UniBond League Division One
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Monday, 1st January 2007, 3.00pm
Moatmen do the double
Gresley Rovers completed the double over near neighbours Shepshed Dynamo but they were made to work hard for all three points in what was a scrappy affair.
Dynamo traditionally give the Moatmen a stern test and this game was no exception. Indeed, with some better finishing and a bit of luck, that seems to desert sides on a losing streak, Dynamo could or should have taken an early lead and then increased their advantage as they had much the better of the first half hour.
As early as the second minute Dynamo's Nick Hawkins was sent on his way toward goal after a swift move out of defence and managed to shake off the attention of both Gresley's Colin Hoyle and Shaun Ridgway. But, with only keeper Tommy Whittle to beat the midfielder spoilt the move by firing a very tame effort straight at Whittle.
On 22 minutes Dynamo had another half chance this time it was Robbie Banks who failed to hit the target firing wide.
It was almost half an hour before Gresley began to find their feet when Liam Hebberd found Ridgway who fired a long-range shot just over the bar.
One of the best moves of the first half came on 32 minutes when Dan Douglas picked out Paul Edwards. The striker cleverly back heeled the ball to striker partner Aaron O'Connor who smashed a shot that flashed across the goal mouth and fractionally wide of the far post.
Hebberd then tested the young Dynamo keeper Jonathan Noon firing in a low shot across goal that Noon did well to hold on to.
Edwards was at the heart of another good Gresley move when he robbed the ball off a Dynamo player in the middle of the pitch before supplying another back heel this time to Ridgway. The midfielder then played a great ball through to O'Connor who beat the onrushing Noon but was forced wide doing so putting his shot, from an acute angle, again wide of the far post.
On 41 minutes Gresley full back Nicky Carter lost the ball deep in his own half presenting Daryll Thomas with a chance to open the scoring but, Shepshed's problems were again evident when the striker put his shot well wide with only the keeper to beat.
O'Connor went close just a couple of minutes later but put his header, from a superb cross by Douglas, over the bar.
Shepshed could have taken a lead into the halftime period courtesy of Gresley's skipper. A Banks's cross from the right was deflected by Hoyle but fortunately for him the ball bounced off the cross bar and over for a corner.
Gresley began the second period strongly with Edwards collecting Carter's throw and firing on the turn towards goal but Noon held the shot comfortably.
The home side had another let off on 50 minutes when Richard Saunders only just failed to connect with a ball played through into the penalty area and Whittle managed to smother the ball.
Six minutes later Ridgway hit a long-range free kick just over the bar and from the resultant goal kick Shepshed almost scored. Thomas sent over a cross that was not dealt with by the Gresley defence. Hoyle tried to clear the danger sliding in but in doing so almost poked the ball in the far corner. Again, much to the relief of the home supporters, the ball went wide of the post.
The play switched to the other end with Tom Groves' cross finding Edwards who hit a first time shot wide.
On 69 minutes the visitors again showed their woeful finishing when Thomas was through with only Whittle to beat but fired his shot embarrassingly wide of the target.
Dynamo were left rueing that miss just two minutes later when Gresley took the lead. A corner from the right by Groves found Hebberd who in turn picked out O'Connor. The striker turned and fired a shot past Noon and into the far corner.
Gresley doubled their lead on 74 minutes. Awarded a free kick on the left Ridgway fired a high ball into the box where Groves got the slightest of touches with his head helping the ball into the far corner with Noon left helpless.
Groves had a chance to increase his tally four minutes later when he fired his shot, from Douglas's cross just over the bar.
With time running out for Dynamo they fashioned two more decent chances. The first fell to Saunders who's poor first touch sent him wide. He managed to fire in a low shot that Whittle pushed away for a corner at his near post.
Moments later Whittle was on hand to deny Dynamo their final chance when he managed to block Andy Bourne's low shot after Banks had made a good run down the right.
Manager's View
"I don't think the performance was inspiring but we got the result. We knew it would be difficult to play the type of football we played in spells leading up to it. It was a very heavy surface a lot of rain but our staff have done a fantastic job to get the match on after the heavy rain at the weekend. It looked great but obviously as soon as you went on for the warm up you knew it was going to cut up a little bit.
"Credit to both sides because no quarter was asked or given, it was a blood and thunder encounter and we just managed to edge it in the end.
"I thought Paul (Edwards) worked very well and I'd like to single Paul out for some praise. He spent the best part of a month on the bench while Blenko (David Blenkinsopp) was here, coming off the bench and trying to get his form back on track. He's been influential in recent games, three goals in three games, it didn't quite work out for him today. But, some of his touch play, you can see that he's played with Aaron (O'Connor) for a couple of seasons now because there was a couple of moves in the first half - and there wasn't that much quality out there today in terms of passing moves - but the one or two little moves that were evident of that nature came from ourselves and Paul Edwards was key in both of them.
"He was unlucky as well because just before he came off he had a couple of good efforts where he's taken his chance first time and he's not managed to hit the target. Earlier in the season he wasn't hitting those chances so we are pleased about that.
"It was a big decision who to take off but I felt with Liam's (Hebberd) work rate and the way the game was going and pace maybe to trouble them in behind I felt it was worth keeping Liam on the pitch.
"I though our second goal went straight in but Tom Groves said he got the flick and I didn't hear too many arguments from Shaun (Ridgway) they are all just pleased and not bothered who scored the goals and that goes for Aaron as well. They are just pleased we got a big three points. Aaron's really wasn't the cleanest of finishes. Sometimes when the keeper is a little unsighted, I think he had a defender closing him down, he sort of scuffed his shot a little bit and unfortunately for the young lad he didn't manage to keep it out. Sometimes that's the breaks you need. Hit them too clean and the keeper makes good saves.
"Aaron seems to have recovered from his ankle injury. It was a bit sore after the half hour appearance at Shepshed but he reported in fully fit today and long may that continue.
"That's now nine league games unbeaten and also a Derbyshire Cup game. We lost six of our first league games and we were pulling our hair out earlier in the season. We've tried to maintain our integrity all along and kept working hard because that's the only thing that gets you out of these situations.
"I'm sure Shepshed, that's five defeats on the bounce, will regroup and bring one or two players in as we did earlier in the season, and come through it. They're a good side. They have good spirit and a very good set up.
"We are pleased with the run we are on. It's consolidated us in the top ten now. We managed to avoid the dubious honour of the team of the month for December somehow which, in some respects, is pleasing because the last two times we won it we went on to lose. We've still got a lot to do, I've just said it to the lads, to get rid of the memories of the poor start.
"It's far too early to be talking about the play-offs there are still a lot of games to go. In the last week or so it's amazing to hear so many people talking about play-offs, but we are keeping the players fully focused in there. Most of these players were here at the start of the season apart from the players we brought in to try and affect a change. We are taking every game as it comes reminding the players that it was only two short months ago that we were working as hard as we are working now but maybe not getting the bits of luck perhaps we are enjoying now.
"The difference in the players when you're on a run, the confidence and that sort of thing is immense. You hear it talked about a lot in football and having not been in that situation before that we found ourselves in earlier in the season myself, I'll be honest I was a little bit bemused about what to do about it. But we picked away and we managed to get one or two quality players in to help it and we are now starting to get the rewards from that.
