UniBond League Division One
The Stan Brown Stadium, Kidsgrove
Saturday, 18th March 2006, 3.00pm
Edwards nets the winner
Gresley Rovers claimed their first clean sheet since the nil-nil draw on Boxing Day against Shepshed Dymano and only their fifth of the season in a hard earned victory at The Stan Brown Stadium.
Manager Gary Norton was forced to re-shuffle the back line owing to left back Gary White picking up an ankle injury in midweek. Nicky Carter was brought in to fill the position and did an admirable job.Chris Brindley had to settle for a place on the bench with skipper Andy Simpson paired with Matt Millns in the centre of the defence.
A very soft pitch and some over fussy refereeing denied both side the chance to play football and it made for a very scrappy affair.
Gresley made the early running forcing two corners in the first five minutes but it was the home side that should have taken the lead just three minutes later when Andy Bostock put an easy chance over the bar.
On 13 minutes Gresley striker Paul Edwards forced Kidsgrove defender Mark Fitton into a mistake. Edwards then fired a low cross into the box that was just inches away from Aaron O'Connor waiting at the far post.
Seven minutes later Gresley went close again when Allan Davies's corner kick found Andy Simpson just inside the box but he hurriedly volleyed his shot over the bar.
On 27 minutes a corner from the right taken by Carter caused some concern for the Kidsgrove defence and it took a finger tip from Rob Powner to deny David Holmes taking the power off the ball before the header could come in.
A minute later, however, the visitors took the lead. Carl Slater hammered a shot from just outside the box that was charged down by a Kidsgrove defender the ball ran kindly for Edwards who put his shot beyond Powner and into the net.
Kidsgrove came back and forced two late corners and put a shot wide as they finished the half on top.
Gresley were expecting to face an onslaught in the second period and they were not disappointed. Kidsgrove came out with all guns blazing forcing a number of early corners. From one of them Gresley keeper Tommy Whittle tipped over a fine effort from Matt Rhead as the visitors were pushed back.
On 59 minutes Whittle did well to smother the ball as Ashley Miller threatened; Simpson was on hand to clear away the danger.
The play switched to the other end where O'Connor turned his marker before firing over the bar. Seconds later O'Connor picked up on a slip by Andy Thomas but Powner did very well to block the shot. The ball fell to Holmes who tried to chip the keeper but the ball ended up in the keeper's midriff.
On 70 minutes a cross from Richard Eyre was met by Rhead but his header was acrobatically tipped over by Whittle.
Simpson was replaced by Brindley due to a shoulder injury and for the final 12 minutes it was all hands to the pump as Kidsgrove threw everything at Gresley but the visiting defence held firm to claim all the points even after the referee had added a further 7 minutes to the match.
Manager's View
"I can't believe it - can somebody pinch me? Seriously I'm delighted with the clean sheet especially after the other night. To come here, a notoriously difficult place to come because they put you under so much pressure with their big direct physical approach, and to defend the way we have done is very, very satisfying. But it's just one small step to try and build on the misfortune of the other night really.
"The players are absolutely delighted in the dressing room but they are all shattered. It means nothing if we can't build on it. It's a huge three points for us and for once we've managed to come away from home and grind one out in a professional performance and I'm thoroughly delighted with it.
"I was disappointed, we were one nil up and we had a chance to make it two a very similar situation to last week when we were leading Chorley two-one and we've not finished. That's the one disappointment that we didn't get the second to take the pressure off because we had five or six minute injury time at the end.
"They put us under pressure in the second half and we fully expected that. You could hear their management from our dressing room giving their players a bit of a shoeing at half time. I felt in the first half we deserved to be in the lead. It was a very scrappy game and the pitch was very, very soft and it cut up a bit and so it wasn't conducive to try and get the ball down and play it about but we managed to get the goal. Paul Edwards has gone back in the side today. It was hit and miss whether he would because of a dead leg but we decided to risk him from the start and I'm delighted he got his goal. It was a bit of a scruffy goal. Someone scuffed a shot but Paul reacted and controlled the ball really well with his first touch and put it in with his second. I'm delighted for Paul but also I'm delighted for everyone - thoroughly delighted.
"I made a couple of changes at the back. Andy Simpson came back in and had a masterful seventy minutes or so. He did really, really well against a difficult opponent. There's probably not a more physical striker in the league than their number 9 Matt Rhead today and Andy restricted him to one or two attempts where he was under a lot of pressure from Simmo. Matt Millns has done very well, he's cleared his lines, he's won a lot of headers and he's stood up when he need to. The rashness and the lack of composure we saw the other night from several people not just the back four, wasn't there today. Nick Carter deserves special praise for coming in and ably deputising for Gary White. We always knew Nick had got that in the locker. We looked at him in training on Thursday when we were looking at our defensive shape and Nick played that position. Tom Betteridge played right back in training and we were thinking of resting Allan Davies but we played him today and he had a very good game.
"Steve Gomm took a lot of pressure off us when he came on for the last ten minutes or so it's good to have that when you need it. I was pleased with the substitutions and everybody's performance.
"Today wasn't about a performance it was more about getting a result and we ground one out. The purists or anyone here that supported Gresley Rovers may have been disgruntled with some of the football we played but in fairness you've got to look at the pitch for that but they will have gone away heartened with the fact that we battled and ground out a result. It's something we haven't seen in this second half of the season. We have got a soft under belly, we are conceding silly goals and today is really a small step forward because we've got to do it week in week out. We've been crying out for a clean sheet. I think the last one was against Shepshed on Boxing Day so it was huge clean sheet for us today against a side notorious for putting loads of pressure on.
"Chris Brindley was a little frustrated being left out today but when he came on when Andy got inured with fifteen or sixteen minutes to go he's won some big headers for us and cleared his lines today.
"Andy will be going to hospital for an x-ray on his shoulder to see if there was any damaged when it popped out. It did go back in but I'm expecting him to be out a while maybe the next two games but we will have to wait and see what the medical people have to say."
