Match Photos
Gresley Rovers vs Blakenall
Grim for Gresley - Andy Parker - Burton Mail
Gresley
Rovers' dismal season reached a new low point at the Moat Ground on Saturday.
Heartened by a midweek draw at Atherstone that ended a six-match losing run,
Rovers went into their Dr Martens Western Division basement battle hopeful of
completing a league double.
Those aspirations soon foundered however as the afternoon turned into one on
which everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
With three strikers out, injured boss John McGinlay handed a surprise recall
to Neil Kitching after a 13-month absence with a broken leg but the selection
left Rovers badly lacking mobility and pace in attack.
Although
the Moatmen should have gone ahead after 23 minutes, top scorer Simon Tucker
escaping Blakenall's off-side trap only to fall over as he attempted to round
keeper Richard Williams, it was all down hill after that.
Within four minutes, keeper James Lindley was picking the ball out of the net
after a shocking double howler.
First the on-loan keeper failed to make contact as he shaped to kick Matt Coppin's
up field punt clear from the edge of the area, then the Notts County man was
unable to claim the ball as he attempted to catch it above his head and striker
John Quilt toe poked home.
Rovers battled to restore equality but were hit by another atrocious defensive
lapse two minutes into the second half.
Quilt
managed to elude both Barry Woolley and Matt Warren on the edge of the penalty
area and slipped the ball into the path of Coppin who scored easily.
Kiching and out-of-sorts skipper Richard Wardle were replaced by McGinlay and
winger Paul Grant and that upped Rovers' attacking impetus only for the struggling
home side to discover Williams in prime form.
McGinlay's shot from 18 yards after David Donaldson had freed him through the
inside left channel looked a goal all the way but Williams went full length
to palm the ball for a corner.
Then Mark Peters produced an inspired run to the byeline before picking out
Tucker with a neat cut-back but the striker's close-range pile driver again
produced an excellent save.
Lindley emulated his opposite number when he tipped over substitute Les Palmer's
sizzling volley but from the corner the former Burton Albion strike made sure
of victory when he converted Jon Worsey's flick from close range.
All
that remained for Rovers was to make and miss more chances, McGinlay producing
another good save from Williams after picking up Danny Verity's cross and Tucker,
following up, crashing the loose ball against the crossbar with the empty net
at his mercy.
Then Donaldson let fly with a pile driver that Williams proved equal to.
Rovers' patience appeared to finally snap as the game reached its agonising
conclusion, McGinlay earning a booking for a nasty challenge on the keeper and
Peters picking up yet another yellow card for his petulant response to Lee Harper's
tackle.
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Blakenall (1) 3
Scorers: Quilt 27, Coppin 47, Palmer 76.
Gresley Rovers: Lindley, Verity (Broadhurst 85), Gardner, Donaldson,
Woolley, Warren, Wardle (Grant 51), Peters, Kitching (McGInlay 51), Tucker,
Coates.
Blakenall: Williams, Harper, Hillman, Salmon, Cooper, Walker (Pickstone
90), Worsey, Simms (Brookes 90), Quilt (Palmer 52), Coppin, Rochester.
Rovers
Star Man: Steve Coates - showed some quality.
Referee: G Stretton (Enderby).
Attendance: 330
