UniBond League Division One
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Monday, 28th August 2006, 3.00pm
First league win for Gresley
Gresley Rovers made just the start they needed after losing their last two league matches. On 3 minutes a fine pass from Jamie Barret to Tom Betteridge down the right allowed the midfielder to get to the byeline before cutting the ball back to Paul Edwards on the edge of the box who hit a low powerful shot that easily beat Town's keeper Ian Lowe.
Town hit back two minutes later but Philip Mitchell could only fire his shot into Gresley keeper Tommy Whittle's midriff. But it was the home side who were controlling the game.
Edwards almost doubled his tally on 16 minutes when he tried an audacious long-range chip that had Lowe backpedalling furiously but the ball landed on the top of the net.
Eight minutes later Gresley were two up. Betteridge sent over another fine cross that Edwards got his head to at the near post. But as the ball looked certain to cross the line Lowe made an exceptional save clawing the ball off the line but Tony Hemmings, swathed in bandages from an early clash of heads, bravely forced the ball home at the far post.
Simon Burton almost caught the Gresley defence knapping on 26 minutes but Whittle recovered his composure and caught the attempted lob on the line.
However, three minutes later Whittle could do nothing to prevent Town from reducing the deficit. Hemmings failed to take the ball allowing a dash down the right from Town the resulting cross was met by the unmarked David Tickle at the far post and he made no mistake heading the ball home.
Gresley came back and almost grabbed a third goal on 33 minutes when a free kick from Allan Davies rebounded off Town defender Steve Akrigg but Lowe was on hand to scoop the ball off the line yet again to save his side going further behind.
Carl Slater then had a golden chance to add to the score when he received a superb long pass from Gary White. The battling midfielder ran into the box but sent his shot straight at Lowe.
The home side started the second half attacking the Town end and on 47 minutes were denied another goal when Lowe made his third superb save of the game getting down quickly to stop Edwards's header on the line.
David Holmes almost scored two minutes later but just could not connect with a cross from Matt Millns.
It seemed just a matter of time before Gresley would put the game out of range for the visitors.
Chances were coming with regularity - Edwards put a near post header into the side netting and Gary White blazed a shot just over the bar within a couple of minutes of each other.
Town did their cause no good at all when, on 67 minutes, skipper Douglas Pitts saw red. Holmes was heading towards goal when 25 yards out Pitts dragged him to the ground. The referee Mr Smith must have adjudged that the Town skipper was the last man and showed a straight red card much to Pitts' disgust, which he showed by throwing his armband to the floor.
From the resulting free kick Edwards put his header just over the bar and a minute later the Gresley striker tried a lob that Lowe, rushing quickly off his line, did well to block.
On 70 minutes Gresley had Whittle to thank when substitute Gareth Evans, looking suspiciously offside, ran in on goal but the keeper stood his ground before tipping the shot away for a corner.
Three minutes later Gresley had a good penalty shout turned down by Mr Smith when Akrigg diverted Millns goal bound header with his arm in the box.
Gresley had the game sewed up on 82 minutes. A long goal kick from Whittle found Edwards down the right who in turn found Holmes at the far post. Holmes headed the ball home with much delight.
It could have been four just five minutes later but Colin Hoyles' powerful volley crashed back off the crossbar with Lowe well beaten.
Manager's View
"We certainly needed the three points. The three points, in my opinion, is all that counts - more important than the level of performance. But I felt we got both today.
"I was very pleased with the response. The guys let Mick and Tony and the chairman down on Saturday with just switching off really and allowing Bamber Bridge too much time and space in key phases of the game to score easy goals.
"I'm dead pleased with the response today. We had the lads in early and read them the riot act. At times we were scrappy but any football played today, particularly the first half, was played by ourselves. But, as I've said the three points, on reflection were more important that the performance. You can worry about performances later.
"We got the start we needed - it's been difficult really because we've never got our noses in front yet this season so to get that early platform, particularly with the pressure on us to get something from today's game was great. Paul Edwards has got that in his locker, it was one of his better games. That's the frustrating thing about the enigma that is Paul Edwards because he's got performances like that in him. I felt he struck his goal well, he linked very, very well, he worked very, very hard and the reason David Holmes was put up there to accompany Paul was for his workrate. We feel that in the games so far we haven't been working hard enough off the ball. There is one person in the squad that you can never say that about is David Holmes. I felt today that when you've got to dig in and roll your sleeves up we need eleven players - fourteen if you count the subs - David led by example today.
"I was disappointed with the goal we conceded. We got caught out really. Tony Hemmings tried to pinch the ball which left us overloaded a little bit on the far side and everyone was two or three yards out of position, Their two front men have got in between Allan Davies, Colin Hoyle and Matt Millns and found space because we weren't sure whether to go to the ball or what. It was a good delivery and it was a free header. It's frustrating because we need to be defending crosses. Fortunately it didn't cost us today but we've got to learn from that and learn fast.
"At two-one up although I felt we were controlling the majority of the game there were one or two near things from their point of view. Obviously having a player sent off, which I thought was a little harsh in fairness, you'd have thought it would have made life easier for us but we switched off for the last fifteen, twenty minutes and a little bit of complacency crept in certain areas. We needed that third goal. I felt that we had a fair few chances throughout the game to wrap it up without testing the keeper or hitting the target which is frustrating. These are things that we're desperate to work on in training in the final third because against Stocksbridge had we taken something in the first half we'd have gone on got something from the game - in the end we got nothing because we're not making it count in the final third.
"I thought it was going to be another one of those games but fortunately Mr Holmes has popped up and got the cushion of the third goal. We needed that cushion I felt.
"A word about Tony Hemmings. Hemmo's got the second goal and he's shown allsorts of guts and desire. Today he got a nasty cut that needed stitches but he's gone in where boots and elbows are flying around at the far post to make a goal. It's nice that one wide man put the cross in and another wide man gets round the back to stick the ball in the net. It was a scrappy goal but I felt we deserved the goal and the three points.
