Pre-season friendly
The Beeches
Thursday, 5th August 2004, 7.45pm
This game was overshadowed by a nasty injury to Ian Bluck after just two minutes when he sustained an ankle injury in a block tackle.
The Gresley defender was stretchered off to await the arrival of an ambulance to take him to hospital for x-rays. The unlucky Bluck had only just returned to the squad at the end of last season after damaging a cartilage in his knee and a fracture to his leg during the FA Cup clash with Buxton at the Moat Ground.
Gresley were still visibly shaken when their hosts took the lead on 19 minutes when Phil Mills latched on to a through ball and then coolly slotted the ball past keeper Brad Clarke.
It hard work for Gresley against a determined Tividale side and their best opportunity didn't come until 32 minutes when Nathan Tate made good progress down the left before laying on a fine pass to Donovan Rowe but the final shot was well over the bar.
A bizarre incident happened on 39 minutes when Tividale's keeper Andy Debont was penalised for holding on to the ball too long. It looked as if he was trying to get the referee's attention to tell him the ball was a little soft but the referee blew for an indirect free kick just inside the area, which unfortunately came to nothing.
Gresley were back on terms in time added on in the first half. Jonathan Rowe collected the ball on the right running forward before unleashing a superb shot from 25 yards that beat the keeper easily.
The second half was only 5 minutes old when Tividale took the lead again. This time it was from a penalty kick after a clumsy tackle from a Gresley defender in the area. James Ince gave Clarke no chance sending the keeper the wrong way.
Emeka Ejiofor had two chances to level the scores within the space of 8 minutes. The first on 53 minutes he had rounded the keeper but his half-hit shot was cleared off the line and away for a corner and then on 61 minutes after dancing his way around two defenders he put his shot wide of the upright.
Tividale almost increased their lead on 73 minutes when they were awarded a free kick just outside the area. James Ince hit a superb kick that Clarke did extremely well to get a hand to and direct the ball over the bar.
Down at the other end Tate was testing their keeper with a stinging drive that substitute keeper Rick McNamara saved down near the foot of the near post.
The home side were then handed a gift of a goal on 83 minutes when Clarke, who appeared to have had the ball safely in his arms somehow dropped the ball into the path of a Tividale player who gleefully accepted the chance and prodded the ball over the line.
It looked like one of those nights for Gresley. Three one down with only a few minutes left on the clock. Even the elements seemed to be adding their comments as flashes of lightning and claps of thunder echoed around the area.
Then, on 85 minutes Ejiofor received the ball down the right, ran into the area and put the ball past the advancing keeper.
All was not lost and with only a minute left a pinpoint pass from, Jamie Barrett gave the final say to Tate who made no mistake hammering in his 20-yard shot past the bewildered keeper.
