Match Photos
Gresley Rovers vs Taunton Town
What started off as a bright and sunny afternoon full of promise ended as dark and unforgiving as Colditz Castle.
Gresley Rovers were hoping to escape from their present malaise but were again imprisoned by defeat.
The game was turned on two telling moments an own goal and a needless sending off both before the half time break.
Both sides struggled to get going in the early minutes of the game but it was Taunton who went closest first on 12 minutes. Gary Fisher found himself through on goal with only Dale Belford to beat but Gresley defender, Andy Cheetham, somehow recovered enough to put in an inch-perfect tackle to deny the No.7.
On 23 minutes the play swung from the Taunton goalmouth where the visitors defended a corner to the Gresley end where Belford pulled off a superb full-length fingertip save from Anthony Lynch at the expense of a corner. However, Belford's creditable efforts were to no avail as from the resultant flag kick taken by Jason Heath, Jamie Hood headed the ball into his own net.
This game was always going to be a huge game but now Gresley found themselves with an even more gigantic task.
Gresley had a half chance to get back on terms on 31 minutes when Simon Tucker, after turning and twisting down the left, fired off a shot that was well held by Paul Edwards.
Perhaps things could have changed if a blatant push by Tommy Callinan on Gary White had resulted in a penalty, but referee Mr Murphy waved away the protests.
If things were already difficult for the Moatmen they went even worse just on the half time whistle. Defender Danny Haynes, who had already seen a yellow card for a foul on Lynch, made a reckless and needless tackle deep in the Taunton penalty area on Adrian Foster and was very fortunate not to have seen a straight red instead of the extremely lenient second yellow card.
The sending off meant that manager Gary Norton had to re-jig his side bringing on Leigh Everitt for Hood and on-loan striker Nathan Jones for Steve Lenagh.
On 50 minutes Taunton had doubled their lead. A cross from Heath found Foster in space and he made no mistake with a superb volley into the top corner of the net beating Belford.
It took only a further four minutes for the visitors to capitalise on some loose defending when Fisher easily managed to get between the Gresley defenders to slip the ball past Belford from a Paul Madden free kick.
The luck just would not turn for Gresley and was summed up on 61 minutes when Taunton keeper Edwards mishandled the ball but despite a couple of Gresley forwards in the box the ball just would not fall kindly for any of them.
Tucker had half a chance on 72 minutes when he got on the end of a Leon Doughty free kick but could only put his shot straight into the midriff of Edwards.
As Gresley pushed everyone forward looking for at least some consolation, they were almost caught again. On 75 minutes when Lynch once more found himself with only Belford to beat but amazingly put his shot wide of the upright.
A minute later Richard Wardle had made good progress down the right before sending in a cross, which Jones fired in on goal only to see the ball deflected past the post.
Belford was busy again on 81 minutes as he blocked a shot from Lynch but could nothing to prevent the visitors getting their fourth on 88 minutes when Foster, seeing Belford off his line, sent in a sublime lob over the keeper's head and into the net.
Deep in time added on Gresley at least got a consolation goal when Tucker running down the left cut inside Danny Harris and beat Edwards at his near post.
Gary's view on the game
"Just when you think it can't get any worse, we go and do that to ourselves. I'm absolutely shell shocked and dont know what positives we can take from that game.
"We looked nervous from the start coming from the back of two very disappointing performances and I told the players to try and relax and do what we do best.
"Predominantly it's the same set of players that have got us flying this season and we are now at the bottom of a low curve at the moment and I hope it's going to start getting better.
"We don't help ourselves. Jamie Hood's been a little off the pace and they had a bit of luck with their goal, an own goal, and all of a sudden you look round and when we've gone a goal down in the past players have been positive trying to affect things and trying to get back on terms as quickly has possible.
"But it was evident of the pressure that's around the place at the moment right the way through the side today when we went a goal down.
"Danny Haynes was silly with a reckless tackle being already on a yellow card. I've had a word with him about his tackling and I have no qualms about the second yellow card. It could have been a straight red and I couldn't have argued with that.
"Danny's a cracking player and a great lad and he's done well to get himself back into the side and then he goes and does something like that. He's gutted in the dressing room but he's a young lad and he needs to learn from that. The last thing I'm going to do is slaughter the lad, he's feeling low enough.
"One-nil at half time the lads were positive and we made one or two changes taking Jamie Hood off and putting Leigh Everitt on into the back three.
"Up front, although the lads did well in the first half with some nice little link-up play I wanted to change it and bring someone on with pace to give us an option so I brought young Nathan Jones on. For me, he was the one positives to come out of the game by his running. For a small lad he sticks his backside into the defenders and protects the ball he still got things to work on but he's a raw talent.
"If Nathan had been playing in this side a month ago we'd have seen a lot more from him.
"We can't get any lower at the moment and we go into the game against Redditch on Saturday with nothing to lose. I feel the pressure is perhaps lifted off, not because of the run we are on but because of the top seven slot there is not much talk about a top seven slot now in the dressing room. There is talk about getting some pride back over the next couple of weeks.
"We didn't get going again today and I'm absolutely devastated but we rally round and we need to be positive. All the lads are very down in the dressing room.
"It was a little embarrassing because the supporters have come out and shown fantastic support and I could not wish for better support. Your three-nil down and have conceded 12 goals in three games and those guys are shouting and chanting probably more so than at any time this season. And I'm absolutely gutted that we didn't give them anything today. They've shown their loyalty and that they are standing by myself and the team and it's those guys I'll be thinking about while I'm drowning my sorrows tonight. They are cracking lads; all the supporters are cracking except for one or two idiots. I was absolutely delighted with the response of the supporters and I feel disheartened and empty because we haven't given them anything we need to do that.
"Knowing our luck we will go to Redditch and put on a fantastic performance and win which will show just how cruel football is.
"We need to dig in and I said this in the last couple of games. We've conceded twelve goals and scored one in this little disaster of a run but we know we have work to do. I'm not going to panic I'm going to sit down and have a think and a chat with one or two. We had a good meeting on Thursday, it was very positive but we went out there and didn't perform. It was a little flat in the first half we showed a little better in the second half but perhaps they'd took their foot off the peddle at three nil up and we started to create a little more but there are very little positives to come out of today."
Gresley Rovers (0) 1
Taunton Town (1) 4
Scorers: Tucker 90 (Gresley Rovers); Hood (og) 23, Foster 49, 88, Fisher 54 (Taunton Town).
Gresley Rovers: Belford, Haynes
, Cheetham, Smith, Hood (Everitt 45), Slater, Wardle, Barrett (Doughty 71), Tucker, Lenagh (Jones 45), White. Subs not used: Alexander, Francis.
Taunton Town: Edwards, Underhay (Douglas 22), Dicks (Morrishill 67), Harris, Watson, Callinan, Fisher (Hermon 85), Madden, Foster, Heath, Lynch. Subs not used: Musker, Mogg.
Rovers Star Man: Carl Slater another determined performance.
Referee: N Murphy (Mansfield)
Attendance: 333
