Gresley Rovers vs West Bromwich Town
Acklam leads charge – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
The Moat Ground bade a tentative farewell to West Midlands League soccer last night – in hopes of pastures new next season.
Three more points from a dour West Bromwich Town ensured that Rovers’ second consecutive championship win will be another highly convincing one.
What the club hopes now is that the off-field efforts of their army of helpers will be judged similarly impressive by the men who matter.
Officials from the Beazer Homes League inspect the ground next month but, last night at least, the men who mattered most were West Brom keeper Kevan Williams, who would have joined Rovers if Frank Northwood had not been sacked, and ultimately, striker Paul Acklam, whose 85th minute effort finally won the points.
Williams and his rugged – sometimes over rugged – defence survived fierce first half pressure while the Scott brothers, Benny and Steve provided enough threats of a breakaway to keep Gresley on their toes.
Rovers were not helped by the loss of Richard Wardle and Kieron Smith, both injured by bad challenges from brutish defender Dave Mulcahy, and began to lose their way after the break.
Finally, though, Mulcahy erred once too often and was sent off for felling substitute Chris Parkins.
Rovers scented success and Williams twice saved superbly from Steve Astley then again from Craig Weston, but finally failed to gather John Barry’s telling pass into the six yard box and Acklam hacked home the winner.
Gresley Rovers (0) 1
West Bromwich Town (0) 0
Scorer: Acklam 85.
Gresley Rovers: Harrison, Barry, Dick, Denby, Land, Minton, Wardle (Parkins 22), Smith (Astley 45), Acklam, Weston, Venning.
West Bromwich Town: Williams, Johnson, Price, Fox, Mulcahy, Wood, Raybould, Bradbury, Jones (Lee 80), B Scott, S Scott. Sub not used: Perrins.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Richard Denby.
Referee: T J Stevens (Wolverhampton).
Attendance: 361
