Armitage 90 vs Gresley Rovers
Back ache for Rovers - Andy Parker - Burton Mail
Armitage ruthlessly exposed Gresley's soft centre as they cruised to a morale-sapping victory at Kings Bromley last night.
Rovers may still have been short of a few holidaying players but the fact is that manager Steve Dolby needs to draught in new blood to prop up his ailing defence.
Out of sorts centre half Stuart Evans - who would have left the average whippet standing last season - was destroyed for pace twice in an embarrassing opening 10 minutes for Rovers.
Full back John Barry hacked the ball off the line from Jason Rhodes to save early blushes but Rhodes, newly drafted in from Sandwell Borough, made amends on 10 minutes by outstripping Evans and firing comprehensively past Bob Aston.
Rovers were making no impression at the other end against an eager home defence and fell further behind when John Capaldi's pass from halfway left another new recruit, winger Ian Bennett, with time and space to easily beat the exposed Aston.
The second half was just two minutes old when striker Michael Ayres was left unattended to score from Paul Haddock's corner and humiliation looked on the cards for Gresley.
But they bounced back to put Armitage under concerted pressure with Mick Taplin at last showing what he is capable of with a perfectly timed run onto Brian Beresford's flick to reduce the deficit.
A rally looked on but instead Armitage extended their lead with another embarrassingly simple goal from Ayres.
Beresford made the score look a little better on paper with a late tap-in after keeper Darren Clayton had parried Taplin's shot.
Armitage 90 (2) 4
Gresley Rovers (0) 2
Scorers: Rhodes 10, Bennett 31, Ayres 47, 71 (Armitage); Taplin 60, Beresford 86 (Gresley Rovers).
Armitage 90: Clayton, Caulton, Godfrey, Capaldi, Barnes, Haddock, Bennett, Westwood, Ayres, Rhodes, Carvill.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Barry (Weston 68), Holness, Birch (Denby 45), Evans, Land (Read 68), Wardle, Smith, Taplin, Beresford, Rigg.
Referee: M Warren (Walsall).
Attendance: 90
