Match Photos
Atherstone United vs Gresley Rovers
10 men Adders deny Gresley the points
For
the second game running Gresley had to play on a pitch at best described sticky
at worst dreadful. The recent heavy rain took its toll and John McGinlay said
there was no life in it.
Indeed for much of the game there was no life on it either as each side cancelled
each other out.
Atherstone and Gresley had both gone in to this game on the back of some good
results. United had had six straight wins which helped their manager, Steve
MacKenzie, take the manager of the month award for November, and Gresley beaten
only once in 15 matches.
On 11 minutes Gresley should have taken the lead when some good work by both
Lee Westwood and Andy Bourne set up a chance for Chris Gray whose deflected
shot was hacked off the line by Adam Beazeley.
Andy Marlowe curled a 20 yard effort just over the bar after a spell of Adders
pressure and Gresley keeper James Lindley was called into action to make a comfortable
save from Leon Doughty.
Both sides were giving the ball away in midfield resulting in any attacks breaking
down before entering the final third of the field.
One
notable exception came from Westwood whose run past a static home defence set
up Bourne whose goal bound shot was this time hacked off the line by Marlowe.
The Adders had what was perhaps their best spell of the game in the final 15
minutes of the first half and nearly took the lead in a fortunate manner five
minutes before the interval. Romi Cammock skipped past two defenders on the
left and almost caught out Lindley with a cross but the keeper tipped the ball
onto the post with skipper Jake Fairbrother clearing the danger.
Gresley came out for the second half with more purpose and Richard Wardle's
made a superb run up through the middle of the park and put a ball through to
Bourne. It was only a last ditch tackle by Andy Rutherford which prevented him
from giving Gresley the lead.
However, it was the home side that missed the best chance on 59 minutes when
player manager MacKenzie missed an easy chance when he somehow failed to put
away Doughty's cross.
On
65 minutes the Adders were reduced to 10 men after Turner was showed his second
yellow card of the match.
McGinlay came on for Matt Moran and within minutes of the substitution provided
a cross for Chris Parkins whose header was somehow cleared off the line by Peter
Barry.
Atherstone were hanging on and soaking up the Gresley pressure and could have
stolen an undeserved win on 88 minutes when Wardle blocked Rutherford's close
range effort bravely on the line.
In the end it was the home manager who was the happier of the two managing
to hold on to a point by the skin of his teeth.
The manager's view of the game
"I am very disappointed; that was two points dropped. We were very poor in
the first half because I don't think we competed enough, we weren't sharp enough
to the ball. They won most of the battles and picked up most of the second balls
and I thought our front two were very poor in the first half.
"Our
attacks broke down too many times in the midfield and we didn't get any chance
to build any play at all.
"Second half we had a better game, we moved the ball better and towards the
end we had a couple of chances that we should have put away.
"In the end it is one point and we'll take it. They are in good form as we
are and this keeps our run going. The pitch was pretty dead with no life in
it and it made it difficult for both sides; it was very sticky under foot.
"Early on we had a couple of good chances but we gave the ball away too many
times and the attacks broke down to often.
"I think we missed Ryan Ford today for his crosses in the box from set pieces,
free kicks and corners. I also thought we played the ball up the middle of the
pitch instead of playing it wide and of course that did not suit our wide men
We should have nicked it in the end.
"Looking ahead to Tuesday at Stamford it looks like we are free of any serious
knocks after today. John Allcock was having a run out with the reserves today
and I will have a word with him on Monday to see how he went. I'm also hoping
to hear from Notts County with regard to extending Ryan's loan.
"We have a lot of important league games coming up. We have top of the league
Halesowen at home next Saturday, we have Solihull Borough towards the end of
the month, and we've an away game at Gloucester and then the home game against
Rocester. So we have a lot of games coming up and we will need every one. That's
as well as Trophy, League Cup and Derbyshire Senior Cup games.
"We are still picking up silly bookings. There were a couple today and it will
affect us at some point because we will have to field weakened sides against
important sides.
"But to sum up today……very disappointing."
Atherstone United (0) 0
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Atherstone United: Belford, Marlowe, Beazeley, Barry, Turner, Rutherford,
Martin, Middleton, MacKenzie (Charley 73), Cammock (Ejiofor 78), Doughty. Sub
not used: Skitt.
Gresley Rovers: Lindley, Bluck, Cheetham, Westwood (Peters 73), Woolley,
Wardle, Bourne, Fairbrother, Moran (McGinlay 73), Parkins, Gray. Sub not used:
Fletcher.
Rovers
Star Man: Barry Woolley - rock solid again in defence.
Referee: G B Capps (Kettering).
Attendance: 272
