Match Photos
Gresley Rovers vs Gloucester City
Rovers up and running
Rovers
dominated this match from the start with many chances being made. The score
line should have been more emphatic if the strikers had put away the chances
created for them.
Within 10 minutes of the start Barry Woolley saw his header, from a Lee Westwood
corner, smash against a post.
The visitors then saw Andy Hoskins go close twice. First he shot wide of the
post and then he met Craig Temple's cross with a superb volley causing James
Lindley in the home goal to pull off the save of the match.
Lindley was called on again to tip over a Steve Jenkins in swinging free kick.
Rovers' midfield of Mark Peters, Alex Green, Richard Wardle and Westwood took
control and were soon creating numerous chances for strikers Chris Parkins and
Neil Kitching but were still unable to get the goal they deserved before half
time.
On
53 minutes the breakthrough came. Green put a pinpoint pass through to Parkins
who then turned the Gloucester skipper Neil Griffiths and skipped an attempted
tackle and crashed the ball past debutant keeper Andy Cook.
The fight seemed to go out of Gloucester and the chances came for Stuart Evans
whose header was well saved with Kitching and Green putting their headers wide.
Green, possibly having his best game for Rovers, put Parkins through who saw
his chip just clear the bar after beating Cook.
It was then Parkins who became the provider when he flicked on a Green's fee-kick
to Kitching who shot wide.
The second goal came on 72 minutes when Wardle latched on to a Peters' pass
skipped around three defenders and passed to Woolley whop smashed his first
goal of the season into the Tigers net.
John McGinlay made substitutions and it was two of these Matt Moran, making
his first team debut, and David Shaw who linked up to put through Kitching whose
shot was well wide.
The Manager's view of the game.
"As on Wednesday against Bedworth we created lots of chances and this time
managed to put two of them away with no reply.
"Near the end I took Chris Parkins off to prevent him getting a silly knock
because we have another game on Monday our 4th in 9 days.
"Alex
Green ran himself into the ground in the second half so I took him off as well.
"When the team scored you could see the confidence growing. It was like a weight
being lifted off their shoulders. Before that we being frustrated, we overran
the ball, we were being caught in possession and generally things were breaking
down.
"As soon as we got that goal the confidence grew and we played some good stuff
after that.
"No disrespect to Gloucester but it should have been 5 or 6. If it had been
no one could have argued. With so many crosses being put into the box our strikers
must start to put them away because when we play some of the top sides we might
only have two or three chances and we must take them.
"We've got a win on board now. We are up and running and we have a local derby
on Monday night against Rocester. It will be a different type of game but we
can build on what's happened this afternoon."
Gresley Rovers (0) 2
Gloucester City (0) 0
Scorers: Parkins 53, Woolley 72.
Gresley Rovers: Lindley, Bluck (Moran 78), Cheetham, Westwood, Woolley,
Evans, Wardle, Green (Bedward 84), Kitching, Parkins (Shaw 78), Peters.
Gloucester City: Cook, Dunton, Temple (J Smith 68), Griffiths, Steadman,
Randall (L Smith 45), Burns, Jenkins, Allen (Rea 84), Hoskins, Wilkinson.
Rovers
Star Man: Alex Green - majestic in midfield.
Referee: P Keane (Bilston).
Attendance: 362
