Gresley Rovers vs Bridlington Town
Shattered Dreams - Andy Parker - Burton Mail
One fatal moment decided Gresley Rovers' FA Vase fate at the Moat Ground on Saturday.
Boosted by the latest in striker Martin Devaney's repertoire of wonder goals after 31 minutes, Rovers had seemed to be tipping the balance of a tightly contested semi-final in their direction.
Then came the defensive lapse that allowed Bridlington striker Graeme Jones to rifle a left-foot shot past Bob Aston from the edge of the penalty area and Gresley's fate was as good as sealed.
The Moatmen were unable to stoke up their boilers again after virtual non-stop barrage on the Bridlington goal in the first half and the Yorkshire men assumed control.
The only twin towers in sight now were Bridlington's dominant central defenders, Paul Bottomley and Ged Parkinson, to the disappointment of most of a splendid 2,481 crowd Rovers' challenge faded away in the second half, the visitors' dominance at the back so total that Gresley were denied even so much as a shot at goal in the second perod.
Aware that another Bridlington goal would have put the tie beyond them, Rovers always erred on the side of caution after the break, leaving it until the final minutes before launching a belated, all-out assault on the Bridlington goal.
But a flurry of injury time pressure only added to the agony as Town stood firm to claim their return ticket to Wembley.
Yet it could have been so different. Rovers pounded their guests in the first half even more concertedly than Bridlington had pressurised them on the previous Saturday.
Only two minutes was gone when the first chance to level the tie went begging, Craig Weston's corner skidding through a crowded six-yard box with neither defender nor attacker able to make contact.
With 15 minutes gone Town keeper Ian Taylor did make contact with the ball - but only just. Richard Wardle crossed from the right and Paul Acklam directed a glancing header towards the bottom corner that the keeper, diving full-length to his left, finger-tipped to safety.
Weston fired high and wide and it was 18 minutes before Bridlington responded, Lee Harvey hitting a back garden shot after Rovers had failed to clear the visitors' first and only corner of the half.
Rovers were closer - much closer - to breaking the deadlock eight minutes later when Dave Swainston's through ball put Mike Taplin away on the left of the penalty area and the striker squared neatly for Paul Acklam to crash a shot against a post.
Still Gresley kept up the pressure, Devaney beating two defenders from Stuart Evans' free kick but firing too high before finally finding his range with devastating effect.
Evans was the victim of a terribly late challenge on the halfway line that earned Town skipper Steve Brentano a booking and when Bottomley's clearing header from Graeme Rigg's free kick reached Devaney on the edge of the penalty area he blasted a screaming half volley across the face of Taylor's goal and in at the far post.
Alas, it took just six minutes for Town to draw level on the day and ahead on aggregate. Two defenders challenged for the same Brentano through ball and as the ball dropped into his stride Jones hit a dipping first timer that flew past Aston.
Devaney and Richard Denby both threatened to restore Gresley's lead with runs into the penalty area but desperate defending saved the day for Bridlington.
Desperate finishing then denied the visitors a second goal just after half time, Aston palming a wickedly bouncing shot by half time substitute Woodcock straight to the feet of Allan Roberts but the man who denied Rovers Wembley glory two years ago this time could not find the net, firing high over from point blank range.
Neither side was to get anything like as good an opportunity again.
Gresley Rovers (1) 1
Bridlington Town (1) 1
(Bridlington win 3-2 on aggregate)
Scorers: Devaney 32 (Gresley Rovers); Jones 37 (Bridlington Town).
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Foster, Swainston, Denby, Evans, Rigg, Wardle, Weston, Acklam (Marsden 77), Devaney, Taplin (Hurst 61).
Bridlington Town: Taylor, Brentano, McKenzie, Harvey, Bottomley, James (Woodcock 45), Grocock, Roberts (Woods 77), Jones, Radford, Parkinson.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Stuart Evans.
Referee: S D Bell (Huddersfield).
Attendance: 2481
