Gresley Rovers vs Weston-super-Mare
Rovers lose out on Weston front - Andy Parker - Burton Mail
The bubble did not so much burst as slowly deflate for Alan Titterton at the
Moat Ground on Saturday.
On a high after two exciting victories under their caretaker boss, Rovers found
themselves on the rocks as they came up against a well-organised Weston -super
- Mare side who set up a defensive obstacle that confounded clueless Rovers.
The battling qualities that have typified Rovers under Titterton's temporary
charge were again in evidence but there was a chronic lack of a cutting edge
in a performance that harped back to the worst of the Brian Kenning era.
Newly returned Justin O'Reilly made a second half appearance as substitute
as late changes improved things for Rovers but despite a stirring rally in the
closing stages it was too little, too late.
Weston made their intentions plain from the early stages, packing men behind
the ball and looking to hit their hosts on the break, with Jody Bevan forcing
an early save from Ian Wright after bamboozling Neil Broadhurst to the right
of the Rovers goal.
Striker Justin Pritchard should then have put his team ahead a Mick Cooper's
free kick presented him with a free header but his effort flew over from six
yards.
Broadhurst went close for Rovers after Amrit Sidhu's skill in the penalty area
had given him the chance to fire in a low effort that crept just the wrong side
of the target but it was Weston who continued to make and miss the majority
of what few chances there were.
That all changed on 56 minutes as Matt Warren was beaten for pace by Dave Watts
and felled the winger to the right of the Rovers box.
Former Chelsea wide man Peter Rhodes-Brown curled in the free kick and Wright,
who had earlier made a good save to keep out Dave Hunt's volley, was this time
nowhere as Weston skipper Sean Wharton won the race to tap the ball over the
line.
It quickly got worse as Warren felled Wharton again on the edge of the penalty
area and this time Watts fired a free kick with pace and accuracy into the top
corner with Wright rooted.
O'Reilly had already replaced the service starved Sidhu but it was not until
Steve Coates joined the fray with 20-minutes left that Gresley at last began
to ask questions of the visitors' defence.
Richard Wardle capped a battling display by firing in a 25-yard effort deflected
past Steve Weaver but that was as good as it got for the Moatmen.
Gresley Rovers (0) 1
Weston-super-Mare (0) 2
Scorers: Wardle 78 (Gresley Rovers); Wharton 56, Watts 69 (Weston-super-Mare).
Gresley Rovers: Wright, Broadhurst, Cheetham, Bluck, Warren, Allum (Coates
70), Wardle, Devine (Allsop 89), Sidhu (O'Reilly 62), Tucker, Peters.
Weston-super-Mare: Weaver, Cooper, Hunt, Bevan, Bird, Smith, Watts,
Wharton, Pritchard (M Price 51), King, Rhodes-Brown. Subs not used: Parselle,
J Price.
Rovers
star man: Andy Cheetham - positive and determined.
Referee: S Flanagan (Wednesfield)
Attendance: 337
