FA Cup Preliminary Round
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 2nd September 2006, 3.00pm
Cup replay for Gresley
Gresley Rovers almost had a disastrous start to their FA Cup Preliminary round against South Normanton Athletic at the Moat Ground. With less than a minute on the clock the visitors went the width of a post from going ahead.
Damien Powell and Santos Farrell, both on loan from Gresley, combined well to shock their hosts. Powell got the ball just inside the area and fired a shot that beat home keeper Tommy Whittle but cannoned back off the base of the post. The rebound found Farrell who's shot was well saved by the keeper.
On 4 minutes David Holmes volleyed wide and three minutes later Gary White was allowed run forward after picking the ball up in his half before hitting a thunderous shot from all of 30-yards that just cleared the bar.
David Holmes went close again on 16 minutes but again his aim was off target as his shot scraped the wrong side of the far post.
On 23 minutes Colin Hoyle went close to giving Gresley the lead but Jared Holmes did well to clear the header, from Gary White's corner, off the line.
It was then the turn of The Shiners to go close on 31 minutes when Jared Holmes's corner was only half cleared by Hoyle as far as Joe Atkinson. The defenders shot was well blocked by Whittle.
However, four minutes later the visitors took a deserved lead when Powell cleverly controlled a Jared Holmes pass with his chest before firing in a shot over Whittle and into the net with the aid of the underneath of the bar.
Gresley manager Gary Norton, who had watched the first half from the stand, made changes for the start of the second period bringing on striker Aaron O'Connor and debutant midfielder Shaun Ridgway for Tony Hemmings and Andy Spencer.
Now playing with three at the back the changes brought an almost an immediate result.
On 51 minutes Paul Edwards found David Holmes with a superb pass who then made his way down the right before sending over a fine out swinging cross that found Carl Slater just inside the area. The midfielder's volley beat Shiners keeper Ross Whalin and flew into the bottom left corner of the net.
Gresley were clearly getting the better of their opponents and on 68 minutes it took a breath taking save from Whalin to deny them taking the lead. Ridgway put a pass into Gary White's path who then smashed a vicious goal bound shot that the keeper, diving full length, managed to push over the bar.
On 72 minutes O'Connor picked up a deflected header before turning and shooting only for Whalin, by far the busier of the two keepers, to block the near post effort with his legs.
Whalin was the hero of his side again as Gresley looked to be overwhelming the Shiners defence in the final minutes of the game.
On 85 minutes he blocked a shot from David Holmes and then in time added on he repeated the act by blocking another shot this time from Matt Millns.
Manager's View
"We live to fight another day - it's that sort of feeling. It was a dreadful forty-five minutes and we needed a response. In fairness we got a little bit of a response in the second half and I don't remember them having any meaningful efforts in the second half. We had plenty of half chances and bits and bobs and their keeper made a few saves and we looked a little more purposeful in the second half.
"The disappointing thing is, in the first half, they worked a lot harder than us and one of the key things we said at training and before the game was that we had to match these guys for work rate first and foremost to get the right to the supposed football that the two levels difference should enable us to play.
"But, there is no way that anybody purposely approached this game thinking we go out there and it just happens for us. Disappointingly there were four or five people off their game in the first half. So, yes it is a case of live to fight another day and it's a toss up whether I would rather go and face Brigg in the league on Wednesday night or go up into Derbyshire to face South Normanton. But, we've got an opportunity to put things right.
"They played well today and had the better of us in the first half and we had the better of them in the second but, on reflection over the ninety minutes a draw was a fair result.
"Nick Guislanzoni is a good player that's why I tried to sign him. Well I did sign him last year but he did not make the squad and he's shown today what he's all about. At times we need that sort of player in our squad. He's very tough on the ball and we gave him far too much time and space. When you give a player like Nick that sort of time and space he will punish you. It was a reflection of how we performed a little bit better in the second half that he was forced to go a little bit deeper. When he was playing in that hole in the first half I thought he did very well.
"I just knew Damien Powell would score. He worked very hard today and did well for his goal. He had that one in the first minute when him and Santos nearly combined to give us an early scare. That sometimes happens in football.
"In the second half we had the opportunities to turn the tie on its head. I sat in the stand for the first half and it was one of the longest forty-five minutes and I was itching to get out there and make some changes. Second half it was a little bit nearer to what we wanted. It wasn't quite there - offensively we weren't quite clicking. Things weren't dropping and we weren't gambling for things but we did create a lot more. I don't remember us having a meaningful shot in the first half or attempt on target but their keeper has had to work in the second half.
"Defensively and work rate wise I was a lot happier and I think the changes helped. Young Shaun (Ridgway) has come in and shown a bit of purpose on his debut and tightened one or two things up a bit in there and obviously Aaron has come on and I'm pleased he's come through that forty-five without any reaction to his ankle injury.
"The switches at half time were tactical because I felt they were causing us too many problems across midfield with the extra man and we weren't quite sure when to pick up and when not. That was out of respect for them. They were playing a lone striker so we went three at the back because we should be able to deal with that and the extra man in the middle of the park levelled things and got us on the front foot rather than the back foot.
"Unfortunately things didn't quite drop for us because we had one or two near things and their keeper made one or two good blocks. But in the end a draw was a fair result."
