Gresley Rovers vs Heanor Town
Osborne shows his worth – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Simon Osborne gave an exciting glimpse of his goal scoring talents at the Moat Ground last night.
The highly-rated striker, snapped up by Gresley from Ilkeston Town during the summer, ran riot against a hapless Heanor side, scoring twice and having a hand in two more goals as Steve Dolby’s team at last gave their fans something to cheer about following a dismal pre-season programme.
Stuart Evans, who had earlier crashed a header against the cross bar put Osborne through to set up Gresley’s opener in the 23rd minute, his low cross arriving perfectly for Martin Devaney to sweep home.
Heanor briefly rallied, skipper Stuart Parkes hitting a 25-yard free kick just over, then seeing a close range header well saved by Bob Aston.
But Rovers were soon firmly in control, Osborne winning the ball well in midfield for Paul Acklam to send Devaney clear then arriving to provide a close-range finish.
Rovers continued to pound Heanor into submission after the interval and Osborne soon added a spectacular third, holding off a defender on the right of the box before firing a left-foot shot into the top corner of the net.
Ten minutes later the striker’s overhead kick forced a corner and from Mark Hurst’s flag kick Gil Land headed the fourth through a crowd of players.
Mike Taplin saw a 20-yard effort disallowed for offside but the disappointment was soon forgotten when Hurst picked up a poor back pass before firing Rovers fifth from a tight angle.
The game finished in an eerie half light after a floodlight failure but Rovers fans went home happy in the knowledge that their teams Beazer League future is looking much brighter.
Gresley Rovers (2) 5
Heanor Town (0) 0
Scorers: Devaney 23, Osborne 29, 47, Land 57, Hurst 61.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Dick, Elliott (Moore 45), Land, Evans (Holness 67), Stanborough, Weston (Taplin 54), Marsden, Acklam (Hurst 45), Devaney, Osborne (Galloway 67).
Heanor Town: Dudley (Sleeman 54), Stephenson, Orcote, Preston, Marsh, Park, Bell, Millington, Manners, Bicknell, Checkley. Subs not used: Welsh, Collyer.
Referee: P Roberts (Kilburn).
Attendance: 302
