Gresley Rovers vs Matlock Town
Gresley Rovers finally gave Steve Dolby a trophy to crow about after a game of contrasting halves at the Moat Ground last night.
Since seeing Rovers lose in the final of the West Midlands Cup within weeks of taking over as boss two years ago, Dolby has often seen them go close to winning silverware only to stumble in the final furlong.
They made up for it last night, though, by thrashing Matlock in the first half, then easing off in the second, to lift the Derbyshire Senior Cup for the fifth time in seven seasons.
Their supporters were left reflecting on a performance that would, perhaps, have been more satisfying if the two segments had come in the opposite order.
Rovers played so well in the first 45 minutes that the second half was always likely to be an anti-climax; and so it proved.
Dolby had expressed concern beforehand that fatigue might impair his team's display in the second leg of a final they led by a single goal from the team's first encounter at Matlock a week ago, but there was no sign of wear and tear as Gresley tore into Town from the off.
And the player who gave Dolby cause to breathe the deepest sigh of relief was skipper Richard Denby, who shook off pre-match injury problems to play an outstanding role in his team's win.
Matlock could not contain Denby and midfield partner Ian Straw, nor could they find an answer to the searing pace of striker David Holmes.
Holmes could have put Rovers ahead in the second minute when he destroyed his marker for pace to reach Martin Dick's upfield ball but placed his chip just too high of the Matlock goal.
But when the young striker, surely the most exciting prospect to grace the Moat Ground since Phil Gee's brief heyday, got a second bite of the cherry from Denby's perfect through ball five minutes later, he did everything right, streaking clear before lofting a shot over Matlock keeper Richard Harrison.
With Matlock reeling under a frenzied early assault, Martin Devaney soon fired in the second, hammering home from close range after Hurst had taken advantage of Harrison's indecision to reach Dave Swainston's cross and beat the stranded keeper with an angled drive that his strike partner met a split second before it crossed the line.
Two minutes later Matlock were staring humiliation in the face when Dick appeared in the six-yard box to convert Holmes' cross.
There could have been more goals to add to the agony with Harrison clawing away Holmes' angled drive and Straw seeing a shot cleared off the line – with the strong suspicion that the defender's hand had come into play – after Richard Wardle's tremendous burst through the visitor's defence.
Holmes dropped a shot into the top of the net and Devaney fired just over as Rovers showed no signs of taking their feet off the throttle and Matlock must surely have been relieved to be only three down on the night at half time.
The visitors had only pride to play for after the break, but the Gladiators raised their game to bring Bob Aston into serious action for the first time.
The Gresley keeper grasped Paul Brown's shot with ease but then produced an excellent stop to his right when the same player met Andy Tomlinson's cross with a vicious first time effort from 16 yards.
Holmes had meanwhile produced Rovers' best effort of the half with an angled shot that crept just wide, but it was mainly Matlock now as Rovers envisaged their forthcoming moment of glory.
And Town got their consolation when Gary Evans fired home from the penalty spot after Hurst was ludicrously adjudged to have handled on the line following a Martin Hardy free kick, awarded when Aston picked up a backpass from Denby.
Gresley Rovers (3) 3
Matlock Town (0) 1
Scorers: Holmes 7, Devaney 28, Dick 30 (Gresley Rovers); G Evans 81 (pen) (Matlock Town).
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Dick, Swainston, Denby, S Evans, Stanborough, Wardle, Straw, Hurst (Rigg 87), Devaney (Moore 70), Holmes.
Matlock Town: Harrison, Tomlinson, Nixon, Burton, Hardy, McNicholas, Tilly, Thompson (Cheetham 57), G Evans, Sheppard (Mullins 47), Taylor.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Richard Denby.
Referee: D Adcock (Long Eaton).
Attendance: 847
