UniBond League Division One
Grange Lane, North Ferriby
Tuesday, 28th September 2004, 7.45pm
O'Connor double grabs a point
This was another tough away match for Gresley Rovers. On the previous Saturday the Moatmen returned home with a well earned three points from high-flying Mossley and now one of the leagues top scorers, North Ferriby, stood in their way of extending their unbeaten away form.
It was the proverbial game of two haves with the visitors having the better of the first and the home side the second. On reflection a draw was a fair result although Gresley manager Gary Norton felt disappointed that his team didn't take all three points.
Things could not have started better for United. With only three minutes on the clock they were in front when Carl Bradshaw received a pass from Carl Fothergill evaded the attention of Matt Smith before smashing home his shot.
Gresley looked a little unsure and Bradshaw went close again putting his shot just wide of the post. However, the visitors weathered the storm and began to assert themselves grabbing an equaliser on 17 minutes.
A superb through ball from Jamie Barrett put Aaron O'Connor through on goal and the striker made no mistake slotting the ball coolly past home keeper Rob Cawthorpe.
Gresley could have taken the lead a few minutes later but Jamie Hood put his header fractionally wide after connecting with a corner from Karl Brown.
The Moatmen did think they had taken the advantage when O'Connor fastened onto another Barrett pass before finishing superbly however, the linesman made what was a dubious offside decision denying the impressive front man his moment of glory.
On 39 minutes the home side almost went in front when Chris Gowen, who should have done much better, ballooned his shot well over the bar from a Bradshaw cross.
With the half time whistle ready to be blown Gresley took the lead. Keeper Cawthorpe could not hold a thunderous shot from Gary White and as the ball fell in space O'Connor was on hand to ram the ball home for his second of the match and the fifth of this campaign.
On 49 minutes Gresley might have extended their lead but Brown put his shot over from Barrett's cross.
As to be expected United went searching for a goal and it took a well-timed tackle from White to deny them. But, the pressure didn't abate and wave after wave of attacking football descended on the Gresley defence. That pressure told on 58 minutes when Bradshaw scored with a superb 30-yard free kick that flew over the wall and into the roof of the net giving the visiting keeper Dale Belford no chance.
Play got a little frantic with about 20 minutes to go and United captain Michael Price was sent off, with just nine minutes remaining, for a trip on Justin Rowe that produced his second yellow card of the game.
Belford kept the scores even making a good save from another powerful Bradshaw free kick. But, perhaps the best chance for either side to grab all the points fell to Rowe who took the ball off Andy Thompson but fired his shot over the bar.
Manager's View
"In the end I think a draw was a fair reflection of how the game went. Despite conceding an early goal, we responded well and had the better of the first half going in 2-1 up and it could have been 3 had Aaron not been denied his hat trick for a dubious offside.
"The first goal was a sloppy one to give away in terms of our starting positions to defend the cross but, in fairness the ball whipped in was of sheer quality and all Bradshaw had to do was get a decent contact on it.
"Having gone a goal down so early, I was very pleased with the way we responded and we played some fine football for the rest of the firstt half with Aaron and Emeka in particular causing lots of problems upfront.
"In the second half as much as we tried to get going it was difficult for us and they had the better of the half. For a 15-20 minute spell, the movement of Ferriby's front two was top drawer and we struggled to cope with it at times.
"Having said that, Karl Brown has had a magnificent chance to put us 3-1 up when he volleyed over from close range. The equaliser was a peach of a goal; one that you don't blame keepers for but congratulate the scorer.
"The disappointing aspect from our point of view was that it was a cheap free kick to concede but he still had a hell of a lot to do. It must have been 30 yards out but as soon as it left his boot it was in and there is no way two keepers would have got to it never mind one!!
"We are very happy with the point we got tonight. It's a long way to come and they are a decent side who will cause a lot of other sides big problems. Going into the away games against Mossley and tonight I said I'd be happy with 4 points and it turns out that's just what we've got. We have now played 3 of the top 4 sides in the last week or so, all away from home, and we have come away from all three unbeaten so we have to be happy with that.
"Injury wise, we have picked up a few knocks here and their and they are starting to take their toll. We looked tired in the last 15-20 minutes or so. We have been operating with a small squad of 15 players since the start of the season and already have played 12 games and not yet 6 weeks into the season. Dale's back is the biggest cause for concern and he really needs a rest. Lets hope Saturday's cup game doesn't go to a replay so we can get a rest in the midweek."
