UniBond League Division One South
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 15th September 2007, 3.00pm
Blenkinsopp At The Double
Gresley Rovers kept up their fine home record with what was in the end a comfortable win over Warrington Town.
Manager Gary Norton included new loan signing Miles Chamberlain in his starting line-up and midfielder Carl Slater on the bench.
Rovers failed to settle for the first fifteen to twenty minutes which gave their visitors chances to take an early grip on the game.
After just four minutes Graeme Mitchell tested the Rovers' keeper with a shot that David Clarke did well to take just under his bar.
Three minutes later Chamberlain seemed to stand on the ball allowing Graeme Mitchell to go close again but this time he fired wide when well placed.
Rovers did force a couple of corners in succession but it was Town who took the lead on 13 minutes. Graeme Mitchell played a clever ball over the top of the home defence finding strike partner Lee Thompson who rocketed a shot over Clarke and into the net.
However, the lead only lasted four minutes as Rovers hit back through David Blenkinsopp. Chamberlain put a fine ball down the left flank to Blenkinsopp who easily beat defender Tony Dunne by nodding the ball forward and cut into the area before unleashing a shot that beat Town keeper Danny Morton, clipped the underneath of the bar and into the net.
Rovers could have doubled their lead with a couple of chances. Oliver Hancock played a superb pass to Adam Barradell who shot flew just wide and then a minute later Hancock robbed a defender and was upended in the area for a decent penalty shot ignored by the referee. The ball found Karl Payne but unfortunately he put his shot straight at the keeper.
Clarke was again in action on 25 minutes when he finger tipped a vicious long-range shot from Graeme Mitchell over the bar.
Blenkinsopp had a half chance and did well to connect with a shot that went over the bar.
Graeme Mitchell, Town's most dangerous player, had a glorious chance of putting his side back in front on 37 minutes. His brother Phil Mitchell did well to pick out Graeme who burst into the box and inexplicably blazed his shot the wrong side of the near post.
Rovers almost grabbed a goal on the half time whistle when Town keeper Morton fumbled a cross from Barradell but Payne could only stab the loose ball wide.
With Graeme Mitchell substituted at half time Town looked nothing like the threat of the first period. However, they did have one chance on 51 minutes when Phil Mitchell was allowed a free header that he put wide.
The home side were comfortably the better side and started to create chances. A corner from Barradell found Jamie Hood just inside the area but the defender stretching could only put the ball over the bar.
Rovers took the lead on 63 minutes with the help of a Town defender. Shaun Ridgway's whipped cross from the right was met by Colin McAllister who powered a terrific header past his own keeper and into the top of the net.
Four minutes later Hood went close when his header from Barradell's corner was cleared off the line by Phil Mitchell.
Rovers were putting the Town defence under increasing pressure and it told on 71 minutes. Nick Carter made a superb run out of defence through the middle of the park before picking out Blenkinsopp with a fine pass. The striker cut in from the left and fired a shot under Morton and into the far corner of the net.
Blenkinsopp could have increased his tally two minutes later when he hit two shots at the near post in succession that the keeper did well to block on both occasions.
Town had one of their rare second half chances on 81 minutes when Liam Coyne headed Paul Crompton's corner wide.
However, the home side finished well on top with Carter firing a 35-yard shot that Morton needed to tip over the bar.
Manager's View
"That's three out of four at home, a draw being the fourth one so it's a nice little run of form at home. We just need to change things away - three straight defeats, four if you include the cup.
"The next game away is at Stocksbridge notoriously not an easy place to go. We've not had too much success over the last few years. We've got to be doing a lot better than in the first twenty minutes today if we are going to have any chance of getting something from that game.
"I'm delighted with David Blenkinsopp and we know what a quality player he is. He's missed a large chunk of pre-season and Tuesday night was only his second game back. He looked lively and worked hard his sharpness is not quite were it's going to be but he's got another ninety minutes in. His fitness levels are coming back and that's witnessed by the endeavours he put in in the second half. He was going to challenge things that he'd no right to challenge and earned his goals today and was a strong contender for man-of-the-match. That's what we want from Dave and there's more to come once he gets that match sharpness and fitness back and in two or three games time he's going to be even more of an handful for the opposition.
"I had a long chat with Carl Slater on the phone this morning and we decided to have him on the bench and he's got some pitch time under his belt - no problems and we'll see how it is in the morning. He's got another week of training and work to do and then he's not going to be very far away. That's the sort of competition we need in the midfield area.
"If you'd have asked me after twenty minutes if I was happy with my defence it would have been a short shrift answer but Miles (Chamberlain) did okay. It took a little bit of time to settle as a team today I was very disappointed. The halftime should have been half an hour for the amount of points I wanted to make defensively.
"It was a great turnaround in the second half, we looked far more composed and relaxed and I don't remember too many opportunities for Warrington in the second half.
"Fortunately we managed to weather that opening fifteen, twenty minutes when all over the pitch we were a yard off were we needed to be and we had some strong words at halftime and pleasingly in the second half we responded and we've earned the victory.
"Miles did very well. He's a guy blessed with some good talent and he can play a bit as well. He's not there to just head and kick it.
"Jamie Hood was immense today as well and in the second half the full backs performed a little bit better so we are going in the right direction but I'm not going to get too carried away because our form of late is to take a step in the right direction and then the next week we'll take a step back. We need to get that consistency which is something we've just talked to guys about in the dressing room."
