UniBond League Division One
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Friday, 25th March 2005, 3.00pm
Barrett double only gets a point
This was another entertaining game but also another frustrating one as Gresley Rovers let slip the chance to grab all three points for the second game in a week.
They led the game twice, just as they had done at Eastwood in midweek, but a combination of sloppy defending and poor goal keeping left the Gresley manager with mixed emotions after the game.
It all started so well with the home side taking an 11th minute lead when a cross field pass from Nathan Tate found Paul Edwards down the right. The striker cut the ball back across to the edge of the area where Jamie Barrett fired in a piledriver of a shot leaving Town keeper Mark Thornley one hot cross bunny.
Seven minutes later Gresley had the chance to double their advantage but a shot from Andy Marlowe was well saved by Thornley.
Kendal got back on terms on 25 minutes. A Ged Smith corner was not dealt with by the home defence and the ball fell to former West Bromwich Albion striker Lee Ashcroft who gave Dale Belford no chance smashing the ball home from 10 yards.
Gresley's Steve Farmer almost got his side back in front on the half hour but his header went just wide of the post. However, Gresley did take the lead again from a good flowing move featuring Aaron O'Connor, Edwards and Barrett four minutes later. O'Connor sent Edwards off down the right and he in turn put through a glorious ball to Barrett who ran through to comprehensively beat Thornley.
To the disappointment of the home supporters Gresley were the authors of their own downfall when their lead disappeared after just four minutes. Belford clearly shouted for his defender Jamie Hood to leave a long ball from Paul McMenemy which he duly did. However, Belford did not manager to grab the ball and it landed to Ashcroft whose shot was half blocked by the Gresley keeper and pushed to the far side of the goal area. Ashcroft then did well to recover the ball hooking it back into the danger area where Dene Whittall-Williams had the easiest of tasks to just nod the ball into an empty net.
On 42 minutes O'Connor did well to force a corner but it was the visitors who could have snatched the lead before the break when Peter Smith's cross was headed over by a well placed Ged Smith.
Town went close within seconds of the re-start when Wittall-Williams put a shot fractionally over the bar.
Edwards had a couple of chances within the space of five minutes. The first on 50 minutes but his shot went over and then after another good move down the left he got his head on a cross but the ball again sailed over the bar.
Gresley continued to push forward and Edwards was again in the thick of things on 72 minutes. Niall Hudson played a ball over the top of the Town defence - Edwards controlled the ball and did well to hold off the attention of a defender but his shot was well blocked by Thornley.
Gresley went even closer on 79 minutes. A Gary White corner was met by Farmer but his goal bound header was somehow grabbed by the kneeling Thornley with the ball on the goal line.
Barrett had a glorious opportunity to grab his hat trick three minutes later when Edwards laid on a fine ball but the young midfielder's shot went over the bar.
Manager's View
"It was an entertaining game. I was pleased with the performance but disappointed with the goals we gave away again. We got ourselves ahead twice against a good side with well worked goals but we gave away two sloppy goals.
"The second half we re-grouped and I felt generally we had the better of the play. We played some great football and we had some great chances and on another day we would have got the win. We were very unlucky with the chances we missed. I wondered how Paul Edwards didn't score in the second half. Overall I'm very pleased and I've just said to the lads in the dressing room that they key thing was that we didn't lose the game because that would have put them six points ahead of us. We are still in touch with them but obviously we've given sides below us, when they play, the opportunity to pick three more points up and put us under pressure.
"I said that it wouldn't be the end of the world if we lost but it has put more importance on the game on Monday against Warrington. We need to pick three points up from that really. Had we have lost today and won against Warrington it would have been a different situation so. I'm disappointed because I felt we played well enough to win the three points but we can't really grumble at a point to be honest.
"It was a very open game today, both sides went for it. They didn't come here looking for just a point they wanted to win the game and I think that was evident. They will be happier with a point than we are.
"Dale has taken full responsibility for the second goal. He shouted for Hoody to leave it and we could hear it from the bench and he left it. They then got their second goal from it. I was disappointed that we conceded from the mistake but we did. I'm more concerned about the way we reacted to it and I felt we reacted well especially in the second half.
"I thought Jamie Barrett was tremendous one of his better games of the season and he scored two cracking goals.
"I was hoping to have closed the gap but it wasn't to be. They've only got to slip up once and us win and we are back on level points so we've kept ourselves in touch."
