UniBond League Division One Playoff Final
Planet Conservatories Stadium, Parkside Road, Kendal, Cumbria
Saturday, 6th May 2006, 3.00pm
Heartbreak for Gresley
Gresley Rovers suffered the heartbreak of missing out on promotion to the UniBond Premier Division when Kendal substitute Peter Smith scored a last minute goal.
Kendal came out of the blocks looking to put pressure on their visitors and Ged Smith was soon trying to find his aim putting a shot in on goal that was deflected away for a corner on 7 minutes.
However, Gresley Rovers handed Kendal the advantage when defender Allan Davies, trying to clear the danger, scored with a spectacular own goal on 9 minutes putting a header past the stranded Tommy Whittle from John Osbornes right wing cross.
Gresley hit back and two minutes later Tom Betteridge fired a shot just past the post.
On 17 minutes Carl Slater found Aaron O'Connor with a superb through ball but Town's keeper James Sailisbury blocked the leagues top scorer's shot with his legs.
Smith had a chance to double their advantage seven minutes later but his header went straight to Whittle.
On the half hour Paul Edwards picked up a Mickey Lyons pass and fired a volley that was deflected away for a corner. Two minutes later Gresley were getting on top and Lyons fired a shot wide from Matt Millns pass.
Gresley defender Chris Brindley tried his luck with a overhead kick that Sailsbury grabbed at the near post.
On 38 minutes a cross from Slater fell to O'Connor whose shot was somehow blocked by Salisbury before the follow up could be rammed home.
A minute later Gresley were denied a clear goal when Millns headed home a Edwards corner, but, to the anguish of players and supporters the referee denied the goal after deciding that Millns had fouled the keeper although the ball was headed home before any contact was made. It was interesting to note that the fourth official and the linesman on the dug-out side of the pitch thought that it was a perfectly good goal.
Gresley came out looking for an equaliser but Kendal were stubbornly defending their lead.
Manager Gary Norton needed to change things and he brought on Steve Gomm and David Holmes for Nicky Carter and Betteridge.
On 71 minutes Ged Smith who was yards offside collected a cross but thankfully he could only fie well over the bar.
The last throw of the dice came on 78 minutes when Tony Hemmings replaced Edwards as Gresley went for broke.
Three minutes later Gresley were level through controversial circumstances. A high cross was fumbled by the Salisbury, who'd looked very nervous throughout the game, and as he dropped on the ball to smother it Brindley poked the ball into the net. Kendal's was not amused and raced over to the linesman to remonstrate but to no avail the referee indicated a goal.
With two minutes left Holmes had a golden chance to give Gresley the lead when O'Connor sent over a superb cross from the right but unfortunately the header from the edge of the box went straight to Salisbury - either side of him and it would have been celebration time for the Moatmen.
However, it wasn't to be and the match looked a dead cert to go into extra time but fate was against Gresley. The ball was down in the left corner but instead of being kicked over the stand the ball was played into the Gresley box and substitute Paul Smith, the former Kendal manager, got in front of Millns dived and put a low headed into the far corner much to the delight of his team mates and the Kendal supporters.
Gresley had one last chance in time added on but O'Connor's free kick from just outside the box sailed over the bar.
Manager's View
"The frustrating thing was that we didn't get going for the whole ninety minutes to be honest. We knew it was going to be one of those games different to three weeks ago when we came here on a good surface, it was a bit wet and it enabled us to get the ball down and play our game. On the sort of pitch we were facing today we knew it was going to be a scrap for both sides because both sides like to get the ball down, pass it and like to play. It was not possible for either side to do that today.
"I felt they had a bit of fortune with the goal. Allan has come across and it skimmed off his head - I'm looking for him to do that at the right end a little bit more perhaps. But, we dug in and we've scrapped which we had to do today and I felt we had a nailed on equaliser disallowed. Tony Hesketh their manager who I got the up most regard for, he, the fourth official and even the linesman on our side felt that Matt Millns had just got to the ball before the keeper. Without a shadow of a doubt there was contact but that came after the ball was headed. I'll be interested to see what the TV replay that's been recorded hear today shows.
"We were down hearted at half time but we know we can play better than that and we came out and made a fist of it in the second half without creating too much. Aaron and Paul was starved of service today because we couldn't get it down today and creative players like Mickey Lyons and Tom Betteridge couldn't really get going.
"I felt we were a little bit lucky with the goal and again I'm looking forward to seeing it on the TV. I felt as though the keeper's legs had given way a little bit and dropped the ball and I don't know who got it over but I didn't care, because to score with a few minutes remaining was a massive lift for us. For me, the pivotal moment came when David Holmes had a great opportunity. He connected well with his header and on another day it would have hit the keeper's hand and gone in or maybe bounced under the keeper and gone in but today it didn't - fantastic save from the keeper. Unfortunately we switched off right at the stroke of the ninety with Smith scoring.
"Full credit to Kendal they deserved it on the ninety minutes today and to be fair to them the heartache and disappointment they've had over the last two seasons - losing in the playoff at Telford and then to lose out on automatic promotion last Saturday. A week to the day at almost the same time of the game when Smith put the header in the Fleetwood fifth goal went in. But, today it's their turn and full credit to them. I've had a quick chat with Tony Hesketh afterwards and he's consoled us and said we are a good side, keep them together.
"I very disappointed and struggled to fight of the tears in the end because it's soul destroying but it's our turn this year, it was Kendal's last year to face the disappointment. It will take a few days to get over it but we will. We are big and strong and we'll come through it as a squad and we'll look forward to the future and what it holds.
"Seeing Kendal come back from last year's disappointment makes us more determined. I want to win all the time. I want to get promoted, win cups and do everything possible. Getting so far and so near within a few minutes of the Premier Division only for it to be snatched away so late on in the game, when it looked destined to go into extra time, was a cruel blow. I'll reflect on things over the next few days and decide what my next steps are going forward and planning for next season. Everyone deserves a long hard rest. We've had a great seven or eight weeks in terms of turning our fortunes around to get into the position we got. It was just unfortunate that on the last day we didn't quite turn up and we've not managed to do it. I'm so disappointed for the lads who follow us home and away they deserve success, the Chairman deserves success and the majority of the people connected with the club deserve success - unfortunately we've not managed to deliver.
"We can reflect, it's a disappointment but overall our target was to reach minimum the playoffs. We got to the final and if we were going to go up it was going to be by the hard way away at Woodley and to top that performance was a big ask. We were hoping to come here and do that but it was one bridge too far."
