UniBond League Division One
Bracken Moor Lane, Stocksbridge
Saturday, 12th March 2005, 3.00pm
Lacklustre Rovers
Manager Gary Norton described this performance as 'poor' and the fact that he kept his players in the dressing room after the match underlined his message.
"Why do we go three steps forwards and then two back," was his remarks afterwards.
Gresley were sluggish in the early stages and needed a fine tackle from Niall Hudson to prevent Damian Bray a chance. Bray went close again minutes later putting a ball over the bar when well placed.
The home side opened their account after just 13 minutes when a throw-in was not dealt with allowing Stave Hawes to flick on to Stefan Zoll who scrambled the ball in from close in.
The lead only lasted two minutes. A move started and finished by Nathan Tate got the Moatmen back in to the game. He picked out Aaron O'Connor who made good headway down the right before crossing the ball to Tate who smashed the ball home.
Any hope of an away victory evaporated six minutes later when Stocksbridge regained the lead in controversial circumstances. Gresley's Mickey Lyons was subjected to what Norton decribed as a 'leg-breaker' tackle that referee Mr Lindsay either ignored or did not see and the ball ended with the home side gaining possession. Carl Smith picked out Mick Blythen - on loan from Sheffield Wednesday - in acres of space who made no mistake slotting the ball past Dale Belford and into the bottom corner of the net.
Belford did get the better of Bray denying him from putting his side further ahead.
On 27 minutes home keeper Rob Poulton, also on loan from Sheffield Wednesday, denied Tate a chance of a second goal pushing the ball out for a corner. A minute or so later Gary White was unlucky when his free kick skimmed the top of the cross bar.
Gresley were sensing an equaliser and O'Connor fastened onto a loose header by Gary Middleton but could only fire wide of the mark.
Just on the halftime whistle Gresley's Jamie Hood put a header just wide as Gresley finished the stronger.
Gresley didn't look the same side after the break although they did have a couple or early chances when Emeka Ejiofor and Jamie Barrett both went close.
The fire seemed to go out of the visitors and Stocksbridge sensed they could increase their advantage even more.
Hood had to be accurate with his tackle to deny Zoll a chance and Blythen put a first time shot over the bar after Hood had only half cleared the ball. Belford did well on 70 minutes to block a vicious shot from Smith.
Five minutes later Gresley missed a golden chance to at least grab a share of the points when Hood flicked on Gary White's throw-in to Barrett but the midfielder shot wide when he should have at least got it on target.
Norton made a change on 75 minutes bringing on Gary Browne for the out-of-sorts Ashley Dodd and it almost had an immediate impact when he collected Hudson's pass but put his shot just past an upright.
Gresley put defender Paul Wardle - who had to have hospital treatment for an eye injury after being caught by Zoll's elbow - up front to add some pressure to the Stockbridge defence but the home side held on to grab all three points.
Manager's View
"I'm despondent to be honest after a performance like that. We've had the lads in the dressing room for 25 minutes trying to get to the bottom of why we can take three steps forward and two back.
"At home we try to play some good football, we get the ball back and the confidence is coming back and nicking results. But, on the road we seem a completely different side. The first half was a poor as we've played for a long, long time. We were off it all over the park. The first goal was a very cheap goal to concede and it was very disappointing but we responded and got ourselves back in to the game. Aaron worked hard down the right and created a chance for Nathan - great goal. I must admit that although I'm not happy with the way we've performed it was the worst refereeing performance I've seen for a number of seasons and their bench agree with that although they've won the game so it's not just sour grapes.
"The build up for the second goal there was a two-footed tackle, not just a two-footed tackle but a leg breaking tackle in front of the box, the referee has not seen it or decided there was nothing wrong it and it lead to their second goal. You can't legislate for things like that; you've just got to get on with it. They say things like that balance themselves out over the course of the season.
"We were two - one down and we again lacked ideas very similar to the Spalding game. We want to try and get the ball down and we want to try and play football but when we go a goal behind we look as if we are going to panic. We get the ball and look one-dimensional knocking long balls, which are meat and drink to side like this.
"We've just been chatting about things in the dressing room, what we can do to right the wrongs - we've got a lot of work to do. Earlier in the season we were going to sides like Ilkeston and North Ferriby playing good football by getting the ball down, trying to work our position and trying to create a space and work chances. Today I've asked the players to give me an example of any clear-cut opportunities we've created for ourselves. Yes, we've huffed and puffed and we got balls in the box, bits dropped were they responded in our box we didn't in theirs. We don't want to be playing football like that relying on bits and bobs dropping in the box and hoping to get on the end of it. We want to work sides, spread sides out, create opportunities and pull sides about - but we're not doing that. We don't look confident to go and fetch the ball from the back. When we get the ball in good areas rather than looking two and three-dimensional at width and channels we are just looking to lump it.
"We've now got to re-group on the training pitch and see what we can do about that. We do it at home, we do try to play some decent stuff at home and it does go long sometimes but, today it was a poor performance all round.
"We don't tell them to play the long ball. We said before the game that the second half of the Spalding game in particular we were disappointed with. We find ourselves behind in a game rather than just relax and be composed and patient and try and work sides we panic. We've just said in the dressing room, here we are frantic on the bench trying to get them to slow things down and change the tempo but they try too hard. They are so desperate to achieve and to win games that they try too hard. They need to relax and enjoy their football. Only by doing that are we going to pull sides about and create the chances."
