Mangotsfield United vs Gresley Rovers
This game was played in atrocious conditions of gale force winds, torrential rain and a very heavy pitch complete with standing water in parts.
It had been touch and go to whether the game should go ahead but with hind sight Gresley Rovers were very pleased it did as they came away from Cossham Street with all three points.
The visitors adapted to the conditions the better of the two sides and found themselves two goals up by half time.
Gresley started the game with the wind behind them and took full advantage of it and on six minutes Carl Slater's shot forced a decent save from home keeper Danny Greaves.
Four minutes later it was the turn of the home side to go close but David Seal put his free kick just over the bar.
On 12 minutes Gresley took the lead. They were awarded a free kick over on the right and Gary White, who'd been asked by manager Gary Norton to take kicks from that side, swung in a high ball into the area. The flight of the ball was helped by the gusting wind and found its way into the net.
On 15 minutes later Gresley keeper Dale Belford was called on to make a fine save from Seal's drive pushing the ball away down to his left.
Gresley could have doubled their account eight minutes later when White put a through ball to Laurence Hall who could only hit his shot straight at Greaves.
Despite the conditions action was at both ends of the pitch and on 24 minutes it took a well-timed tackle from Gresley defender Matt Smith to deny United's new signing Richard Pears.
On 33 minutes Gresley went two up and what a goal it was. Some poor home defending allowed Carl Francis to control the ball, turn and fire a stunning 25-yard drive.
Belford made one of his several fine saves to block a shot from Seal before defender Jamie Hood cleared the rebound. The, the Gresley keeper did even better to hold on to a shot from Jack Pitcher.
The visitors had the final say of the half when Slater's shot, from Richard Wardle's pass, was well saved by Greaves.
Gresley should have put the game out of the reach of United on 51 minutes. United midfielder Gareth Loydon grabbed a handful of Jamie Barrett's to pull him back and the referee awarded a spot kick. White's powerful kick straight down the middle caught the keeper's legs and the ball somehow went over the bar.
Man-of-the-match Belford was needed to rescue his colleague Andy Cheetham whose slip had allowed Dean Pendry to run in on goal. The Gresley keeper saw the danger and raced off his line to block the shot for a corner.
The home side got their consolation goal deep in injury time when Pears converted Seal's cross with a close range header.
Gary's view on the game
"2-1 away from home is a good result but I'm gutted we didn't keep a clean sheet the way we defended and to concede in injury time was very disappointing. But, having said that getting three points was the most important thing.
"It was a magnificent result in very, very difficult conditions. We had a game plan and we had a bit of luck with the first goal and then a great goal from Carl Francis to put us two-nil up and give us something to hang on to because it was going to be a game of two halves with the conditions. I've not witnessed conditions like that in football in my own personal experience.
"With hind sight and looking at the pitch now it should have been called off but I'm obviously pleased that it wasn't.
"I switched the free kick takers over and asked Gary White to in swing kicks over and the same on the other side with Leon Doughty. I asked them to get the ball on target because in these conditions anything could happen, it could skid off a defenders head, anything. We had a bit of luck and the ball floated in and then to get the second goal so soon after gave us a great foothold in the game.
"We knew we would face pressure and early in the second half we got a brilliant break with the penalty and Gary wanted it. He struck it well and the keeper went the wrong way and had a bit of luck as the ball hit him. Another goal would have took the pressure off and made the second half more bearable.
"Our keeper Dale Belford used his experience to slow things down a bit and it filtered through to the players.
"I knew we would face an uphill battle in the second half and all credit to every single one of the players it was a magnificent effort.
"The new signing Stuart Lake was brought on in the second half. We brought Stuart to the club because Gareth Holmes is now suspended for three games. Stuart is very experienced and we'd watched him earlier in the season and I wasn't prepared to just sit by and let Gareth's suspension go past. I wanted to add quality to the squad and with Stuart we've done that. He came on and showed a steady head and he's done well.
"I'm absolutely delight with Carl Francis. He's been off laid low with tonsillitis and I expected to get 45 – 60 minutes out of him today. He was magnificent today. He was closing down, affecting things and he was absolutely brilliant."
Mangotsfield United (0) 1
Gresley Rovers (2) 2
Scorers: Pears 90 (Mangotsfield United); White 12, Francis 33 (Gresley Rovers)
Mangotsfield United: Greaves, Pendry, Drysdale, Hendy
, Summers (Kemp 25), Loydon (Sims 71), Pitcher, Warren, Pears, Seal, Haines. Subs not used: Patchett, Lee
Gresley Rovers: Belford, Wardle, Cheetham, Smith, Hood, Barrett, Doughty, Slater (Alexander 87), Francis (Sylla 89), Hall (Lake 69), White. Subs not used: Norton, Clarke.
Rovers Star Man: Dale Belford – superb display
Referee: G Short (Abingdon)
Attendance: 290
