Gresley Rovers vs Moor Green
Rovers let it slip – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
An inexcusable display of indiscipline ruined what was undoubtedly Gresley’s best attacking performance of the season at the Moat Ground on Saturday.
A first-half brawl which ended in both side being reduced to 10 men completely upset the platform Rovers had established for their first win since September.
Although they led 3-1 after 57 minutes, Moor Green were allowed to dominate the closing stages of a game that should have been well beyond their reach by that stage and yet another injury-time goal left Rovers bitterly disappointed.
Manager Steve Dolby’s call for more goals had been answered perfectly in a first-half attacking blitz which saw the Moatmen cruise to a 2-0 lead in the space of two minutes.
Paul Acklam, who had earlier fired a gilt-edged chance against the legs of Moor’s keeper Chris Taylor, made no mistake when the second chance of the afternoon came his way, tucking the ball over the line after Mark Hurst had headed Graeme Rigg’s free kick towards the bottom corner.
Two minutes later Rovers reached a peak with a superb goal, crafted by a series of passes down the left wing and culminating with Tony Marsden, who had begun the move with a spectacular clearance from the edge of his own penalty area, firing into an empty net after Richard Wardle’s shot had been parried into his path.
Rovers seemed set to dominate but instead they wilted as Moor Green threw men forward.
Passes suddenly stopped finding red shirts and Moor Green surprisingly took control, full back Chris Brown dipping an angled shot against the bar before Richard Evans’ measured through ball gave Phil Davies space and time to curl a precise shot past Aston’s left hand.
And on 45 minutes the Moors seemed to have scored a perfectly valid equaliser, Brian McGarry tapping home the loose ball after Aston had parried Davies’ shot – only for referee Hubbard to rule the effort out, presumably for a foul on the Gresley keeper.
The Moors seethed but their anger soon turned to violence as Mark Blount and Davies clashed for the second time in a minute.
Davies reacted angrily to the full-back’s tackle and after players from both sides had joined in an ugly melee Mr Hubbard first booked Blount, then sent off Moor’s defender Paul Brogan and Nick Stanborough for their entirely unnecessary contributions to the incident.
Numbers were thus reduced but the pace of the game was not, Rovers going 3-1 ahead after Hurst and Acklam linked to give Devaney a close-range header.
Victory now surely beckoned but Moor Green reckoned otherwise, throwing players forward and riding their luck at the back.
Davies made the score 3-2 when Aston could not prevent his shot from squirming beneath his body and over the line.
Rovers could still have clinched victory but substitute Christian Moore saw a spectacular volley superbly saved and Marsden hit an equally impressive effort that Mark Davis headed off the line.
But in the first minute of added time Mr Hubbard, previously faultless, awarded a corner that should clearly have been a goal kick and the Moors took full advantage, Brown firing home after Guy Russell had headed against the crossbar.
Gresley Rovers (2) 3
Moor Green (1) 3
Scorers: Acklam 17, Marsden 18, Devaney 57 (Gresley Rovers); Davies 33, 72, Brown 90 (Moor Green).
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Blount, Swainston (Osborne 75), Rigg, S Evans, Stanborough, Wardle, Marsden, Acklam, Devaney, Hurst (Moore 64).
Moor Green: Taylor, Brown, Davis, Brogan, Gillard, Clegg, Davies, McLeish (Newman 87), Russel, McGarry (Cunningham 77), R Evans.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Tony Marsden.
Referee: J Hubbard (Leicester).
Attendance: 723
