Match Photos
Gresley Rovers vs Solihull Borough
Rampant Solihull
What
can you say when you see your side concede five goals in the last half hour?
John McGinlay called it an embarrassment, other words also spring to mind such
as surrendered, clueless and gutless.
Up to half time it seemed to be an even affair with both sides having chances
to take the lead.
Gresley were unlucky to have a penalty appeal turned down on 5 minutes when
Parkins was clearly pushed over in the area by Gary Knight.
If Gresley could have taken the lead at that point who knows what might have
happened as it was Gresley rolled over and surrendered during the later stages
of the match and if it hadn't been for the heroics of James Lindley Solihull
could have had double figures.
On 7 minutes Lindley was called on when an appalling back header by Chris Gray
fell nicely to Derek Hall whose shot was superbly saved, giving a hint of what
was to come from the Solihull striker.
Chris Parkins had a chance to threaten the visiting keeper Mike Payne but his
lob lacked the necessary accuracy after running onto a long Lindley clearance
on 10 minutes.
Solihull came into it more as the half progressed and Chris Smith had two chances
to give the visitors the lead. The first, a long-range effort that just cleared
the bar, and the second a shot straight at Lindley.
On 20 minutes Richard Wardle, as ever working hard in midfield, almost set
up Michael Moore for his home debut goal but his chip just eluded the ex Bromsgrove
striker and floated over the bar.
The impressive Chris Smith began to get the measure of the sedentary Gresley
defence and could have given his side the lead on 38 minutes when he easily
got round the back but Lindley was quick to see the danger and blocked the shot
and Barry Woolley was on hand to clear the follow up shot by Jason Smith off
the line.
Moore was given another golden chance to give the home side the lead on 44
minutes. Parkins flicked on a good cross by Wardle and Moore hit it first time
only to see his shot blocked by Knight.
What happened to Gresley in the second half is anyone's guess! They managed
to hold Solihull at bay until the 64 minute when after some sloppy work by Gray
the Portuguese under-21 international and former Benfica defender Manuel Pereira
got hold of the loose ball and crossed from the right. Jason Smith headed it
on into the Gresley Penalty area where the superb Hall was waiting totally unmarked
to head powerfully and accurately past a helpless Lindley.
After that goal the Gresley white flags appeared, Gresley surrendered and Hall
made it two for the visitors on 74 minutes. Again a piece of poor defending
by Barry Woolley allowed Chris Smith to collect the header and place a superb
cross which Hall expertly glanced past Lindley and into the far corner.
It only looked a matter of time now before Solihull scored again as Gresley
had gave up the fight long before.
On 77 minutes Hall completed a terrific hat trick and again it was due to some
appalling defending. This time it was Andy Cheetham who was the culprit. His
back pass was over hit and Lindley had to hurriedly control the ball on his
chest and clear. Unfortunately the clearance fell to Craig Dutton who had time
to look up and see Hall running in towards the left post. Dutton's cross was
perfect and Hall met the ball with a diving header just inside the post.
Gresley's defence must have still been in the Christmas mood because it was
another gift that gave Solihull their fourth goal.
On
79 minutes Dutton took a corner from the right, which the Gresley defence failed
to deal with, and some how through a crowd of players Smith put his shot through
and into the corner of the net.
Gresley supporters now wanted the referee to blow his whistle to end the embarrassing
spectacle, which had unfolded before their eyes in the second half. Many of
the Gresley diehards were making their way out of the Moat Ground when Hall
scored his fourth of the afternoon and completed the rout.
The home defence had given the striker acres of space in the area and he hit
a vicious shot from a cross that Lindley did well to block but the Gresley stopper
could do nothing as Hall crashed the rebound into the roof of the net from an
impossible angle.
The referee did not, thankfully, play much overtime and blew to put an end
to the massacre and what was surely the worst home performance for many-a-year.
McGinlay said after the game that it was a performance of twelve months ago
but it would be difficult to find a game were Gresley had received such a drubbing
as this at home.
The manager's view of the game
"That was embarrassing. Nobody in this league, the one above that and even
the league above that should come here and beat us 5-0.
"Our back four looked as if they had been drawn together on the day, they looked
like they had never played together before.
"Their number 9 was the difference between the two teams. He took his goals
fantastically well. Given the time and space he got he was able to pick his
spot and he punished us severely.
"When you look at the game overall the first half was quite even and either
team could have gone in one goal up. We had chances and they had chances and
I thought it was an evenly balanced game. Second half especially the last 30
minutes they ran all over us and the most worrying thing for me was that we
just rolled over and lay down. No team should come here and beat us 5-0.
"There
were a few white flags raised today early on in the game that was the most annoying.
It's the manner in which you get beat. You hold your hands up; the guy has come
and scored four great goals but you have to ask yourself would he have scored
four goals if our marking would have been a bit tighter and a bit sharper on
the ball. If we stick to the basics we are OK but when we try and be clever
that's when we fall down thinking we are better players than we are.
"We didn't have the cutting edge up front. Chris Parkins is coming back after
an injury he's been out a couple of weeks and probably isn't as sharp as he
should be, Michael Moore isn't match fit although he's not going to be a 90
minute man so our options are limited.
"With Ryan Ford out we pulled Andy Bourne back and played him wide on the right
and I thought he was pretty much ineffective.
"I'm a bit shell shocked really. We made three good chances in the first 15
minutes but we couldn't put the ball in the net and as the game goes on you
get punished for it. You know they are going come more into the game and get
chances but we have to learn to take the chances when we get them.
"That was pretty much a performance of a year ago really.
"We have Swindon Supermarine next week away. They did well in the week getting
a point at Chippenham, which was a good result for them. They've got some new
players in an are obviously fighting for their lives but there are a few in
our dressing room fighting for their futures at Gresley as well.
"It's crept in during the last few games although I didn't expect the result
today. There comes a point when certain players go as far as they can and I
think a few have reached that. I said to them before the game we need to get
back to basics which is 100% off every player and I need them to roll their
sleeves up which they didn't. So I think it's time to get a few new faces in
to give us a spark again.
"In the manner we got beat today it's got to happen soon. The way the white
flags went up early tells you that when the chips are down certain players are
not going to give what you need.
"We go to a side next week that are fighting for their lives. They will work
their socks off and I've asked my players are you going to match them because
at this moment in time you're not. Looking a bit further, when we go to Southport,
they will get 20 past us if we play like that.
"I must say that Solihull's centre forward gave the best striking display I've
seen in this league. He scored 37 goals last season for Moor Green and you get
what you pay for. He had five chances in the game and took four of them and
that is not a bad return. He took full advantage of the time and space we gave
him.
"We were so disjointed at the back that it looked as if we'd just taken them
off the street and put them on the park. You'd think they'd never played with
each other before. Their striker was getting in between our central defenders
every time and not one of them was picking him up. He's a clever player but
we need to be a bit cleverer at the back.
"In my opinion their strike force are the best in the league when they are
on song there is nobody better.
"When you look down the scoring chart we have not got one player in it and
that tells you a story because when we are on top of a game we are not putting
the ball in the net.
"It's been a rough year and I'll be glad when it's over and can start fresh
next year."
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Solihull Borough (0) 5
Gresley Rovers: Lindley, Bluck (Westwood 80), Cheetham, Evans, Woolley,
Wardle, Bourne, Fairbrother, Moore (Peters 68), Parkins, Gray (White 68).
Solihull Borough: Payne, Pereira, Hier, M Smith, Knight, Cooper (Sutton
80), J Smith (Saunders 80), C Smith, Hall, Hayde, Dutton. Sub not used: Arshad.
Rovers
Star Man: Richard Wardle - worked hard and didn't give in.
Referee: J Hubbard (Leicester).
Attendance: 437
