Farnborough Town vs Gresley Rovers
Gresley set out to spoil Farnborough's promotion party at Cherrywood Road yesterday – but ended up being shot to pieces as the home side roared back into the Conference with all guns blazing.
Rovers made a bold bid to derail Town's promotion bandwagon, but after having the best of the first half Trevor Senior's double strike put them on the way to their heaviest defeat of the season.
The Moatmen, with relegation worries now behind them, at least made a game of it. But once Farnborough had their noses in front they turned on the style that has made them worthy title winners.
It was close to being a different story, however, for, after surviving early pressure, Rovers three times went close to taking the lead.
David Holmes produced an excellent save from Mark Taylor with a right foot shot from the edge of the box, then burst on to Graeme Rigg's through ball only to shoot wide of the target with only Taylor to beat and the Farnborough defence trailing in his wake.
Nick Stanborough's lunge at the far post was not quite enough to convert Rigg's left wing free kick with Town again struggling at the back but the game then turned on the home side's first strike at goal.
Chris Boothe outpaced Rigg on the right and Senior rose to clinically head in his near post cross.
Boothe should have made it 2-0 after breaking away unchallenged after a Gresley corner, but Bob Aston stood his ground before producing an excellent, sprawling save.
Richard Wardle and Holmes almost set up an equaliser for Rigg in the first attack of the second half but the midfielder's snaking header was just off target. The Senior pounced for his second after Jamie Horton's left wing run and it was game over for Gresley.
Stuart Evans got up well to beat Senior in the air only for the all to fall straight at the feet of Mark Turkington, who scored with a volley that deflected past Aston.
Then Aston beat away Horton's shot after a neatly worked corner only for Bradley Pratt to hammer in the rebound.
It was celebration time now for Farnborough although Rovers, with Chris Moore replacing Devaney, still endeavoured to get something from the game, Moore twice prompting desperate scenes in the Town penalty area after getting behind the home side's left flank.
It was Farnborough's day, though, and Boothe and the outstanding Steve Baker set up a fifth for Horton a minute from time to set the champagne corks popping, the game ended with Aston running the ball half way into the Town half as Rovers produced a party trick of their own. Alas, they only had one. Farnborough had a hatful.
Farnborough (1) 5
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Scorers: Senior 26, 53, Turkington 56, Pratt 64, Horton 89
Farnborough: Taylor, Stemp, Walters, Turkington, Pratt, Coney, Boothe, Senior, Baker, Jones, Horton. Subs not used: Read, Broome
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Straw, Elliott, Denby, Evans, Stanborough, Wardle (Venning 67), Rigg, Hurst, Holmes, Devaney (Moore 69).
Gresley man-of-the-match: Stuart Evans.
Referee: I Mitchell (West Wickham, Kent).
Attendance: 818
