UniBond League Division One
The Dovecote, Butthole Lane, Shepshed
Tuesday, 28th December 2004, 3.00pm
Dynamo delight
They say you can throw the form book out of the window and ignore table positions for local derbies. This was the case in this match although, to be fair, Shepshed were the in-form side having not lost a league game since October.
Shepshed included five former Gresley players and seemed determined to get one over on their Derbyshire neighbours in front of their largest home gate so far this season.
Simon Baldwin started the game looking distinctly nervous making a hash of trying to grab John Branch's cross after just 7 minutes but Ashley Dodd could not capitalise and put his shot over the bar.
Dynamo came back and on 13 minutes went close when Nick Ghislanzoni put his header wide after a good cross from Matt Moran.
Two minutes later, however, the visitors took the lead. A pin point through ball from Jamie Barrett sliced the static defence in two allowing Aaron O'Connor to run onto the pass and slip the ball past Baldwin.
Baldwin redeemed himself somewhat racing off his line to beat O'Connor to the ball and then producing a good save to deny James Fox.
Just after the half hour Baldwin again kept his side in the match by blocking Dodd's shot and then O'Connor's follow up attempt.
Gresley were left to rue those misses because on 34 minutes Tom Guiney managed to get a telling cross into the box from the right and Steve Gomm completely unattended and in acres of space obliged by putting his header beyond the reach of Gavin Saxby and into the far corner of the net.
Five minutes later Gresley were back in front. Dodd noticed Baldwin had strayed off his line and tried an audacious lob that beat the keeper and found its mark with a little help from an upright.
As the first half was coming to an end Baldwin again kept the score down when he denied Liam Hebberd with another good save.
Somehow the referee Mr Smith had found over three minutes of added time and Shepshed took advantage. Gresley conceded a needless free kick just outside the penalty area and Nathan Tate fired in an accurate shot over the wall and into the top of the net.
Almost at the start of the second period Tate had an opportunity from a similar distance to test the Gresley defence but this time Saxby blocked the shot and Jamie Hood cleared the danger.
On 55 minutes some slack marking by the Gresley defence gave Moran the chance to grab a goal and he didn't refuse hitting a shot from just outside the box that beat Saxby.
Five minutes later Hebberd had another chance to get on the scoresheet but Baldwin saved his half-hit shot. Baldwin then denied Hebbered yet again on 63 minutes.
Gresley manager Gary Norton had decided to go three at the back bringing on Chris Freestone for his debut and then adding Emeka Ejiofor to the forward line.
The visitors were piling on the pressure that led to nine corners in the final 15 minutes but they could not get the goal they were desperately looking for. Indeed, Shepshed could or rather should have made absolutely certain of the three points with a couple of chances towards the end. Saxby denied Ghislanzoni and Gomm looked certain to have grabbed his second of the match but after putting the ball past Saxby it came back off the post and away to safety.
The nearest Gresley got to levelling was on 88 minutes but Andy Simpson's fierce volley was tipped over by Baldwin.
The difference between the two sides on the day was that Shepshed were full of passion something sadly lacking in the Gresley side.
Manager's View
"I'm very disappointed. Some people's unlucky number is 13 but mine is nineteen! That's two away games were we've played teams occupying that spot and both the sides deserved their victory.
"It was a good opportunity to consolidate things at the top of the league today so I'm very unhappy.
"It was almost inevitable that former Gresley players would come back and haunt us. Playing Shepshed was always going to be a big enough banana skin because I've watched them several times this season and apart from once they've impressed me every single time. They are a very hard working side and I'm sure Matt Moran and Nathan Tate will be delighted. They had nothing to prove today and for whatever reason they find themselves away from Gresley and they've both played very well today.
"The other lads had good games as well. Carl Timms had a great game and Tom Guiney had a solid game at full back and Simon kept them in the game with some good saves.
"We did miss Matt Smith today but, having said that, when we've needed to used Jamie Hood and Andy Simpson at the back they've done very, very well. I've said before that we've built our season so far on our defence. We've conceded just 16 goals in the league so far and 6 of those have come in the last two away games. We can't give cheap goals away like that. A case in point was their equaliser. We had the ball and was running the clock down to the interval but we took a quick throw in and gave away a cheap free kick and fair play to Nathan he put in a good shot. I must question our keeper a little bit because the ball wasn't in the top corner and I felt he could have done a little better with that.
"I don't want to criticise anyone but it was little things like not clearing our lines for the third goal. We'd battled the elements and gone in at the interval level and I felt that if we could get a hold of the game with the wind behind us we might go on and do it. But, we didn't create too much in the second half. We looked devoid of ideas and it was if we were expecting Aaron to pop up and dig us out of the mire again.
"We've now got to pick the players up. We know we've wasted a golden opportunity but we are still in a good position but I am very disappointed tonight.
"Our away form is starting to concern me now. We've only lost four games in the league but we've lost the last three away games. Early on we won games by the odd goal and defended superbly but if we defend like we have in the last two away games, which is average form, it will shoot us in the foot so we must address that quickly.
"Our players will want to put things right on Saturday. Full credit to Shedshed they deserved it today. They will have nothing to lose coming to Gresley and they will have the upper hand. Our lads will have their heads down a bit and be a bit nervy and the pressure will be on us. But it will be up to us to react and try and deal with that."
