Gresley Rovers vs Bromsgrove Rovers
Simon is leading light - Burton Mail
On a night when an underground cabling fault made one half of
the pitch barely visible, a rare goal from skipper Richard Wardle lifted the
doom and gloom currently engulfing the Moat Ground.
After being rebuffed by several strikers in recent weeks, Gresley
boss Brian Kenning could afford a brief smile as new boy Simon Tucker took less
than two minutes to endear himself to a sparse home crowd.
Collecting a pass from the influential Steve Devine, Tucker quickly
carved out an opening for Wardle whose precise finish comfortably beat visiting
keeper Nore Gabbidon.
Bromsgrove top scorer Richard Burgess, who had notched half of
his side's eight league goals, could have grabbed an early equaliser but was
denied at the second opportunity by Richard Selby, who was preferred to Ian
Wright in the Gresley goal for the first time this season.
Soon it was Tucker's turn to take centre stage again. After linking
neatly with Ritchie Gardner, the youngster skilfully held off Steve Ulfig before
squaring for Adie Doughty to set up a shooting opportunity only for Mick Sandar's
effort to be sadly lacking in direction.
Tucker mugged the Bromsgrove skipper again, but none of his teammates
were on hand to apply the decisive touch.
At the other end Gresley were relieved to see Craig Pountney shoot
straight at Selby after pouncing on Ian Bluck's loose clearance.
Gardner's head on provided the invitation for Tucker to try his
luck with a neat overhead flick that looped too high.
A Bluck header following Matt Warren's cross suffered a similar
fate before Tucker was almost rewarded for a fine individual performance after
breaking clear of Quentin Townsend.
Burgess's weak finish provided Selby with a comfortable save before
Tucker headed Gardner's free kick too high from close in two minutes from the
end. The win took Gresley out of the bottom six with Tuesday night's trip to
bottom club Paget Rangers giving them the opportunity to climb to mid-table.
Gresley Rovers (1) 1
Bromsgrove Rovers (0) 0
Scorer: Wardle 2
Gresley Rovers: Selby, Broadhurst, Gardner, Doughty, Warren,
Bluck, Wardle, Devine, Sandar (Allsop 68), Tucker, Coates; subs not used: Roberts,
Reynolds.
Bromsgrove Rovers: Gabbidon, Frost, Ulfig, Townsend, Cameron,
Turpin, Benbow, Jameson, Gennard, Burgess, Poutney: subs not used: Beard, J
Rogers, G Rogers.
Referee: J Hubbard (Leicester)
Attendance: 307
