UniBond League Division One
Lambeth Grove Stadium, Woodley, Stockport
Saturday, 28th January 2006, 3.00pm
Away day blues
Gresley Rovers travelled back to South Derbyshire still wondering how they'd managed to come away without at least a share of the points.
Unfortunately, mistakes cost them dear and despite being in control of the second half for long periods their endeavour was let down by the gift of a winner 15 minutes from the end.
The visitors soon found themselves behind after just five minutes when a cross from Russell Headly was not dealt with and Mario Sergio Daniel fired in a low shot into the far corner of the net.
Two minutes later Gavin Saxby pulled off a great save to push away Headley's shot from the edge of the box for a corner.
On 10 minutes a pass from Matt Moran put Aaron O'Connor through but Dave Swannick managed to clear the danger by putting the final shot away for a corner.
Saxby was on hand again to deny Woodley increasing their lead. This time he made a superb block of Daniel Douglas-Pringle's shot just after the half hour.
Two minutes later Gresley's second chance came when a woefully short back pass by Lee Wright was collected by Moran but Liam Higginbotham was quick off his line to smother the ball at the midfielder's feet.
Woodley then pushed forward and went close again to doubling their advantage on 40 minutes but again Saxby did well when he saved a vicious shot from Douglas-Pringle.
Right on the half time whistle and against the run of play Gresley were back on terms. A superb pass from Mickey Lyons sent O'Connor on his way. After rounding the keeper he sent over a low cross that was cleared by Swanwick only for the ball to clatter off Chris Curley and into the net.
Woodley opened the second half in a similar way that they'd started the first with a quick attempt on the Gresley goal. Daniel sent over a cross that found the unmarked Douglas-Pringle but his header went well over the bar.
Andy Simpson then tried his luck but his long-range shot went over the bar. Minutes later Gresley had what looked like a good penalty shout turned down by referee Mr Knee after O'Connor had been scythed to the floor by a tackle from Wright in the area.
The Gresley keeper, who had not had so much to do in the second half, was needed on 70 minutes when he blocked Nick Boothby's shot. But the homeside did take the lead five minutes later when Gresley gifted them a goal.
A hopeful long high ball was lofted into the Gresley area where Saxby shouted to his centre half Chris Brindley to leave it which he did. Unfortunately the keeper missed the ball completely leaving a very grateful Douglas-Pringle to knock the ball into an empty net.
Gresley almost snatched a point on 86 minutes but Simpson fired straight at Higginbotham from a Brindley flick on.
With the visitors throwing everything forward Woodley should have grabbed a third right at the death but Gavin Salmon embarrassingly fired over from less than five yards out with the goal at his mercy.
Manager's View
"I'm absolutely gutted to be honest. Our first half performance was woeful and we laid into them at that half time and it's the second week on the bounce we've got a response in the second half.
"From my point of view we were delighted with how the second half was going, there was only one team in it. We were a lot closer, tighter and instead of their midfield two dictating the game our midfield two were doing it and with out creating too many clear cut chances we were the better side. We were just looking to make a change that we felt could be instrumental in going on and win the game and I turned round to talk to the two guys who were going on - I looked round to see our centre half and keeper gone come dancing outside the area and the guy's rolled it into an empty net. We don't half know how to throw a game away because that on the back of the first goal which was also Gavin's (Saxby) responsibility - between the defender and the ball and whatever else is around has to go in those circumstances.
"We were fortuitous to get back in the game at half time and to be fair Gavin's made two or three cracking saves to keep us in the game in that first half but, ultimately I've got to be critical of Gavin and the defenders because they've got to take some responsibility for the two mix-ups for the two goals - so it's very bleak.
"With James (Pemberton) chomping at the bit Gavin's position in the side has been on my mind for a while. Gavin's been doing okay under a lot of pressure because James has been doing well but now I'm thinking beyond that as well at times because they are both very young lads, inexperienced to some degree and we need some experience at this moment in time in all positions. It's something I've got to think long and hard about as to whether Gavin keeps his place. Whether we go with James or whether we look beyond that. It's a critical stage of the season for us and we can't gift two goals away, away from home like that when we are desperate for at least a point but invariably we were wanting to push on in the last fifteen minutes and get three points.
"I thought Aaron (O'Connor) got a push in the back in the area and I've seen them given and often not given. I'm not going to say that was the reason we didn't get anything ultimately our inadequacies at the back as cost us any opportunity. Sometimes you get the decision sometimes you don't and on this occasion we didn't.
"I thought in the second half we got the ball down and passed it well. Mickey Lyons was very instrumental in that second half but our problem in the first half was that we were a yard off it and not able to get close to them so we couldn't get the ball to get going. Second half, anyone who says this pitch is a problem is talking out of their backside because this is a fantastic surface and it does promote a fast tempo game - get the ball down and move it. They've got some great young players; very fast, quick skilful players and they move the ball very quickly. Second half I thought we were the better side until they scored. Then we were a little bit in limbo, we were chasing the game and we lost our shape a little bit and we went three up front to try and get an equaliser near the end. The game did go a little bit long then but, has I've said I was very pleased with the reaction of the players because we'd been quite critical at half time and we got a response for the second week running but unfortunately this week we weren't able to go on and build on that.
"I've just said to the players that we can't go on relying on good second half performances. The last two weeks it's taken an absolute rollicking at half time to get a reaction from them. We were only talking slight little adjustments by Carl (Slater) and Mickey getting much closer to their central pair and they went from chasing shadows to having a big impact on the game. Then their manager was having a go at their pair to get closer to Carl and Mickey. We were going to put Paul Edwards and Nicky Carter on with a view to go on and win the game then the next thing you know is the ball is in the back of the net and they'd only got one player in our half just about."
