UniBond League Division One South
Bracken Moor Lane, Stocksbridge
Saturday, 22nd September 2007, 3.15pm
Rovers Still Pointless Away
Gresley Rovers' trip to didn't get off to the best of starts with delays on the motorway causing the kick off to be put back to 3.15pm.
Rovers have yet to gain a point on their travels and were hoping to get their away form going and manager Gary Norton made two changes bringing Carl Slater back into the starting eleven after the midfielder recovered from injury and gave new signing Stefan Marshall his debut.
Stocksbridge got off to a good start and could have taken an early lead when Miles Chamberlain held back the charging Andy Ring earning the defender a booking for his trouble. The resultant free kick could have been better with Mark Ward only managing to fie straight at keeper David Clarke.
On 7 minutes Rovers afternoon was made worse when Oliver Hancock appeared to fall awkwardly after a challenge. The on-loan winger was stretchered off the pitch with a suspected dislocated elbow which was confirmed later in hospital. Chris Sleath came on in his place.
Steels had another chance to open the scoring on 17 minutes after a quick break saw John Beggs firing just wide from 20 yards.
Two minutes later Marshall did well to shake off the attention of a defender before turning and firing a shot that Steels keeper Richard Siddall did well to save.
Marshall went close again moments later this time a poor back header from Brett Lovell found the debutant who hit a shot that beat the keeper but just cleared the bar.
Lovell, who had very nearly handed the visitors the lead atoned for his mistake on 23 minutes by beating Jamie Hood to Ward's free kick nodding the ball into the far corner.
Rovers almost levelled just four minutes later when a corner from the left by Adam Barradell picked out Chamberlain at the far post but his shot was blocked on the line and the rebound was headed back goalwards by Marshall only for the danger to be cleared again.
It was Marshall again who made the first chance early in the second half when he ran onto a ball over the top of the back line. He beat keeper Siddall and shot but Lovell had made up good ground to chest down the ball and clear off the line.
Rovers' David Blenkinsopp then was handed a chance when Adam Oldham's dreadful backpass put his keeper in trouble. Blenkinsopp waited a fraction too long with his shot and sent his effort past the near post.
On 63 minutes Steels increased their lead as a result of a fine build up and Ian Richards' superb pass for Jamie Vardy who gave Clarke no chance with his shot.
It was almost three when Ring who skipped around Chamberlain, beat Clarke but clattered the inside of the upright with the ball going away to safety.
On 70 minutes Rovers clawed a goal back when Chris Mawbey's throw was not cleared allowing Blenkinsopp to smash a terrific shot from the edge of the area past Siddall and into the top corner.
Ring could have got their two goal advantage back but Hood made a brave block denying the Steels frontman.
Rovers could have grabbed an unlikely point right at the end of the game when Marshall beat Oldham, ran forward but hit only a half hearted shot straight at the keeper.
Manager's View
"We really didn't get into any sort of rhythm today we huffed and puffed. The first half we didn't get going at all it was really frustrating and disappointing.
"We allowed Stocksbridge to dictate the pace of the game and the tempo and when it mattered our quality was lacking.
"It was frustrating because we had the ball in some good areas but we gave it away so, so cheap.
"Stef (Marshall) had a half chance - hit the bar and we had a really good chance just after they scored but we dilly dallied on it at the far post and Miles Chamberlain looked certain to score and the keeper made a good save and we failed to react to the rebound and that was probably the best of our first half opportunities.
"Second half was a little better and we created two or three decent opportunities. Perhaps created is not the correct word - forced maybe and then we let them cut us open.
"It was a decent goal but the manner in which the guy drifted across the face of our defence and was allowed to slip through a ball for their guy to score was frustrating.
"Blenko's (David Blenkinsopp's) cracking goal gave us a little bit of hope and we had our best spell of the game around that time but we couldn't force anything.
"The heart we take from it was that there were one or two individual performances that were okay.
"Blenko's workrate, work ethic and approach is spot on and we want other players to take note of that. We mentioned that before the game - work rate is such a lot at this level and we want some of the young players in the squad we really want to learn that from Dave.
"Stefan had a decent debut I thought. He showed one or two flashes of why we brought him in and why we are giving him his opportunity to achieve something at this level and with a little bit more work and as he gets to know the other players there was plenty from Stefan to be hopeful of.
"Carl Slater has got another ninety-minutes under his belt which was a positive. The away form is disappointing and something we need to arrest quickly.
"I felt that all across the midfield physically we were second best. We have no six-foot plus players. On the deck they can compete but in the air we are physically lacking and we need some presence in that area and it's something we are trying to address but it's not very easy."
