Waterlooville vs Gresley Rovers
Gresley ended up hanging on for a point at Jubilee Park on Saturday after two goals from David Holmes had seemed to have the game wrapped up.
Rovers had dominated the first half and should have had more goals to add to Holmes' 15th minute effort, the striker hammering in the rebound after bursting clear onto a Tony Marsden pass and firing his first shot against the crossbar.
Holmes twice looked poised to add to the score but shot tamely straight at keeper Mark Goldring then saw an angled drive tipped away, while strike partner Martin Devaney twice fired narrowly off target.
Four minutes into the second half, though, Holmes made no mistake, sidefooting home from six yards after Devaney had headed down a Nick Stanborough free kick with the Ville defence in complete disarray.
Two minutes later, though, Marsden fell awkwardly after a challenge with Simon Elley and the game had reached its turning point.
Marsden was led off with a badly broken arm and the home side suddenly found themselves in control, Elley rising unchallenged to head in Paul Thomas' right wing corner.
Ville player coach Vince Hilaire, totally anonymous in the first half, suddenly began to test Rovers' right flank and Bob Aston had to stretch to save former Crystal Palace winger's drive after a mazy run.
But the Rovers' keeper was all at sea when Hilaire's former Palace team mate Billy Gilbert headed on Thomas' cross five minutes later and Neil Selby's header crept into the net to pull Ville level.
Four players were booked as referee Peter Greenhill went yellow card crazy, with Richard Wardle and Richard Denby both harshly treated for routine challenges.
But it could have been worse as Ville threatened to grab a winner, Kevin Murphy firing just off target from skipper Duncan Burns' shot.
Rovers mounted a late flurry of pressure but the extra two points boss Steve Dolby craved to aid his team's march up the Beazer Premier table had long gone by that time.
Waterlooville (0) 2
Gresley Rovers (1) 2
Scorers: Elley 56, Selby 61 (Waterlooville); Holmes 15, 49 (Gresley Rovers).
Waterlooville: Goldring, Burns, Murphy, Gilbert, Elley, Green, Ogburn, Hilaire, Wilson (Milkins 54), Selby, Thomas. Sub not used: Winslade.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Dick, Swainston, Straw (Hurst 73), Evans, Stanborough, Wardle, Rigg, Devaney, Holmes, Marsden (Denby 54).
Gresley man-of-the-match: David Holmes.
Referee: P Greenhill (Bourne End).
Attendance: 226
