Match Photos
Gresley Rovers vs Hinckley United
Gresley Rovers are a side that are showing the " never say die" attitude this season and it's bringing it's just rewards.
In midweek Gresley were trailing 3-1 at Gloucester City but fought back to snatch a point and again on Saturday they were trailing 2-0 after just 12 minutes and seemed down and out.
But, to the players great credit, no heads went down and they fought, battled and played themselves into the 3rd round after a tremendous fight back that saw them beat their opponents Hinckley United who are riding high in second place in the Dr Martens Premier league.
Some Knitters supporters were heard to remark that their team was not playing as well as they could but that was because Gresley weren't allowing them to do so.
Gresley came out flying and immediately put the young Hinckley keeper Dave Clarke under pressure after just a minute of play. Clarke made an awful attempt at a clearance from Tommy Goodwin's backpass and sliced the ball straight to Shaun Harrad. His first touch took him a fraction too wide and his shot from a very tight angle slammed against the foot of the post and away to safety.
The home side continues to press winning a corner that Earl Alexander took from the right. But, has so often happens in football, against the run of play the visitors went ahead.
On 5 minutes Dave Saddler profited from slips from both Leigh Everitt and Richard Wardle to provide a cross that Justin Jenkins could not miss and duly headed in the simplest of chances.
Gresley, who were playing a back three, looked decidedly shaky and things got even worse for them on 12 minutes when a misjudgment by keeper Dale Belford allowed a cross from the left by Jamie Lenton to somehow find the back of the net.
Harrad brought some relief for Gresley on 17 minutes when he collected an attempted clearance by Stuart Storer that had clattered into Hinckley's Goodwin. The young striker took his chance with great composure and smashed the ball past Clarke.
The visitors looked shaky and Gresley began to get on top in the game. On 29 minutes Alexander was fouled and the free kick was hurriedly cleared for a corner.
Five minutes later Leon Doughty turned the ball back to Alexander but the young winger's hurried shot from the edge of the box went well over the bar.
On 40 minutes Gresley had a penalty shout waved away by the referee when Doughty was bundled over in the area.
Right on the half time whistle another good penalty shout when Harrad was pushed in the area seemed to distract the Hinckley defenders and as Jamie Barrett's cross was cleared it fell to the ex-Hinckley man, Doughty, waiting on the edge of the area who smashed in the deserved equaliser.
Gresley came out looking for the winner and on 51 minutes a goal bound shot from Barrett was deflected for a corner.
Hinckley had their first attempt on goal in the second half on 54 minutes from a corner taken by Lenton but his shot flew over the bar.
On 61 minutes, however, they went even closer. This time it took a superb block by Andy Cheetham to deny substitute Chris Smith.
The action swung to the other end and Harrad was very unlucky not to have put Gresley ahead. He collected a Doughty through ball and easily beat Storer for pace before sliding the ball past the on-rushing Clarke. But the shot went agonisingly past the wrong side of the upright.
On 68 minutes Harrad again was put through by Doughty but this time the striker fired the ball straight at the keeper.
Two minutes later Hinckley should have grabbed the lead. A corner by Lenton found Wayne Dyer whose shot would have been appreciated by Johnny Wilkinson as it sailed high over the cross bar.
Hinckley were having their best spell of the second period and Everitt needed to put in a first-class block to deny Sadler.
On 80 minutes it was Cheetham's turn to block a fine shot from Dyer as Hinckley went searching for the winner.
Hinckley's young keeper was not having the best of games and almost gifted Harrad another goal when yet another poor kick allowed the Gresley striker to pounce on the ball. But, before Harrad could make the keeper pay for his mistake, Clarke managed to redeem himself with a well timed sliding tackle.
Gresley didn't have long to wait for the winner. On 83 minutes a superb pass from Wardle found Harrad who turned and beat Goodwin in the box but was tripped as he made progress and the referee had no hesitation but to point to the spot.
Harrad picked up the ball and fired a penalty shot straight down the middle beating Clarke.
Gary's views on the game
"If you'd have asked me at 3.10 this afternoon if I take a 3-2 win I'd have looked at you gone out - they are flying.
"Defensively we gave away two soft goals. We were a little unfortunate with their first goal. Leigh Everitt dived in a bit soon and then Richard Wardle slipped and the guy went past him and sent in a cross and Jenkins was unmarked at the back stick which was disappointing.
"The second goal came from a similar area and it was a bit of a freak. To score from there with his left foot well … Dale Belford apologised at half time but at the end of the day it was just one of those goals.
"We got ourselves back into the game fantastically well. Again you look round and this set of players I got are absolutely magnificent. No heads go, nobody starts pointing fingers and blaming they just got on with the job.
"Shaun Harrad got a great goal. He missed one with only a minute gone. The keeper, who was making his debut, sliced a kick. Shaun's first touch took him wide and he hit a creamer but he'd left himself a little bit much to do and it hit the post. If that had gone it we would have had a great start. But it didn't and we found ourselves 2-0 down. We got it back to 2-1 with Shaun's great strike and basically we wanted to put them under as much pressure as possible.
"And right on half time we got our rewards. I felt we were creating stuff and that we'd got our tactics spot on. I spent a long time deciding who to play up front. Steve Lenagh trained on Thursday but I fancied the pace against their big back three and trying to get the ball in behind them. Even an hour before we were still deliberating whether to go with a traditional back four by putting Lenagh in there or leave him out and go with the two quick lads up front.
"We gambled – we are down to our last three defenders which almost forced our hand. Steve can play at the back and has done many times before but having not seen it and in a game of this magnitude it was possibly the best decision to go with the back three we went with.
"And, I think they were monumental after the first ten minutes. They did really well.
"We went in at half time 2-2 and we did talk about the goals. We were on the up and we felt that if we kept getting at them second half and sticking the ball in good areas behind there back three that we get something.
"Shaun had a good chance where he flicked it instead of getting his head down and blasting it, and put it wide. A lot of people in the ground thought it had gone in.
"I really felt we were going to snatch it and when Shaun got the penalty he wanted it and to his credit he had the composure to get the winner.
"Dale Belford pulled off a massive, massive save for us in the second half. He got across and blocked a great chance. Yes Shaun and Leon will get the plaudits but for me it's just another demonstration of how valuable Dale is to us in goal.
"Leigh Everitt had another solid performance and was named sponsor's man-of-the-match. He was fantastic as was Andy Cheetham and Richard Wardle. Richard just demonstrates the versatility of the man. You can ask him to do any one of fifteen jobs and he rarely fails to live up to it.
"I'm delighted with the back three. Leigh is a quiet lad and for much of the time he's an unsung hero. He just gets on with it. He's a very experienced lad; he's won both the Dr Martens Premier and Western Division and there's not a bone of big headedness or arrogance in him. He just gets on with the job and he's been our most consistent player for the last six or seven games and he deserves his award.
"Carl Slater has come in and done a tremendous job as he did at Gloucester. He's had to be patient and wait for his opportunity. Both him and Jamie Barrett have done well in midfield along with Gareth Holmes. They scrapped and battled and Holmes has pressed the ball and got us little bits and got us going forward.
"Earl's done well and came back and helped us tremendously defensively.
"It was a monumental effort by the lads. Hinckley are a good side. They are not second in their league for no reason. But today we stuck at it and we've come away with it. Their keeper had a bit of misfortune really but I don't think he can be blamed for any of the goals.
"I'm absolutely delighted with the win not only for the players in there who are absolutely over the moon but for the chairman because it puts a bit of money into the coffers and makes up for the disappointing exit from the FA Cup.
"There was a bit of dejavou this morning when Matt Smith rang to say he'd got the flu. I had a similar thing happen before the away game at Buxton in the FA Cup when we had five first teamers out and I had to call up a reserve teamer and we got hammered.
"We are in the next round with the big boys and another home tie would be fantastic for the club.
Gresley Rovers (2) 3
Hinckley Athletic (2) 2
Scorers: Harrad 17, 83 (pen), Doughty 45 (Gresley Rovers); Jenkins 5, Lenton 12 (Hinckley United).
Gresley Rovers: Belford, Everitt, Cheetham, Wardle, Holmes, Barrett, Doughty, Slater, Harrad (Spacey 90), Francis (Lenagh 77), Alexander (Hebberd 64). Subs not used: Shakespear, B Clarke (gk).
Hinckley United: D Clarke, Cartwright, Lenton, Jackson, Goodwin, Stone (Penny
45). Storer, Dyer, Sadler, Jenkins (Smith 56), Murray (Voice 85). Subs not used: Piercewright, Crowley.
Rovers Star Man: Leigh Everitt – Hard to choose from the back three who were immense.
Referee: J Sheffield (Walsall).
Attendance: 330
