Match Report  |  Hastings Town vs Gresley Rovers

Hastings Town vs Gresley Rovers

Mini Rovers out of their depth – Andy Parker – Burton Mail

Far from the first time this season, Gresley Rovers trooped off on Saturday at the sound of the final whistle knowing they could and should have done better.

What made defeat at the Pilot Field all the more better was that the clash with similarly relegation-haunted Hastings was a classic "six pointer."

The Moatmen should have been fired up for a life or death battle right from the off but instead they defended like softies for the first half hour and handed their hosts a decisive two-goal lead.

There was a discernable improvement after the break, as so often before, but Rovers have done nothing all season to suggest they are capable of coming from two down so they were hardly likely to do so with their two main strikers languishing on the injury list.

As in the league defeat at Corby, also by the odd goal of three and on which occasion the Moatmen were also heard to complain that they had deserved better, manager Steve Dolby was forced to field pocket-sized strikers Mark Hurst and Chris Moore as his main attackers and, once again, despite an exceptional second half strike from Hurst, the tiny twosome were not up to it.

The Beazer Premier is the Land of the Giants when it comes to central defenders and any side hoping to compete on a level playing field must have similarly bulky centre forwards to fight an even combat. Thus Rovers were at a distinct disadvantage before the game had even kicked off.

The hapless Moore played an unwitting role in handing Hastings a sixth-minute lead, opting to play a risky infield ball from the left touch line rather than going for safety.

Richard Denby's attempt to clear was charged down by Hastings' former Gillingham and Sittingbourne striker Steve Lovell, and even though Nick Stanborough looked favourite to clear as the striker advanced into Rovers' box, Lovell somehow forced the ball past the big defender and crossed for Steve Powell to volley only his second goal of the season at the far post.

Moore almost atoned 14 minutes later when he forced keeper James Creed into a point blank stop after Colin Loss's right wing cross had sparked a goalmouth scramble, then five minutes after that, the little striker was felled clumsily by centre half Richard Callaway for what seemed an obvious penalty only for referee Thompson to award a corner.

Rovers should have been further behind, though, by this point and there was an air of inevitability about Hastings' second goal, another for Powell who fired an angle shot past Bob Aston after Ian Straw had twice failed to clear effectively from the right side of the box.

Rovers were being outplayed but a stunning goal eight minutes into the second half put them right back into it. Martin Dick was the instigator with a pass that put Loss clear on the right and the midfielder's driven cross was headed in spectacularly at the near post by the airborne Hurst.

It was end to end stuff after that with Rovers having most of the play but Hastings providing the best strikes on goal, Aston saving Kieran O'Shaughnessy's shot towards the top corner and new boy Wayne Williams clearing Callaway's effort off the line.

In an agonisingly last few minutes Rovers were camped in the Hastings box but that oh-so-vital equaliser just would not arrive.

Hastings Town (2) 2

Gresley Rovers (0) 1