UniBond League Division One
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 19th February 2005, 3.00pm
Rovers fightback for a share of the points
Gresley Rovers fine second half performance earned them a fully deserved share of the points against in-form Chorley.
Chorley have been transformed since appointing player-manager Shaun Teale the former Aston Villa defender at the beginning of January and were on a run of five unbeaten games, four of them wins.
It was not long before the visitors showed their intentions going in front after just 8 minutes. They forced a corner taken by James Price, which was returned to him by John Bluck. The ball was swung over towards the far post where Jamie Squire was waiting to power home his header past Gresley keeper Dale Belford.
Gresley hit back and on 13 minutes Ashley Dodd had a half chance but put his shot over the bar from 20 yards.
There was a moment of controversy four minutes later when the referee Mr Smith chose not to even book Chorley keeper John Gillies when a red card was fully deserved. Aaron O'Connor was put through by Jamie Barrett and his shot from a tight angle beat Gillies but came back off the post. O'Connor was quick to react to the rebound and has he ran towards the goal Gillies grabbed the strikers ankle and pulled him down. The referee pointed to the spot but left the crowd and even the keeper himself amazed by not even showing a card of any colour. To rub salt in the wound Gillies, who should have been by now in the dressing room, pulled off a great save to deny O'Connor the goal he'd have certainly have scored had he not been cynically pulled down.
Things got worse for Gresley on 28 minutes a shot from Barrett was blocked and cleared down field to David Eatock and with the home defence backing off inviting the striker to shoot he obliged with low shot that beat Belford.
Whatever was said by manager Gary Norton at the interval had its desired effect because in the second half the Gresley side were transformed.
Instead of coming out a beaten side they dug in and fully deserved to get back on terms.
On 49 minutes O'Connor, a constant thorn in the Magpies side, superbly controlled the ball and hit a shot on the turn that went just over the bar.
Two minutes later O'Connor this time was the provider when he put a cross over to Barrett who put his shot just wide of an upright. It was then Chris Freestone's turn to put a shot wide as the home side went looking for a goal.
The goal they'd been looking for came on 59 minutes from skipper Matt Smith, his first league goal of the current campaign. A pin-point cross from Barrett was emphatically headed home to give Gresley some glimmer of hope.
Belford, who had been largely a spectator for the first fifteen minutes of the second half had to make two saves to keep his side in the game. The first when he held a goal-bound header and then when he superbly blocked a shot from Bluck from just outside the area.
Gresley were now growing in confidence and we beginning to believe they could still get something from the game.
The equaliser came on 72 minutes. O'Connor cleverly beat one defender and put a shot past Gillies for his 19th goal of the season.
It was nothing less than Gresley deserved although both sides could have clinched all three points in the last six or so minutes.
Belford did well to get down to a vicious low shot from Price to push it away for a corner and then with just two minutes left on the clock O'Connor almost grabbed the winner but his shot went agonisingly wide. Substitute Andy Marlowe had the last chance but put his header just over the bar and far post.
Manager's View
"You can't fault the second half effort and application from the lads but it's still disappointing because we gave ourselves a massive mountain to climb by basic defensive errors. The first goal, there was no need to give away a corner in that position - kick the ball anywhere but don't give a corner away and we got punished from it.
"On 16 minutes their keeper should definitely have been sent off. Even the keeper himself said so to our assistant manager at half time - he said 'I should have walked'. I had a word with the ref and at first he said the ball was out of Aaron's playing distance. But, all Aaron had to do was to tap the ball into the net so how was it out of his playing distance? I then spoke to the ref at half time and this time he said the goalkeeper got round Aaron and got the ball. So why the penalty? Having said that we shot ourselves in the foot by missing the penalty.
"After that we gave away another cheap goal. Our defender backed off too much almost inviting the shot, which it was and we were two-nil down.
"It was a great response in the second half and one of my players said as we were coming off that, that was another game we should have won.
"Aaron's goal was a great goal and he deserved it. He played superb today his running especially from wide areas has caused them problems all day and he's got his nineteenth goal of the season.
"Skipper Matt Smith lead an inspired comeback and got his first league goal of the season. As I saw the perfect ball come across I was expecting to see it end up in the garden behind the goal with how our lucks going at the moment. But that goal gave us a foothold and you could see the belief come back into the players and I felt we were worthy of a draw and with the efforts on goal maybe the win.
"Dale made one or two smart saves towards the end that kept us in it but that's what he's there for. He made one especially good save down near the foot of the post. We had one or two scary moments in the second half but we were going for the win.
"One or two players answered my challenge especially Gary Browne. I challenged him before the game and said to him that he was a player of massive quality and pedigree; even this season he's scored nine goals already in the Conference North and I said to him I need a performance from him today and he's had a good game defensively today. Nicky Carter was a gamble because he's not played at this level since the end of last season and it was a gamble that played off today. He looks good and he's on trial with us and he's given us food for thought.
"Niall Hudson had a fantastic debut. He was very assured and composed and he put the ball into some very good areas and also made some very timely tackles. So it was very encouraging from the new lads and it's important we get them settled in as soon as possible."
