Match Photos
Gresley Rovers vs Racing Club Warwick
Woolley back on target
This
was the proverbial game of two halves. In the first half Gresley played what
some supporters have said was," the best football seen at the Moat Ground for
many a year."
The second half saw the visitors applying pressure, which belied their lowly
league status and Gresley hanging on by the skin of their teeth to claim all
three points.
Gresley set off at a blistering pace and could have been three up inside the
first 10 minutes only saves from Matt Tucker denying first Ian Bluck and then
Jake Fairbrother.
The visitors looked ill at ease and their shaky defence appeared set to leak
a considerable amount of goals.
On just two minutes Fairbrother was making inroads into the visitors box but
was denied a shot. Ryan Ford was hacked down just outside the area but the resulting
free kick was hacked away.
It was only going to be a matter of time before the defence was breached and
it came on 4 minutes when Barry Woolley, returning to the side after an ankle
injury against Bilston Town, scored what is now becoming his trade mark headed
goal, his fifth of this campaign.
After some good work on the right Ian Bluck put in a pinpoint cross into the
penalty area, which found Woolley in acres of space. The big defender's header
looped over Tucker who had come off his line and into the net.
On
6 minutes Bluck hit a ferocious shot from 30-yards which was spilled by Tucker
and the keeper looked on as the ball spun round his upright.
The impressive Fairbrother had a shot well saved by Tucker on 8 minutes and
it looked like there would be an avalanche of Rovers' goals as the visitors
back four didn't know what had hit them.
Andy Bourne had a great chance to increase the lead on 15 minutes but he overran
the ball with only the keeper to beat.
The visitors' first real chance of the evening came on 23 minutes when a defensive
lapse by Stuart Evans allowed Lee Hughes to curl a shot on target, which was
easily saved by James Lindley.
On 36 minutes Darren Washington was on hand to clear a Fairbrother header of
the line.
Towards the close of the first half Lindley was called on to make two good
saves. The first a fine long-range shot from Washington and then a blocking
close-range save from Leon Sawyer.
In first half stoppage time, Gresley increased their lead when Fairbrother
released Bourne with a superb through ball. Bourne calmly rounded the keeper
who got a hand to the shot and Chris Gray was on hand to sweep in the rebound.
John McGinlay pulled Evans of at half time and this loss seemed to unsettle
the Gresley defence; they now looked very disjointed.
Carl Middleton, on for Evans, almost gave the visitors a goal back when he
mistimed a header which then fell kindly for Hughes, but the Racers front man
could only shoot straight at Lindley.
Warwick reduced the arrears on 56 minutes. Another poor header by Middleton
found Kim Green who made no mistake and shot into the bottom corner of the net
although Lindley got a hand to it.
It took Gresley only six minutes to restore their two-goal advantage. On 62
minutes Bourne put a ball through to Gray who made the keeper advance to narrow
the angle but instead of trying for goal himself, Gray rolled the ball inside
to Chris Parkins who smashed the ball home from 10-yards.
In a frantic final 15 minutes Gresley began to look very vulnerable at the
back and the visitor's pressure was duly rewarded on 79 minutes. Some good inter
passing between Kevin Elvin and Green whose cross set up Hughes who scored the
Racers second.
It was all hands to the pump for the final few minutes but on 81 minutes Bourne
had the chance to finish the visitors off. However, his shot hit the inside
of the far post rolled towards the goal line and was somehow hooked away by
David Jackson.
Gresley managed to hang on for their three points but in injury time Fairbrother
was yellow carded for a "late" challenge on Elvin who retaliated and was fortunate
not to have been sent off, instead the referee only booked the player.
Fairbrother's booking unfortunately took his tally to five yellow cards and
he now faces a one-match suspension in two weeks time.
The manager's view of the game
"I've had a bit of a go at them in the dressing room because we are sitting
with the game in our pockets then I had to sub Mark Peters for his own sake
and we became disjointed.
"It didn't help with Stuart Evans having to come off at half time because then
we didn't look like a back four, we were disjointed and they were finding it
quite easy to pick players out and to get through on goal and if it wasn't for
a bit of wayward finishing from them we could have found ourselves in deep trouble.
"The first 20 minutes we played some great stuff and then we took the foot
off the pedal and let them get back into the game and we were fortunate to go
in 2-0 up. They had come in for the last 20 minutes and really forced the game.
They had no really great chances but they played some good stuff in the first
half.
"We scored at the right time and it was a bonus to go in 2-0 up because I don't
think we deserved to be 2-0 up. They got a goal early on in the second half
but to be honest we should have won this game 3-0.
"It was bad enough giving away a silly goal towards the end and letting them
back in at 3-2 their tails are up then. We are then defending with our backs
to the wall. It's not easy because they then have the momentum, they are taking
the game to us and we're hanging on.
"We began to let the ball bounce in the second half and with the blustery wind
and the ball was moving to let it bounce just doesn't work.
"In saying that we've had chances in the second half and if we'd have put them
away the game would have been dead and buried. We've hung on and got the three
points at 3-2 and we'll take that; before the game I'd take it.
"It was disappointing from the point of view of the silly goals we gave away
but we'll take the win. It's got to be far better than that on Saturday!
"Stuart Evans didn't look comfortable and I nearly brought him off after 20
minutes because I didn't think he was right so at half time I did take him off.
That caused us to become disjointed because Stuart does organise the defence.
You can see the difference one player makes at the back because we were all
over the place without him.
"He wasn't on long enough to aggravate his injury but we will have to wait
and see how he is for Saturday.
"Richard Wardle should be back in the squad. It was just one of those things
he was in Manchester for a meeting, which didn't finish until after 5 o'clock,
and at 6.45pm, when I phoned him, he was still on the M6 and so I knew he wouldn't
make the game. I know what the M6 is like; it's like a parking lot at that time
of night. At least he'll be fresh for Saturday. Maybe the rest will have done
him good!
"Alex Green may get the chance he deserves; he needs to try his calf out. Lee
Westwood will be in the squad for Saturday.
"I know that it will be a whole different ball game Saturday and if we play
like that, especially the second half, we won't go much further in the competition."
Gresley Rovers (2) 3
Racing Club Warwick (0) 2
Scorers: Woolley 4, Gray 45, Parkins 62 (Gresley Rovers): Green 56,
Hughes 79 (R C Warwick)
Gresley Rovers: Lindley, Bluck, Cheetham, Peters (McGinlay 72), Woolley,
Evans (Middleton 45), Bourne, Fairbrother, Ford, Parkins, Gray C: Sub not used:
Fletcher.
Racing Club Warwick: Tucker, Llewellyn, Jackson, Wells, Marlow, Hodson,
Wiseman, Elvin, Sawyer (Green 45), Hughes, Washington. Subs not used; Gray S,
Taylor.
Rovers
Star Man: Jake Fairbrother - another midfield master class.
Referee: P Barston (Loughborough).
Attendance: 337
