UniBond League Division One South
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 13th October 2007, 1.00pm
Ridgway's Rocket Gives Rovers The Points
Gresley Rovers made heavy weather of this victory that should, on paper at least, have been far more comfortable than it was.
Although Spalding hardly made David Clarke in the home goal break into a sweat for the whole game Rovers found it difficult to break down a dogged and resolute defence and could have been caught by a sucker punch once or twice.
The first fifteen minutes or so were fairly uneventful with Tulips John Dunks trying a speculative long-range shot that went well over the bar.
However, Rovers took the lead in a move that was worth the entrance fee alone. On 19 minutes David Blenkinsopp received the ball from Chris Mawbey in his own half and raced down the left. Looking up he played a pass square to strike partner Stefan Marshall who in turn picked out Shaun Ridgway with a similar ball.
The midfielder didn't break stride and thumped a first time volley from 20 yards past the statuesque Tulips keeper James Doughty.
Rovers did have the ball in the net again eight minutes later when Carl Slater picked out Jamie Hood on the far side of the area who smashed the ball home but the defender was denied his goal by the raised flag of the assistant.
On 32 minutes another great move this time saw Chris Sleath flying down the right and his long cross field ball picked out Blenkinsopp who controlled superbly and cushioned his header back but this time Ridgway could only blast his shot over the bar.
Good defending and a spot of good fortune kept Spalding in the game as Rovers pressed for another goal.
On 37 minutes Nicky Carter looped a ball into the area where Sleath performed a perfect bicycle kick that Doughty did very well to hold on to down in the bottom far corner.
Right on the interval Ian Cooper almost grabbed an unlikely leveller when he slid in and connected with Ben Carrick's low cross from the right but the ball went straight into the arms of Clarke.
Tom Groves did well to deny Carrick a goal scoring opportunity on 65 minutes after Jay Mahoney's shot was deflected into the striker's path only for Groves to put in a superbly timed tackle.
Rovers were looking for another goal to ease their jitters and went close a minute later when Ridgway made a good run through the middle before lashing his shot just wide of the post.
Two minutes later it was substitute Paul Edward's turn to go close when he controlled the ball and put a shot wide from just outside the area.
Hood then went close putting his header, from Ridgway's cross, just over the bar. Spalding were under pressure and it was some superb defending by right back Sam Wadieh that was denying Rovers from getting further into the lead.
On 83 minutes Ridgway slung over a corner from the right that was met by Miles Chamberlain but his goalbound header was deflected away for a corner.
Blenkinsopp almost kept his goal scoring run going when he slid in at the far post but the striker could only put the ball from Ridgway inches past the far post with just seconds remaining.
Manager's View
"I'm absolutely delighted with the clean sheet and the three points but that's where it ends - firm line drawn under that - that 's the only positive to be taken from today.
"Our performance was battling at best. We had little patches in the first half with some decent quality and we got a great goal a really good goal. It was a good ball down the line Blenko's (David Blenkinsopp) awareness to tuck it inside to Stef (Stefan Marshall) and then Stef's awareness to follow it on to Shaun (Ridgway) who is coming in - third man running - great goal.
" I felt that if we could have got a second goal shortly after that when Shaun put it over from a great position, again another good move, we would have settled but the longer it went on at one-nil the more encouragement we gave to Spalding to keep going.
"They got into things a little bit more for the last five or ten minutes of the first half and I felt that in midfield we dropped of the pace a little bit at that stage and it was important when we came out in the second half that we stamped our authority on the game again got hold of the ball and tried to work it but it didn't happen and the longer the game went on we did go a little bit deep.
"I thought the back four defended well today in the situations they had to deal with but it was disappointing that the amount of times we got hold of the ball we gave it away.
"We looked a side a little bit low on confidence for some reason. We've got plenty of players who are confident on the ball, good passers of the ball but today it didn't work for us.
"But having said that we had two or three situations near the end of the game that on another day would have gone in and you've won the game two or three nil.
"You could tell it was going to be one of those days for Blenko today. He very nearly got onto the end of Ridgway's cross right at the end and there was another situation were Eddie's (Paul Edwards) found him but his touch has let him down. He's devastated in the dressing room about his performance today but you get that as a striker. He's been in a great run of form and he's been carrying a little bit of an injury as well and he's not one hundred percent fit and he just needed that break today.
"We've got a week to recover and a nice couple of week break before we go to Spalding and I'm sure they will want to turn the tables at their place.
"We should have been more than one goal ahead at half time but as long as they were just one goal down they kept going to the end.
"Mick (Curry), Tony (Hemmings) and myself are all hoarse because we desperately wanted that clean sheet.
"Chris Sleath did really well particularly with some of the crosses in the first half having said that though when he did get the ball in good positions his passing let him down a little bit in the first half. He's not played too much in the last week or two but he kept going and did his defensive job quite well. Physically he sometimes struggles but today he did okay and he used the ball fairly well in the final third. It was his passing today that let him down as it did many of his team mates.
"Nick Carter has come in and he's just run out of steam to be fair. He was a decent presence in there and his legs went on him because he's been out injured and it was a heavy pitch today and he was struggling a little bit so we took him off and put Eddie in there.
"Tom Groves has come in and done a tidy job at full back. He prevented a goal with a timely intervention. Dan (Douglas) was to have a fitness test today but could still feel his ankle as he warmed up for the test so that's why he was left out. He's got a clear week with no games so hopefully we can get him into some sort of shape for consideration on Saturday.
"Miles (Chamberlain) did well today. I thought it was his best game of the four or so he's played for us. He's won most of his headers and very rarely got caught out of position and covered well for Hoody (Jamie Hood). Hoody was his usual superb self at the back.
"That was Miles' final game for us to talk to his manager with a view to extending his loan although our next league game is not for two weeks and Paul Cox didn't want him cup tied so that would potential rule two weeks out of his extended loan spell so we'll deal with that on Monday and see what options we've got or look to bring somebody else in".
