UniBond League Division One
The Dovecote, Butt Hole Lane, Shepshed
Tuesday, 26th December 2006, 2.00pm
Dynamo extinguished
Gresley Rovers manager Gary Norton named an unchanged starting eleven for the Boxing Day local derby against Shepshed Dynamo and won the game they'd comfortably controlled for most of the ninety minutes, although it took ace striker Aaron O'Connor to leave the sub's bench to hammer home the winner.
The visitors should have had the game wrapped up and out of Dynamo's reach by the interval but for the superb saves from home keeper Jonathan Noon and the Gresley firing aim not being as accurate as they would have liked.
In front of a healthy Boxing Day crowd of 332 it was Dynamo who started the brighter of the two sides with Ashleigh Murdock and Richard Saunders both going close within the first 8 minutes.
Gresley's Tom Groves, who was still filling the left back slot in place of Dan Douglas, almost gifted the home side a goal a minute later when, instead of putting the ball out, tried to let the ball go out of its own accord only to be robbed by Russell Peel who then laid the ball back for Daryll Thomas but Gresley defender Colin Hoyle managed to block the shot.
After a nervy first 10 minutes Gresley took control and began to push Dynamo well back into their own half.
Two minutes later Gresley forced three corners in rapid succession. From the first taken by Groves home keeper Noon did well to parry Shaun Ridgway's header away and from the resultant corner the keeper showed once more his ability by tipping over Hoyle's header.
The third corner, however, brought the reward. Groves swung the ball over and into the box from the left. Carl Slater hit a shot that was blocked but Edwards slotted home the rebound for his third goal in three successive games.
It was no more than the visitors deserved, indeed they could have doubled their advantage just three minutes later but Ridgway's long-range shot went the wrong side of the post.
Gresley again almost gifted Dynamo a goal when on 32 minutes Hoyle's poor attempted header back to his keeper fell woefully short and Saunders pounced. The ball was played to Thomas but Groves was able to clear the danger before he managed to get his shot off.
A minute later Nick Hawkins's corner from the right found the head of Jason Munn but somehow the ball hit Whittle in the chest and away for another corner.
On 38 minutes Gresley's Mark Smith almost caught out Noon with a low shot. The keeper seemed to have judged that the ball was going wide only to realise that it wasn't and then having to scramble to his near post to prevent the shot creeping into the net.
Dynamo came out for the second period looking far more determined than they'd ended the first and the visitors appeared still to be in a generous mood when they yet again tried to hand their hosts a goal.
Within a minute of the re-start Hoyle tried to head the ball back to his keeper but as in the first half the ball fell dreadfully short and Thomas was grateful of the gift as he swept up the ball and fired a shot that came back off the base of the near post with Whittle well beaten.
A minute later Thomas went close again but fired Hawkins's cross into the side netting.
On 53 minutes Gresley made their first move into the Shepshed danger area and Slater laid on a superb ball through to Liam Hebberd who fired his shot just wide. Five minutes a good flowing move saw Hebberd get himself into a good positon after skipping over a challenge by Tim Wilkes but this time fired straight into the midriff of Noon from the edge of the area.
Smith went close on 62 minutes when Edwards put the ball back for the winger but Noon did well to push the shot away for a corner.
That was the last action for Edwards who was replaced by Aaron O'Connor a minute later and Gresley were caught cold almost immediately.
Nick Hawkins was allowed to collect Noon's long goal kick unchallenged. The midfielder then sent Thomas flying down the right who got past Nick Carter before sending over a low cross to Saunders in acres of empty space who tapped the ball past the helpless Whittle.
It looked as if, for the second game running, Gresley were going to miss out on all three points but O'Connor ended the game brilliantly.
On 80 minutes Wooley's long clearance found the striker who then turned and hammered home an unstoppable shot that left Noon for dead as the ball flew past him and into the net at the near post.
There was only one winner as Gresley piled on the pressure for the final 10 minutes and could have added even more goals to their tally.
Woolley put a header marginally wide from Ridgway's free kick and then Lyons laid on a pass to O'Connor who hit it on the turn this time going wide.
Slater, who had had a spell at Dynamo, then went close twice in the closing moments. The first when he was denied by another superb save from Noon tipping over the midfielder's shot and then from the resultant corner taken by Lyons me hammered a long-range volley that barely cleared the bar.
Manager's View
"The goal came after some good pressure. I think we got it from the third corner in very short succession. Barry Woolley went close and it was a fantastic save from their young keeper. We forced another corner and I think Hoyley (Colin Hoyle) got on the end of it and forced another corner and we then scored from the third.
"It was a good bit of sustained pressure and I'm delighted for Paul Edwards, third game on the trot, right place right time and he's proving his critics wrong. Internally there is no problem with Paul Edwards its just confidence. He's had his time on the bench and he's come off the bench and its three in three so I'm delighted for him.
"I had Shepshed watched a couple of games ago and their keeper played in that game and he gave a fairly good account of himself which they lost one nil to Rossendale. Then we had someone at Buxton where Damien Quailley had come off so I wasn't sure if the injury picked up by him in that game meant that he'd play or the young keeper.
"We wanted to put some pressure on the lad because he's only 17 and he responded superbly. He made a couple of great saves throughout the game particularly one at the pivotal part of the game. Mark Smith had gone through and with a little more composure he might have put the second one in for us but the keeper stood up, made himself big and it's a great save. From the resultant corner they've gone up the other end and equalised so he's kept them in the game.
"You look round and you think let's chuck Aaron on for the last half hour. Paul (Edwards) had gone into the dressing room for a shower and he said he couldn't believe it when he heard their signature tune ringing out. He came off thirty seconds earlier and Aaron had gone on and they'd equalised.
"I thought it was a game of two halves. I thought we controlled it in the first half and I must say that the surface, which I've said in the past was bobbly here making it difficult to get the ball down and play, I was delighted with our football in the first half. Credit to Dave Wheatly who's done a great job on that pitch. It's as good as it's looked for many years and it enabled us to get the ball down and work it first half. Some of our movement and some of our patterns we produced in the first half was good but we only managed to get the one goal break through.
"I said to the guys at the break there is no way anyone in Shepshed dressing room will be lying down in the second half and so it proved.
"It was a scrappier game in the second half. We were a little bit edgy and Shepshed came out of the traps and my skipper switched off and almost gave Daryll Thomas a goal - he's hit the post with that and we rode our luck at times and they've upped it a notch and we hadn't come out for the first fifteen minutes.
"The goal came from Barry Woolley picking space in behind their full back and get Aaron in a one-on-one in that situation there's a good chance he's going to create something for you and I was delighted when it hit the back of the net.
"Things have been good for a couple of months and long may that continue. I'm not interested in recognition we are just interested in trying to get up that league table. I intend to make amends for the very poor start we had and we want the lads to play a certain brand of football when and where. But there were times in that second half when we needed to grind it out against a Shepshed side that this season have done superbly well. They were up in the play-off places earlier in the season and we knew it's a tough to come; a local derby, nice atmosphere and they'll be looking for revenge in a few days time. Our immediate focus is the Wakefield game and then the return on Monday."
