UniBond League Division One
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 28th October 2006, 3.00pm
Vikings raid the points
With Halloween just around the corner Gresley Rovers put in a nightmare of a performance that sent shivers down the spines of home supporters against a side that had not won in nine league games and had to field a makeshift side.
Hopes were high that three points were in the offing for the home side but a dismal display of defending ensured the Vikings got all three points.
The first half chance came to the home side when Colin Hoyle fired straight at Goole keeper Chris Hill but they went even closer on 14 minutes. A shot from Paul Edwards was blocked and the ball fell to Aaron O'Connor who smashed a terrific shot that Chris Hill, who didn't know much about it, managed to block the shot.
Gresley were to rue that save because three minutes later the Vikings took the lead after the first defensive slip. However, the visitors took the lead in the 17th minute as a result of some poor defending. A Keiron O'Brien free kick bounced around in the Gresley box before midfielder Brad Hill's shot was blocked by Hoyle. The ball came back into the area where Andy Simpson appeared to miss his kick allowing Brad Hill to take another shot. This time Gresley keeper Tommy Whittle pushed the ball away for a corner. James McDaid sent over the corner where Dean Lackie glanced a header past Whittle and into the far corner.
The lead only lasted five minutes when a superb through ball from Dan Sleath set O'Connor in on goal and the striker took his chance well slotting the ball past Chris Hill.
On 40 minutes O'Connor almost scored a second after again beating the offside but this time his shot went just wide.
The Gresley goal proved to be a false dawn as Goole finished the stronger of the two sides. They should have taken the lead on 41 minutes but MacDaid put the ball over the bar from close in. However, They did take the lead on the stroke of half time when another defensive shambles when Simpson blasted a clearance against a player and the ball fell to McDaid who didn't need asking a second time and fired into the far corner of the net.
Any hope of a revival disappeared when Goole scored twice in as many minutes, again from some appalling defending.
On 50 minutes a big punt up field by keeper Chris Hill landed on the edge of the area and Simpson, who disappointingly misjudged the kick, watched as the ball bounced over his head to the awaiting Dean Bray who couldn't believe his luck and beat Whittle easily.
Things got worse for the home side two minutes later. Awarded a free kick just outside the area, McDaid, instead of blasting a shot goalward cleverly played the ball square to Craig Robinson who fired home a low shot past a static defence and into the net.
Gresley looked devoid of any ideas of how to breakdown some stubborn defending and looked vulnerable to any attack the Vikings put together.
On 64 minutes substitute Jamie Barrett had a shot turned behind for a corner and Edwards had the ball in the net on 71 minutes only to see the linesman with his flag raised on the far side.
Edwards did have the last say of the game when Chris Hill managed to clear his attempt off the line but the performance did not deserve the score to be anything other than it was - a comprehensive defeat for Gresley.
Manager's View
"I'm more than embarrassed really, shell shocked again. I thought we'd turned a corner but it just happens to be a kink in the bend it looks like.
"After saying we were a little unlucky not get something at Belper but defensively today the it was like the keystone cops, all four goals gifted. It's not Christmas for seven weeks! We've gifted them all four goals.
"At half time the only positive I could take from the game was that we were playing a side low on confidence themselves having not won or not got many positive results in the last few weeks. I felt that if we could turn the screw a little bit and everybody dig in a little bit more we could have gone on and turn the game around but, when you start the half like that giving goals away as cheap as we did you don't give yourselves a chance.
"Even so you are looking for a response from your players. There are probably only two or three players who can come out of the game with any pride. One of those, up to two weeks ago before he came here, my man-of-the-match Danny Sleath, had hardly played a game in men's football and he's embarrassed many of his colleagues today because he kept going and what little quality that we had throughout the game a lot of it was shown by that young lad. I just wish we had a few more as willing. He's not even our player but he's willing to dig in and roll his sleeves up and give his all for the cause.
"The frustrating thing for me was a, the manner in which we gave the goals away having looked relatively solid in recent weeks and b, the reaction in terms of finding ourselves four-one down at home on the back of a great performance against Buxton. Mick Curry and myself are scratching our heads again wondering just what we've got to do to turn the corner. As I've said, I thought we'd turned it but it was just a kink in the bend.
"Obviously many people are going to ask the question whether we should have stuck with Matt Millns at the back with Andy Simpson in midfield. At the end of the day we're now without Matt for a couple of games anyway so it's something we will have needed to do within the existing squad in terms of cover. Yes, you could say in hindsight that playing Matt was a good thing to have done.
"Aaron got his goal today and was extremely unlucky with the one that somehow the keeper saved that would maybe have put us one-nil up. Paul (Edwards) has had another frustrating afternoon and that's an area we are going to look at now. I still believe in Paul and the quality he has but I don't know how many games that is now without a goal and it's something we've got to address.
"From a situation a couple of games ago where we were looking positive and looking at the top half of the table and trying to get back into it we've now missed a trick and we looking behind us again - it's a very deflating feeling to be in this position. I'm very disappointed for the supporters."
