Gresley Rovers vs Yate Town
Rovers get job only half done - Andy Parker - Burton Mail
Gresley Rovers bounced halfway back to form at the Moat Ground on Saturday.
Three goals ahead after 29 minutes, Rovers dominated their Gloucestershire visitors to an almost embarrassing extent before half time.
But after the interval, despite having the advantage of seeing Yate skipper Dean Tholtham sent off after two bookable offences on the hour, Rovers again failed to click, serving up more frustration for their fans.
The dull second half showing contrasted sharply with an exciting performance before half time in which Rovers needed just nine minutes to take the lead.
Dave Swainston - in at left back to allow Robbie Briscoe a free role up front - took a quick throw on the left that caught Yate napping and Paul Acklam and Tony Marsden combined to set Kieron Smith up with a far post chance to grab his first goal in six games.
Richard Denby soon went close to adding a second, allowing keeper Terry Stevenson to snatch the ball from his toes as he weaved through the area. But the Rovers skipper soon made amends, working the ball from the edge of his own penalty area and picking up Smith's return pass before firing high into the Yate net from 12 yards.
The one way traffic continued to such an extent that Gresley were almost guilty of over-elaboration after Smith and Swainston again swiftly turned defence into attack, Briscoe and Marsden working the ball around the edge of the penalty area for what seemed like an age before Smith tucked a low shot beneath Stevenson.
Smith then went within an ace of his hat trick, firing just wide after Marsden had headed on, and Briscoe saw a diving header from Denby's cross disallowed for offside.
But the promise of further Gresley goals after the break evaporated as Yate adopted a tougher attitude - albeit at considerable cost.
Referee Lane swept to a hat trick of bookings as the visitors began to dish out some rough treatment then flourished a red card at Yate skipper Dean Holtham after two scything fouls on Robbie Briscoe in as many minutes.
Strangely, Yate, having pulled a goal back when Kevin Thaws scrambled home a right wing corner on 54 minutes, played better with 10 men than they did with full complement, leaving the game to draw to a drab conclusion after the exciting events of the opening half hour.
Gresley Rovers (3) 3
Yate Town (0) 1
Scorers: Smith 9, 29, Denby 20 (Gresley Rovers); Thaws 54 (Yate Town).
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Dick, Briscoe, Denby, Evans, Land, Wardle, Marsden (Weston 80), K Smith, Acklam (Taplin 82), Swainston.
Yate Town: Stevenson, Towler, Holtham, Gardner, Bryant, Hewlett, Pritchard (Fox 64), Jones (Davis 64), Thaws, Hunt, R Smith.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Stuart Evans.
Referee: R Lane (Leicester).
Attendance: 567
