UniBond League Division One
Christchurch Meadow, Belper
Saturday, 11th February 2006, 3.00pm
Nailers nick the points
A dubious goal and an own goal handed Belper Town all three undeserved points at Christchurch Meadow. However, the Nailers will not be too concerned as it stretched their unbeaten home record to seven and helped lift them even further away from the drop zone.
Gresley started the better of the two sides and forced an early corner, which was not capitalised on.
A poor decision by referee Mr Murphy denied Gresley a clear-cut penalty when Jon Hobson clearly handled in his area but the appeals were turned down much to the amazement of both sets of fans.
A chance came for the visitors came on 8 minutes when Jamie Barrett flicked a long throw by Gary White on into the area where it was missed by a fraction of an inch by David Holmes and leaving Hobson to clear the danger.
Seconds later Aaron O'Connor tested Andy Carney who did well to block a thunderous shot by the striker at the near post.
It looked like it was going to just one of those days when Mr Murphy turned down another very good penalty shout on 14 minutes. O'Connor was running onto a through ball in the area when Danny Bostock appeared to clip the striker's heels but again the referee chose to ignore the pleas for a spot kick.
Gresley were applying all the pressure and O'Connor's shot on the turn was again well saved by Carney. The Nailers did have a couple of chances but they were restricted to long-range efforts that sailed well over the bar.
Belper took the lead on 36 minutes. Gresley keeper James Pemberton went to claim Joe Carter's cross and was impeded by Asa Ingall causing him to miss the ball leaving Paul Tomlinson to nock the ball in at the far post.
With Gresley reeling from the apparent injustice Belper almost doubled their advantage two minutes later but Thomlinson's shot flew across the face of the goal.
Holmes had a chance to get his side back on terms within three minutes of the second half. Nicky Carter put a fine through ball in Holmes' path and whether he was wondering if he was offside or not fired a soft shot straight at Carney.
On 52 minutes a cross-cum-shot by Carter caused some concern for Carney but the ball landed on the top of the net.
On the hour Mickey Lyons had a goal bound shot deflected for a corner and three minutes later O'Connor went close putting a shot into the side netting as Gresley pushed forward.
It was the turn of Carl Slater to try his hand with a powerful low shot that was very well held by Carney.
The pressure had to tell and it did on 76 minutes. O'Connor picked the ball up on the edge of the area before firing a low shot that Carney managed to get a hand to but could not deny the strikers 25th goal of the season.
Belper did not sit back for a point and could have snatched the lead just two minutes later. A superb one-two between Mark Highfield and substitute Kelvin Mushambi ended with Highfield's shot being very well blocked by Pemberton.
The day was capped off for Gresley on 83 minutes when Chris Brindley unfortunately headed his attempted clearance over the head of his own keeper and into the net.
With time almost up Gresley defender saw a dipping shot fly just over the bar and in time added on Bostock was all over O'Connor but Gresley again only received a shrug of the shoulders of the referee.
When the whistle came the Gresley players and supporters must have wondered how many black cats they'd run over as they came away from Belper with not even a share of the spoils of a game they'd dominated for long periods - still, as they say, that's football!
Manager's View
"To be fair there was only one team in it for the whole game until we scored perhaps and they then got back in it a little bit.
"I'm dead disappointed because we played fantastically well - the best football we've played in ages. For long periods of the game you'd have thought we were the home side rather than the away side. I was delighted in the way we played today - we tried a new system and I believe it worked. It was very, very good football. We demanded that people get the ball down rather than request it as in previous weeks because the pressures been on and players have tended to go a little bit direct. But, the football we played in midfield was awesome but things were just not dropping for us.
"I thought we were a little bit harshly done by. One or two decisions in the first half - first minute there was a definite handball, a lot of the Belper supporters behind us agreed. The referee said when Aaron had gone down he was in perfect view of it and he didn't think their guy had contributed too much to that. You have to take the referee's opinion on that but those things happen in football.
"There's no way I'm going to have a go at my players after a performance like that. The effort and application is always there if not the performances but out there today the majority of those lads had very good games. One or two in particular had excellent games.
"Chris Brindley is full of apologies in the dressing room but these things happen. He obviously got up to try and head the ball clear but it skimmed off his head. One or two of the lads are ribbing him saying that if he'd have had a bit more hair it might have gone over the bar. It's cruel but those things happen in football.
"However critical how supporters are there is no way they can really be too harsh on us today. As well has we've played in quite a few weeks we've come away with nothing from the game. I was the opposite to last week when we didn't deserve anything from the performance we come away with a point. We've now got to pick ourselves up and drive on with two important home games coming up.
"James Pemberton did well but I was a little bit disappointed with him for the first goal. In fairness, he felt he'd been fouled when there was a little bit of pressure on him but the referee didn't think so and they've put the ball in the net. Yes, he did well - he made some good stops from some good shots; his kicking was good; he talked well and commanded his box well. People will point the finger at the goal but ultimately we lost the game. We've had an own goal and one maybe we should have dealt with a little bit better. At the minute we are being punished rather than sides carving us open and scoring good goals, we are being punished for half errors and little bits of misjudgement. We feel as though if we carry on doing what we believe in and certainly if we can perform like that away from home in our last remaining five away games then there's not reason why we can't be coming away with at least a draw but hopefully some wins.
"Matt (Millns) was excellent today he looked back to the Matt Millns we saw at the start of the season. The only frustration was in our eagerness to get ourselves back in the game one or twice when we had opportunities to get Matt forward from set pieces where he's very dangerous we tried to take quick corners and freekicks when Matt was only halfway up there. You can't blame the players for there eagerness but we would like to have seen the opportunities to get Matt in the box. His timing was there, his clearances were there and I'm dead pleased with Matt today and on that performance he will keep his shirt.
"Mickey Lyons was fantastic and Jamie Barrett got into it a bit more in the second half and I think Mick was the best player on the pitch today.
"There's no way we can be critical of the players today we did everything but score today. Okay Aaron got the goal but we did everything, we threatened a lot and I shook Ernie's hand at the end and if he's honest - that's their seventh win on the trot at home it's a tough place to come - if Ernie's honest he'll agree that we deserved at least a point if not the win."
