Gresley Rovers vs Forest Green Rovers
Moatmen cut down Forest - Andy Parker - Burton Mail
Dave Swainston put Gresley on course for a last gasp victory at the Moat Ground on Saturday - then admitted he hadn't even realised he'd scored their 81st minute equaliser.
The full back confessed: "It was definitely a cross. I'd half turned away and the first I knew it had gone in was when the rest of the lads came rushing towards me."
It was fitting the 30-year-old should put the Moatmen on the road to recovery for, after a wretched first half rated by boss Steve Dolby as "our worst performance of the season", Swainston was a key figure in Rovers revival.
Along with skipper Richard Denby, the left back was Gresley's most creative player in the second half and carved out a string of chances.
Said Swainston: "We came close so many times but we hit legs and posts and the keeper pulled off a couple of good saves and it looked like it was going to be one of those games.
"But Steve gave us a bit of a kick up the backside at half time which we needed and we just kept going."
Rovers certainly needed to improve on their first half performance after Dolby's sweeper system proved disastrous, Forest Green continually creating chances on the break.
Fortunately, they took only one of them when Clint Gobey headed in at the far post on 25 minutes after Gary Marshall had exploited acres of space on the left. After that only the excellence of Bob Aston's goalkeeping and the wayward finishing of the Forest Green forwards saved Gresley, giving them the chance for a half-time reshuffle that changed the game.
The introduction of Scott Elliott at right back and a switch to a more conventional system brought an immediate improvement with the visitors forced to defend desperately for much of the half.
Their hard work looked like playing off until Swainston's fortuitous equaliser, his cross from the left sailing over the head of keeper Gary French. Then Denby arrowed in a free kick from wide on the right just three minutes later with defender Paul Colicutt getting an inadvertent last touch.
Gresley Rovers (0) 2
Forest Green Rovers (1) 1
Scorers: Swainston 81, Colicutt 84 (og) (Gresley Rovers): Gobey 25 (Forest Green Rovers).
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Rigg, Swainston, Denby, Evans, Land (Elliott 45), Wardle, Marsden, Weston (Dick 89), Devaney, Briscoe.
Forest Green Rovers: French, Sivell, Marshall, Colicutt, Hams, Bayliffe, White, Ford (Wells 88), Jones, Gobey, Wilton. Sub not used: Pearce.
Gresley man-of-the-match - Dave Swainston.
Referee: M Singh (Coseley).
Attendance: 578
