Derbyshire Senior Cup Semi-Final
Station Road, Mickleover
Tuesday, 24th January 2006, 7.30pm
Champions exit the Cup
Gresley Rovers had the Derbyshire Senior Cup snatched from their grasp on a freezing cold night in Mickleover.
Playing on a pitch that was getting harder with every minute Sports belied thier own lowly league position when they out played, out fought and thoroughly deserved their victory over their near neighbours.
Gresley manager Gary Norton picked the same starting line-up that had played so well and beaten joint league leaders Bridlington Town at the Moat Ground on Saturday but almost from the off that form seemed just a memory.
Sports were faster to the ball and worked harder and to be honest looked a far better outfit on the night.
The warning signs came early when the impressive Dave Middleditch flashed a shot just wide of the upright with only 40 seconds on the clock. However, five minutes later he again undid the Gresley defence after Carl Slater and Allan Davies had got in each others way and with the visiting keeper well off his line Middleditch fired a shot from 25 yards that cleared the stranded Saxby and into the net.
Gresley came back and Sports' keeper Wayne White did well to tip Slaters long-range drive away for a corner.
On 19 minutes Gresley were back on terms. A free kick from Mickey Lyons was not dealt with and Chris Brindley popped up to smash the ball home from close in.
Any hope that Gresley would now take control failed to materialise as the home side continued to control the game. On 30 minutes Brindley found himself trying desperately to deal with two marauding players when Tom Layton's cross found Middleditch who cut inside before hammering a shot that Saxby got a hand to but could not prevent from going under him and into the net.
After the break Sports had a glorious chance to increase their lead when Gary White was adjudged to have tripped Carl Cunningham in the box on 54 minutes. Defender Ross Mayers chose to take the spot kick but Saxby chose the right way and pushed the shot away to safety.
A minute later Gresley had a decent penalty shout turned down by referee Mr Fletcher when David Holmes was grappled to the floor by a defender in the box.
On 58 minutes Lyons had a shot deflected that took the ball into the arms of a grateful Wayne White.
Sports were not sitting back on their lead and forced a couple of corners before Gresley could clear the danger.
The closest Gresley came in forcing extra time came on 88 minutes when Bridley, who have been thrown upfront, nodded down a cross from Andy Cheetham to Paul Edwards but his shot that looked on target was blocked on its way.
The final few minutes was all Sports and in time added on Saxby needed to tip over a miss kick as the home side ran out comfortable winners.
As the old cliché has it 'at least we can now concentrate on the league' but a vastly improved performance will be needed on Saturday.
Manager's View
"This was one banana skin too far! I'm bitterly disappointed with the result and no we didn't deserve to win the game. In all departments Mickleover bossed the game which was disappointing. The goals we did give away were sloppy although it was a cracking finish for the first one. It came from a mistake when Carl Slater and Allan Davies got in a bit of a mix up. Middleditch had already had a chance five minutes earlier and he produced a great finish into the top corner and it was a question whether Gavin (Saxby) could have done a bit more to tip it over but it was a good strike to be fair to him.
"We got ourselves back into the game from the only way we did look like getting back in that first period which was our delivery of set pieces from corners and free kicks. We put some decent deliveries in without really getting on the end of any of anything but then something dropped and Chris Brindley reacted to put it in and you think 'right let's get hold of the game'. We then gave away another sloppy goal defensively. Andy (Simpson) tried to let the ball roll out and gave a sloppy free kick away and we did not clear our lines then Chris (Brindley) found himself two on one at the back stick and again Middleditch has cut inside and it was a decent finish. Gavin got a hand to it and it went under his body and it's a difficult one to blame the keeper for.
"I said to the lads before the game that if we get into a scrap with Mickleover we are going to find ourselves in trouble. Some of the football they played, and you could see how difficult the surface was, they got the ball down, they moved it about and won the first ball and they won a lot of the second balls as well and got forward well. I've no complaint about the result but I'm bitterly disappointed especially as we'd paid Mickleover full respect and put our strongest eleven out and that's the team that beat our league leaders. There were several players not at the races today. We used all the clichés before the game in terms of the league difference between us that it all goes out of the window. The only disbelieving thing from my point of view is how Mickelover are where they are in the league if they can put that sort of performance in. They fully deserved it and played some cracking football as well.
"I was very impressed with their front two. The nine, Cunningham is someone I've been impressed with for years. He's held it well and had the energy and legs of Middleditch running off him and he caused us all sorts of problems and we weren't picking them up. Also they've got some good guys in the middle, defensively Neil Broadhurst and Mark Strzyzewski just won everything. I felt at time they were holding on to Aaron (O'Connor) and we weren't getting anything off the linesman or referee but that's what its all about. We've got to respond to that and play with that In other games we'd have got some free kicks for Aaron and David Holmes but Mickleover deserved to win.
"I was hoping the Saxby penalty save was going to lift the team - it did us on the bench. We were confident with Saxby because he has a decent record with spot kicks. If that had gone in I would have expected Mickleover to set up two banks of four and gone on and absorbed the pressure.
"There have not been many games where we've not created any clear cut chances this season especially for Aaron. We were left for the last fifteen minutes chucking Chris up front just hoping something would drop.
"We looked a shadow of the side that performed very well against Bridlington. I said after that game that when we've had a performance like that we've then gone on and shot ourselves in the foot. In the dressing room there are feet and toes splattered all over the dressing room and exactly what I said would happen has happened and it's something we've got to get out of. We've got to get mentally in a run and become tougher to beat.
"Mickleover now go on to the final and Martin Rowe is a good manager and deserves a bit of luck and hopefully they can get that in the final and bring some silverware to the club."
