Gresley Rovers vs Malvern Town
Rovers post their title claim – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Gresley left it late before wrapping up another vital West Midlands League win at the Moat Ground on Saturday.
And while manager Frank Northwood confessed: “We obviously didn’t play as well as we can,” with the title finishing post now in sight and Rovers’ championship rivals beginning to fall by the wayside, it was a case of “never mind the quality, look at the league table.”
Rovers had found themselves matched by bottom-of-the-league Town in the opening stages, the strugglers winning their battles in a hazardous and congested midfield area.
And with Gresley unable to find the spark that had ignited them at Oldbury the previous Tuesday they went behind after 13 minutes, midfielder Martin Phillpotts firing into an empty net after Paul Joinson had helped on Mark Buckley’s right wing cross at the near post.
Rovers struggled to reassert themselves but after half an hour they were level.
Defender Stuart Evans and skipper Richard Denby almost fell over each other as they both challenged in midfield, but Evans emerged from the tangle with a superb through ball and Craig Weston finished in style, bursting through the centre before brushing off a defender and planting a low shot past the advancing keeper.
Even then, Rovers could not assume full control and Malvern might have retaken the lead if any of three forwards had managed to apply a touch to another cross from Buckley.
Things improved after the break but still a second goal would not come. Weston saw a shot cleared off the line after Brian Beresford had almost taken the ball round keeper David Gray, Paul Acklam shot weakly from a good position then saw a header from Weston’s corner again cleared off the line.
Things were beginning to look desperate when Jason Minton replaced the injured Beresford but the substitute’s first touch put Gresley ahead, the big defender bundling the ball over the line after Neil Lovell’s excellent cross from the left.
Within two minutes it was all over, Kieron Smith firing home from six yards after John Barry’s cross unhinged the Malvern defence.
Gresley Rovers (1) 3
Malvern Town (1) 1
Scorers: Weston 31, Minton 83, Smith 85 (Gresley Rovers); Phillpotts 13 (Malvern Town).
Gresley Rovers: Harrison, Barry, Dick, Denby, Evans, Land, Elliott (Smith 67), Weston, Acklam, Beresford (Minton 82), Lovell.
Malvern Town: Gray, Higgins, Lowe, Brown, O’Neil, Buckley (Walker 61), Joinson, Workman, Slade, Moverley, Phillpotts. Sub not used: Fullerton.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Craig Weston.
Referee: M J Penn (Kingswinford).
Attendance: 446
