Shelley for a wing cross that the diving Nigel Mottram headed just the wrong side of the same post.
As the game threatened to reach boiling point Gil Land saw a header cleared off the line by Paul Ede following a Richard Denby corner, Shelley’s effort was ruled out for offside at the other end and Richard Wardle, who seemed fated never to score his debut goal for Gresley, shot across the face of Mark Deaville’s goal.
Bookings for Brian Beresford and Mick Ede, both for dissent, marked the end of the excitement, however, and the second half was a mostly unexciting affair, Gresley, a strong wind at their backs, doing the most of the pressing but Wardle heading their best chance straight into Deaville’s midriff from Neil Lovell’s cross.
Rovers keeper Simon Harrison provided the highlight of the game leaping to his right to superbly turn away Sale’s effort which seemed destined for the back of the net.
Rocester (0) 0
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Rocester: Deaville, P Ede, M Hall, G Hall, M Ede, Barry, Mayer, Shelley, Sale (Gibbons 77), Mottram, Owen. Sub not used: Walklet.
Gresley Rovers: Harrison, Barry, Astley, Denby, Evans, Land, Wardle, Smith, Acklam (King 81), Beresford, Lovell. Sub not used: Weston.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Richard Denby.
Referee: B Rice (Pershore).
Attendance: 415
