UniBond League Division One
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 17th February 2007, 3.00pm
Woodley hang on for the points
If you take a look at the scoreline you could be forgiven if you thought that this game was a ninety-minute exhibition of end-to-end attacking football that Rovers were unlucky to lose. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
In all honesty Rovers were well beaten and only seem to come to life for the final 15 minutes or so of the game when Paul Edwards scored a 'ten minute' hat trick - alas too little too late.
Rovers started soundly enough with Barry Woolley firing in a shot on 2 minutes that Sports keeper Liam Higginbotham held comfortably.
Sports soon got into their stride and forced a corner by Gary Gee that Matt Kerr headed wide when well placed. Minutes later Gee himself went close hitting a shot wide of the mark.
On 31 minutes Sports had a glorious chance to take a deserved lead but Daniel Douglas-Pringle unbelievably spooned Adam Morning's cross over the bar from only three yards out.
Sports were well on top and were almost handed the lead when Rovers keeper Tom Whittle miscued his clearance and the ball landed at the feet of Morning who coolly lobbed Whittle only to see the ball bounce on the bar and cleared.
Douglas-Pringle was again guilty of squandering a golden chance slamming his shot into the side netting with five minutes of the first half remaining.
The half ended with the home side under pressure as they'd been for most of that period.
Sports came out as they finished the first period making all the running and on 49 minutes got their just reward.
Luke Horrocks was given the freedom to make a fine run deep into the heart of the Rovers defence beating at least three half hearted tackles before setting up Morning who accepted the invitation slamming a low shot across Whittle and into the far corner of the net.
The visitors were two up just five minutes later. A short corner by Morning to Gee saw the striker collect the return ball and run into the area and this time beat Whittle at the near post with another low shot.
Things got worse for Rovers on 59 minutes as they fell three goals behind from another corner. Gee swung the ball over the home defence to the waiting Nick Boothby in acres of empty space on the far side of the area - the volley beat Whittle comprehensively.
The impressive Morning completed his hat trick with a superb effort on 71 minutes when he hit an unstoppable shot into the top corner with Whittle a mere spectator.
Rovers looked down and out and if it had been a boxing match the referee would have ended the match now.
But, spurred on by the efforts of Carl Slater the home side hit four goals in an amazing final 12 minutes.
Slater started the attempted comeback when he played a one-two with substitute Liam Hebberd before hitting a shot that was blocked by a defender. However, Edwards was in the right place to smash home the rebound.
On 85 minutes Edwards got his second when Boothby brought him down in the area who was fortunate to receive only a yellow card from the referee. Edwards sent Higginbotham the wrong way from the spot.
Three minutes later, unbelievably, Edwards hit a third when he beat Sports offside trap to run onto Shaun Ridgway's through ball before beating the keeper with a low shot into the far corner of the net.
Any hopes of grabbing an unlikely share of the points where dashed when Danny Queeley ran through to slot the ball past Whittle for Sports fifth in time added on.
However, Rovers were not finished and straight from the re-start Mark Smith made a superb run down the left before unleashing a vicious shot past Higginbotham and into the far corner of the net.
Unfortunately the effort was in vain as referee Mr Blackwood blew his whistle to end this remarkable game.
Manager's View
"The ending was no consolation at all to be honest. I think the scoreline somewhat flattered us if I'm totally honest.
"I can't really say much to be honest as I'm still a bit emotional about it. Five four looks a cracking game if you look at the scoreline but anyone who has witnessed that performance today saw we were second best - I think the ball boys played better than us!
"We asked the players to start going back to basics defensively - we've had to change one or two things but we'd got no structure, no shape and no idea really to be honest. We hadn't we hadn't created anything at all for the keeper to do aside from when we pulled the first goal back.
"All over the pitch we lacked passion and ideas and it's been a frustrating afternoon and I can't really say too much.
"That's three or four performances at home that were well off it. I've rebuilt sides before, this season in fact, and I may need to do it again.
"When we made the substitutions things changed a bit. Mark Smith mad a very positive contribution to the game - we've just torn one or two strips off him in the dressing room over one or two little things because he's got so much ability. In fairness to him it's a little harsh on him because defensively we were woeful today and all across midfield we were nowhere near our players put a lot of pressure on our back four and even the back four none of them can come out with any credit.
"Mark made a difference when he went on. He tried to be positive but our concern is that he keeps going inside too much. He is right footed but his best position is on the left hand side. He showed one or two little flashes when he went outside of players and committed players and they had one or two problems defensively when Mark went on. We want that from the start, the reason he's on the bench is because he hasn't been doing it but he's made a positive contribution today and he got a goal at the end but we want that week in week out more consistency. Not just from him but from everybody really.
"We needed to win today to get back right in the fold but we certainly didn't need to lose the game. I said to the lads before the game that the next five games will shape our season two semi-finals and three very important home league games. We've put a pile of pressure on ourselves now and with Wakefield coming here Tuesday night if we can get a positive we've got something to look forward to at the end of the season. If we can't then the spiral continues.
"I've asked the players to go away and look at themselves and that performance and then pull together. It can go one of two ways. Earlier in the season I've had to bring one or two players in which is something we are seriously looking at but again there are certain constraints not within my control but I will go out and do it if necessary. We've done it once and we'll do it again.
"It was abject really. I looked around at four-nil down looking for leaders and I didn't see too many coming forward to be honest. I think overall the scoreline was very, very flattering for us. It looks like we were in the game but we weren't.
"When Eddie (Paul Edwards) was pulled down for the penalty the referee should have sent their guy off. At four-three we had Barry Woolley who had time and space in the box to pull something down and shank something and then they've gone up the other end, and looked offside, although Mick (Curry) in the stand said he wasn't it was just poor defending. Colin (Hoyle) called for offside but Karl Brown was two yards behind him and that's cost us any chance of getting back in the game and then we've gone up the other end and scored straight away.
"There are no excuses today, we are not blaming the officials, or the conditions the blame lies squarely with the players today for that performance.
"Dan Douglas came off and it was a risk really. We put Dan a little bit further forward and he'd been ill in the week and he said he was feeling okay. He'd been out for a run and didn't feel anything and obviously it backfired. It had no influence on the result at all as it was nil-nil when Dan came off.
"If you look at the five we conceded in the second half - we were woeful in the first and I said to the lads that the only positive things we can take from the first half was that weren't three-nil down which we deserved to be. It could have been a lot more embarrassing today without a shadow of a doubt."
