Worcester City vs Gresley Rovers
Colin Loss scored his second vital goal in a week as Gresley Rovers wrested an invaluable point from Worcester City at a boggy St George's Lane on Saturday.
The young midfield, scorer of Rovers' midweek winner at Sittingbourne, lashed in an 85th minute penalty to give his team a share of the spoils that their efforts just about deserved.
Although City had the greater share of possession for most of the game, Rovers' determination to build on the Sittingbourne victory ultimately prevailed.
Said boss Steve Dolby: "It was very important that we got a result here today. At 2-1 they sat back a little but we kept battling and in the end, we got what we deserved."
Supporters from both camps were claiming afterwards that their team should have carried off the spoils, with City pointing to an 87th minute Steve Rutter thunderbolt that crashed against Rovers' woodwork and Gresley rueing an even later effort by Chris Moore that Worcester keeper Robbie Kemp just managed to tip to safety.
Indeed, Moore, again given a chance to impress from the off, was a key figure in a game that throbbed with incident and excitement virtually throughout.
The former Stockport and Burton striker thought he'd won a 55th-minute penalty when he went down after knocking the ball past Kemp in a Rovers breakaway, only for referee Bob Jeavons to decide he had slipped when poised to score and waved play on.
But when the situation was repeated in the 85th-minute Rovers this time received the benefit of the doubt to set up Loss's late leveller.
But if the two youngsters were Rovers' heroes in the Worcester penalty area there was no doubt who deserved the laurel wreaths at the opposite end of the park.
Keeper Aston was again in supreme form, pulling out a string of breathtaking saves to earn the grudging admiration even of the partisan home crowd, while center half Nick Stanborough produced a grittily defiant performance that thoroughly dispelled memories of some nightmare moments earlier in the season.
The pair were in action as early as the second minute, blocking out striker Neil Donovan as he threatened to latch on to an incisive cross from City's outstanding midfielder, Phil Mason.
But Rovers gave as good as they got in the opening minutes with Loss setting up Mark Hurst with an excellent through ball and Kemp just managing to push the little striker's shot away from the inrushing Martin Devaney.
Thus the pattern was set with the to sides trading chance for chance in clinging mud and swirling rain.
Twice Aston pulled off two spectacular saves to deny Rutter as City pressed but when the City number nine finally provided his team with a breakthrough there was an element of ill fortune from Rovers' point-of-view.
Stanborough thwarted former Sutton Town striker Gary Smith with an excellent tackle on the edge of the box but was injured in the process. Barely had the defender got back to his feet when a right wing corner picked out Rutter who rose above the ailing number six to head in at the far post.
A minute later, though, Rovers were level. A left wing free kick was only partly cleared and, when Loss knocked the ball back goalwards, keeper Kemp got into a tangle with defender Andy Wallbridge and the ball squeezed between them to give Devaney the chance to fire into an empty net.
Aston produced another great save to keep out Mason's curling shot as Worcester sought to restore their lead but the midfielder was not to be denied and, five minutes into the second half, found space in the center to hammer a superb right-foot shot into the top corner from 25 yards.
Yet again Rovers had to haul themselves up by their bootlaces and when Hurst's excellent pass released Moore it seemed they had succeeded. Bur as the striker sprawled in the penalty area the referee saw otherwise.
Gradually, though, the momentum of the game saw swinging in the visitors' direction and with Aston continually defiant at the one end it was left to Loss to pick up the glory at the other.
Worcester City (1) 2
Gresley Rovers (1) 2
Scorers: Rutter 35, Mason 55 (Worcester City); Devaney 36, Loss 85 (pen) (Gresley Rovers)
Worcester City: Kemp, Muckleburg, McGrath, Donovan (Green 85), Wallbridge, Benton, Daly, Mason, Rutter, Smith, Holmes. Sub not used: Davidson.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Blount, Rigg, Loss, Evans, Stanborough, Moore, Denby (Marsden 68), Hurst (Weston 68), Devaney, Elliott.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Bob Aston
Referee: R F Jeavons (Coseley)
Attendance: 866
