UniBond League Division One South
Christchurch Meadow, Belper
Saturday, 17th November 2007, 3.00pm
Rovers Nailed!
This was the proverbial game of two halves. Gresley Rovers had the better of the first half and just about deserved their halftime lead but they completely faded away as Belper Town got stronger and the home side deservedly won all three points.
It all started so well for Rovers and they could have grabbed an early lead when Craig Hanson put a fine pass into the path of Stefan Marshall but the striker failed to connect with what was a good chance to open the scoring.
Rovers took the lead on 14 minutes when Hanson picked up his keeper's long kick and seeing Adam Ogden just fractionally out of position sent over a superb lob that beat the back-pedalling Ogden and ended up in the net.
The Nailers did hit back with a shot from Ross Hannah looking certain to find its target but a terrific save from Clarke pushed the low shot away for a corner.
A series of long throws by Scott Lowe were testing the Rovers defensive resolve but they held firm with only a header from Danny Hudson going close as it flashed by the far post.
The second half saw a complete reversal as Rovers faded away and became just a mere shadow of the first half showing.
Belper took complete charge of affairs and it looked only a matter of time before they levelled and indeed took the lead as the pressed Rovers back with every attack.
As early as the second minute of the second half James Colliver was fizzing a long range shot just over the bar and Jon Hobson also trying his luck with a long range shot this time just past the post.
Anthony Wilson then went close with a header as Belper pressed Rovers back.
On 58 minutes the inevitable happened and Belper levelled. A throw was helped on by Wilson to Hudson who was tackled but the ball fell nicely for Lee Stevenson who hammered in a shot past the helpless Clarke.
There was only one side in it now with Rovers being completely overrun by their hosts all over the park.
A cross by Andy Rushbury was headed over by Wilson and a cross to the far post needed to be hurriedly cleared by Dan Douglas before a Belper player could fire it home.
Rovers were hanging on by their fingertips and if it had been a boxing match the referee would have stopped the bout by now.
Belper got the winner on 83 minutes. A fine through ball from Richard Tracey picked out Krystof Kotylo who hammered a shot goalward. Clarke made a superb block and was unlucky to see the ball land at the feet of Rushbury who knocked the ball into the unguarded net.
Wilson was unlucky not to have increased their advantage in time added on when he turned on the edge of the box and hit a shot that cannoned off an upright.
Manager's View
"Unbelievable! I thought we were fairly solid in the first half. We got our goal and then they came back into it towards the end of the first half and got a foothold.
"We went in at half time and I thought we'd shaded the first half. I was really pleased with the response after the last two games, last week in particular.
"We knew they were going to come at us in the second half and give us a go. They are on the back of a really good run and are a really good side.
"As impressive as they were and as much as they improved in the second half equally we disintegrated and it was men against boys, they tool us apart wave after wave after wave. The only surprise in the end was that it was only two one because on that second half performance one of the most embarrassing forty five minutes and we've had a few over the last four or five years.
"There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that it was only a matter of time the way we started. We were all in the dressing room. The midfield got absolutely battered. All over the park we were second best in the second half and it's the second game on the trot and we've got to do something about it.
"These players have been making excuses, these players have been molly coddled and it's time for people to stand up because on the back of the last two performances we are in a right hole and we'll dig deep and we'll get ourselves out of it. We might have one or two causalities along the way.
"If any of those players dare come to me if we pick a different side against Brigg or next Saturday and complain about being left out of the team after the last two performances - well it'll be a short conversation let's put it that way! Very disappointed.
"The service up to the front was poor to be honest but when you are in that situation and you do get little outlets or pockets of play you've got to be getting old of it and you've got to be taking pressure off so the criticism doesn't just go to my midfield it goes all across the team.
"Defensively we were far too deep second half. The only player to out with any credit was Miles Chamberlain - very, very poor elsewhere.
"We didn't get near players, runners all over the place slicing clearances, no composure at times and as I've said it was only going to be a matter of time. It would have been an injustice if we'd have got something from the game and that's hard for any manager to stand here ten minutes after the final whistle.
"Having said that, and I don't want to take any credit away from Belper because as poor as we were they played some fantastic football but we allowed them the time and space to play and it was almost a carbon copy of the game we played here a few weeks ago in the Presidents cup. We'd had a decent first half but didn't take our chances and they've mullerd us in the second half and deservedly won the game and almost the same has happened today. We've got a lot of work to do on that showing.
"Craig (Hanson) scored a good goal. It was a bit route oneish but Craig has been paitient obviously, it hasn't helped being without Blenko (David Blenkinsopp) and without Jamie (Hood) our captain and Chris Mawbey but this team today is more than good enough to come and do a job and we've had a good start and Craig finished really, really well but we've not capitalised on that.
"Rarely in the second half did we trouble Adam Ogden. I don't think he had a real save to make he didn't have much work to do as I said it was wave after wave after wave and you are looking round to see players who would stand up and be counted, you are looking to see players tucking us in encouraging getting amongst players and getting us tight with people. You look round and there was very little of that in the second half and that's a bitter pill to swallow.
"I said last week the players reaction is important and we did okay in the friendly against Burton for the hour but it all happens in league matches and you are judged on results.
"The only bonus was that we managed to get eleven players on the pitch today but even with twelve or thirteen players the way we played today I don't think we would have got anything from the game.
"We've got a lot of hard work to do before the Brigg game. There are a lot of players who need to look at themselves in the mirror and ask are they giving enough. I'll be lying awake in the small hours wondering what we need to do to change things around because I'm not certainly going to let the season go down the pan. There is lots to play for and we've taken lots of steps forward up to the last three games and now we are back to square one again and if we need to chop it around and take players apart and bring one or two new players in then we'll do it.
"We've got a fairly lengthy injury list as it is with some key players but I felt sorry for Tom Betteridge coming back and we decided to go with him because he needed some games to get his match fitness back to play effectively at this level. He had a bright start and then something went in his hamstring. We don't think it's a full pull it's just a slight strain and fingers crossed the next twenty-four forty-eight hours will tell us that.
"Carl Slater took a heavy whack on his foot in the second half and we'll have to see how that one is to see if he's got a chance of being fit for the Brigg game.
"That doesn't help but I'm not hiding behind injuries because the team we had today and the strength and depth we had we wanted to see if we could be tested missing key players and the first half we stood up to the test. Second half we were well bottom of the class and it was very disappointing."
