UniBond League Division One
Victoria Pleasure Grounds, Goole
Tuesday, 6th September 2005, 7.45pm
Rovers hang on to grab the points
This was easily Gresley's best showing so far. With a bit more luck and application a score approaching double figures would have been fully justified - so was the visitors' domination of this game.
Gresley got off to a cracking start with Matt Millns heading home a Gary White fifth minute corner. And with the Gresley midfield controlling affairs they continued to bombard the Goole defence for the vast majority of the match.
However, on the half hour Goole were given a chance to square the game when Gresley keeper James Pemberton was harshly adjudged to have brought down Steve Davey in the area. Davey had ran on to a long through ball before chipping the ball over Pemberton who was rushing out to clear the ball. In the eyes of referee Mr West Davey had been fouled by the keeper and pointed to the spot.
But justice was done when Pemberton, who had received a yellow card dived full length to push away Ian McLean's penalty kick.
Goole started the second half brightly but Pemberton was on hand to deny Davey on 50 minutes.
Gresley deservedly doubled their advantage on 61 minutes when man-of-the-match Mickey Lyons fired in a low cross that Nigel Denby could only fire into his own net past the bewildered keeper Chris Hill.
On 77 minutes Aaron O'Connor went close to grabbing a goal but was unlucky to see his shot cannon back of a post and away to safety with Hill well beaten.
Another goal looked odds on as Gresley served up some of the best football played by a Rovers side for some time. Goole were finding the going very hard as their visitors played a fast flowing passing game with the Gresley midfield soaking up any promising home moves.
The goal everyone expected came on 79 minutes. Lyons was again at the centre of things and expertly stole the ball on the edge of the Goole box. His stinging shot was only parried by Hill as far as Paul Edwards who was quick to react and fired home the rebound.
With a three nil lead and only 9 minutes left on the clock manager Gary Norotn made a change bringing on David Holmes in place of the injured Millns with Edwards being asked to drop back into centre half position.
Unfortunately this unsettled Gresley and led to a nail biting final seven or eight minutes with Goole going for broke and pushing everyone forward. The pressure paid off when Gresley's unfamiliar back line were caught out and failed to deal with a high ball. Substitute Mark Willoughby, in space curled in a fine shot into the top corner.
The score was given a somewhat unjustified look when in time added on another defensive slip allowed Davey unattended at the far post to nod home Goole's second.
Manager's View
"I thought it was a magnificent display. Some of the football we played was fantastic, especially in the first 25 minutes and during a spell in the second half.
"We could have easily been four or five up, but we've got to learn to do for 90 minutes what we'd done for 85 to get into that position.
"They were throwing people up and going hell for leather and maybe we got the cigars out a bit too early.
"I though we lost our shape when Matt Millns went off. He'd picked up a slight grion injury and we wanted to protect him for Saturday.
"The midfield was superb today. Mickey Lyons was absolutely fantastic and Chris Gray had a really good game, while Paul Edwards has come in and doen a job for us.
"A major turning point in the game came when Pembo saved the penalty. I though he was harshly judged to have fouled Davey after the striker had collided with him. Their striker had already chipped the ball over Pembo and wide of the target. But, Pembo produced a superb save to deny McLean.
We were sweating a bit on the bench as we thought James might receive a red card, but I thought the ref got it right."
