Gresley Rovers vs Banbury Spencer
Gresley Rovers called in a veteran reserve team player for their final game of the 1953-54 season.
Teddy Bowler who had been with the club for more than 20 years scored a hat-trick which helped his team to a surprise 4-2 victory against Banbury Spencer in the Tillotson Cup match.
However, this was a gruelling match as both sides fielded below strength sides. Banbury made eight changes from the team that had beaten Rovers 3-1 on Boxing Day. Gresley rested goalkeeper Ron Simnett in favour of their usual forward Freddy Tapping.
Bowler opened the scoring four minutes after the kick off when Roland Smith's shot rebounded to him from an upright.
Wilson equalised in the 35th minute, cutting in from the right he beat Storer, side stepped Tapping and pushed the ball into the empty net.
Three minutes later however Gresley went ahead again. Norman Smith, having one of his best games for weeks, took the ball from the halfway line and slipped it to Bowler who scored.
In the fifty ninth minute Bowler collected his hat-trick driving the ball into the net after a shot from Smith had been loosely punched away by Latham.
It was fitting reward for some magnificent play that Smith should get the last goal of the season. Received from his namesake Roland, he raced through the middle and hit a cracking shot on the run to provide one of his best solo efforts of the match.
This brought to an end a gruelling spell in which since April 3rd the Rovers' first and reserve teams had together played 23 games.
Rovers - Tapping, Cashmore, Wood, Webb, Storer, Mansell, Green, N Smith, Bowler, R Smith. Evans.
