UniBond League Division One South
The Bill Stokeld Stadium, Stoke Lane, Gedling
Tuesday, 11th September 2007, 7.45pm
Still No Points On The Road
Gresley Rovers made their first visit to the Bill Stokeld Stadium for a game against Carlton Town and returned empty handed.
The home side were well worth their victory as Rovers conceded two soft goals before half time putting the Millers well on top and the visitors with a mountain to climb.
With Oliver Hancock unavailable and Tom Groves serving a one-match ban Chris Sleath and Liam Shirley came into the starting line-up.
Rovers had the first chance with Shaun Ridgway putting a shot over the bar after just three minutes.
However, the home side hit back almost immediately and some slack marking gave Daniel Cane a free header at the far post from a free kick that Darryl Thomas just failed to connect with.
On 13 minutes Fabian Smith raced onto a through ball. Rovers' keeper David Clarke raced well off his line only to be beaten to the ball. The midfielder managed to lob the ball over the keeper but also just over the bar.
Jamie Hood went close on 21 minutes when he headed goalward Adam Barradell's corner from the right unfortunately a defender was on hand to clear the effort off the line.
Four minutes later a corner from Smith hit Hood and clattered off the bar and away to safety.
David Blenkinsopp then flashed a shot just past a post on 28 minutes after being set up by Ridgway.
Carlton took the lead on 33 minutes as a result of a rare slip by Hood. The defender only half cleared a ball and it fell to Phil Bignall who hit a tremendous shot that gave Clarke no chance as it flew into the top corner.
Carlton almost doubled their lead just two minutes later when Smith hammered a shot against the post with Clarke well beaten.
The Millers didn't have to wait long for another goal when on 39 minutes a trip by Shirley on Darryl Thomas in the area gave the referee Mr Sutton no alternative but to point to the spot with the Carlton frontman sending Clarke the wrong way with his kick.
Carlton continued where they left off in the first half putting the Rovers' defence under pressure from the off with Bignall firing wide almost immediately from the staring whistle.
Again Rovers were the authors of their own downfall with just four minutes of the second period played as a set piece was allowed to be converted by the home side.
Dean Gent swung in a corner from the right Aiden Brady's effort was blocked but as the ball looped into the air Darryl Thomas was allowed to power in a header from close range.
The game had been a very open, fast flowing affair and on 55 minutes Blenkinsopp reduced the arrears when he latched on to a through ball turned Michael Martin and steered the ball past keeper Steve Brearley and into the corner of the net.
On 64 minutes Blenkinsopp was denied a perfectly good goal by some very poor officiating by a linesman. Substitute Karl Payne flicked on a ball into the path of the Gresley striker who raced between two defenders and slotted the ball home only for the official (who was not up with the play) to raise his flag late for offside when Blenkinsopp was at least 2 yards on side when the ball was played.
If that goal had been allowed it would have made the final quarter of the game very interesting indeed.
However, the visitors had their keeper Clarke to thank on 72 minutes when he blocked Gent's stinging shot.
Clarke made the save of the game on 84 minutes when diving at full stretch to his left he tipped Smith's curling shot away for a corner.
A quick break a minute later saw Nick Carter hitting a great long-range shot on the run that just cleared the bar.
Manager's View
"Naivety is the word. The manner in which we conceded those goals was poor in all fairness.
"For the first half hour I thought we'd acquitted ourselves well. It was a very open game. Carlton have got some exciting fast guys and we'd settled in a groove quite nicely as well and got in behind once or twice.
"They play a well organised defensive game squeezing out quickly and we got in behind and had some good opportunities early doors.
"It was quite open for an away game in fairness reflected in our 4-3-3 formation but then to concede two goals in the manner we did just after the half hour mark and you find yourself two-nil down at half time and you're asking yourself 'how did that happen?' The simple answer is naivety.
"To be fair to Jamie that's one of the few mistakes he's made so far this season - half mistake even. He's not quite cleared it properly and it's come out into midfield and the 9 (Phil Bignall) has dropped off and banged it in - good finish.
"But the penalty - to dive in - the guys are saying that the guy went down a little bit too easily. In fairness don't make a challenge in the box. He wasn't going anywhere, he wasn't going to get a shot off, stay on your feet and naivety has cost us.
"It occurred quite quickly after the first goal when we needed to dig in and get a foothold back in the game. To go in two-nil down then was a mountain to climb and we said to the guys was that we felt that there was still something in the game. We got round everybody and everybody seemed up for the second half and the last thing we said was 'let's make sure we don't shoot ourselves in the foot defensively'. One of my most experienced players on the pitch tries to do something on the far touch line and be fancy with things gets robbed and we just about get out of gaol with a fantastic piece of goal keeping from Dave (Clarke) when it looked certain to go three nil down and then we shoot ourselves in the foot straight from the corner.
"Under 10's teams that we coach wouldn't defend like that from set plays. We had one or two warnings in the first half and you find yourselves three-nil down.
"The guys had started the second half fairly well apart from that and it was a very open game and we created a fair few chances. We got the goal, a little fortuitous I felt, he did look offside but to be fair there was some erratic decisions from both linesmen tonight. That one we got and there were plenty of opportunities to get the second goal but to no avail and we are very disappointed to have lost the game.
