Gresley Rovers vs Leicester United
Rovers' late revival is too little, too late - Andy Parker - Burton Mail
Gresley Rovers chose one of their most crucial games of the season to turn in one of their poorest performances at the Moat Ground on Saturday.
Even a late, late comeback which saw Rovers all but snatch an undeserved point when Scott Elliott's shot came back off the crossbar in the fourth minute of injury time only served to heighten manager Steve Dolby's disappointment with his team's performance.
Said Dolby afterwards: "The way we played in the last 20 minutes just showed we hadn't been playing flat out earlier."
Rovers made their customary strong start, forcing a string of corners with Stuart Evans twice heading off target from Richard Denby kicks, then Graeme Rigg fired in a thundering 35-yard free kick the Leicester keeper Ian Marsden just managed to touch over the bar.
But Rovers' possession all came to nothing and after Bob Aston had been tested by Chris Ross's 15 yard drive United sneaked ahead.
Alan Liquorish displayed why he is one of the most feared strikers in the division as he cleared and advanced on Aston's goal before contemptuously flicking the ball across the keeper and over the line.
Two minutes after half time Rovers were exposed again. Aston could only push away Anton Thomas' cross and when the ball was quickly returned into the danger area Evans pushed Keith Dakin as the striker was poised to score. Thomas finished the job emphatically from the penalty spot.
Liquorish should have added to the agony when Rigg's poor clearance was knocked straight back by Chris Tongue but this time the front runner's shot crept past a post. It mattered little for within a minute Stuart Bond ample time and space to pick out Dakin with a right wing cross despatched into the net with an angled shot.
The introduction of Mike Taplin almost sparked an immediate revival, the substitute's first touch releasing Mark Hurst for a shot that hit the inside of a post and rolled along the goal line before being cleared.
With 12 minutes left Hurst did pull one back after Tongue had turned Craig Weston's cross against his own post, then Weston provided the corner kick for Evans to head past Ian Marsden to make it 3-2.
Weston could then easily have covered himself in glory when Rigg sent Hurst free and the striker's pass left the substitute with a clear sight of goal but a poor first touch was sufficient to ensure a great chance was missed.
Even after that Weston could have scraped his side a point but his shot from Denby's free kick was cleared off the line and Elliott, following up, saw his shot from the edge of the box come back off the bar.
Gresley Rovers (0) 2
Leicester United (1) 3
Scorers: Hurst 78, Evans 86 (Gresley Rovers); Liquorish 30, Thomas 47 (pen), Dakin 60 (Leicester United).
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Dick, Swainston (Weston 57), Denby, Evans, Rigg, Wardle, S Elliott, Acklam, Devaney (Taplin 67), Hurst.
Leicester United: I Marsden, Jackson, Potter, Weafer, Tongue, Ross, Bond, Dakin (B Elliott 78), Liquorish, Mintus, Thomas (Taylor 93).
Gresley man-of-the-match: Scott Elliott.
Referee: J Wilkinson (Northampton).
Attendance: 814
