UniBond League Division One South
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 24th November 2007, 3.00pm
Quorn beat a Ragged Rovers
This was another below par performance that saw Gresley Rovers slump to their third successive home league defeat.
Quorn showed their intentions as early as the 14th minutes when a flicked header from Jamie Clarke hit the bar.
Three minutes later Rovers' keeper David Clarke had to react brilliantly tipping away Liam Turner's shot that had taken a huge deflection off Carl Slater.
Quorn took the lead on 23 minutes when they were awarded a disputed free kick after Danny Blair was adjudged to have fouled keeper Daniel Haystead who had come out of his area to clear the ball.
After an Oscar winning performance of being badly injured the keeper, who managed to get Blair a booking, recovered miraculously and sent a long kick down field where Turner collected and crossed into the box. Clarke did well to get a hand to the ball but could only push it into the path of Gary Griffiths who smashed the ball into the empty net.
Five minutes later Rovers were inches from getting back on terms when Jermaine Hollis sent Blair racing down the left who then put a tempting low cross into Quorn's box.
David Blenkinsopp slid in at the far post but his effort was blocked by Haystead and the rebound hit Blenkinsopp but unfortunately rolled just the wrong side of the post.
A free kick from the Chris Sleath on the right found Slater who picked out Nick Carter but the final shot went well over the bar.
The visitors had a couple of chances towards the end of the first half to increase their lead.
Paul White collected a free kick on the edge of the box and hit a tremendous low volley that David Clarke did very well to block at his near post. Then just moments later, from a corner, Chris Goodman had his shot cleared off the line by Sleath.
Quorn went close again on 53 minutes when Turner headed White's cross just fractionally wide.
Both sides found it tough to get moves going with any created breaking down in the final third due to wayward passing.
Carter had another speculative shot that was well wide and it wasn't until the 85th minute that either side carved out any sort of a chance.
Stefan Marshall, on for Craig Hanson, made a good run down the right and fired over a low shot across the face of the goal but no Rovers' player could get to the ball with the net unguarded. Blair then went close firing a shot from the edge of the area just wide.
However, Quorn made the game safe on 90 minutes when White in acres of empty space, was allowed to blast his shot home unchallenged.
Rovers could have reduced the deficit deep into stoppage time but Joseph Shaw was on hand to clear Blair's shot off the line but it was too little too late for the home side.
Manager's View
"That was another disappointing performance. We were always going to be up against it with the number of injuries we've got but again put that to one side that's no excuse because the eleven we put out there today are more than capable of digging a result out as we did up at Brigg.
"It was not to be because I felt that Quorn had us at arms length after going ahead. Again we started the game positive and we started bright and we created some nice things. Our best football was in the first twenty five - thirty minutes and then Quorn got into the game and got the goal and that seemed to knock our confidence a little bit and they had the space to play in and in the second half they very much had us arms length.
"There were one or two close things in either box but it wasn't quite to be for us today. Obviously they stuck one away on the ninety so yes, disappointed to say the least.
"I said to the lads in the dressing room that at one nil down you are always in the game. Our passing was absolutely abysmal today and I've got players niggling me when they are left out of the team threatening to leave but on that showing why shouldn't I go out and get better players?
"We cannot keep the ball. Our ball retention today was awful, we passed the ball out of play countless times, we gave the ball away cheaply countless times and if you watch Quorn they had some individual players who can just play pass, pass, pass create.
"Today that was the biggest thing that let us down - the biggest disappointment. We work at it all the time at training, keeping the ball, passing the ball quickly but when it comes to the match situation of late the passing has let us down massively.
"You are in a move and have a little bit of momentum and then you are let down by a poor pass and it breaks down and you are then on the back foot again and we were really fragmented.
"We've got to improve. We've got to get some bodies back of course - we are missing some quality but the guys out there have enough quality, yes we've got one or two playing out of position, yes we've got Tony Hemmings playing at left back whose quality and can keep the ball but we've got to do better in situations like that.
"Today we haven't done enough but we might have pinched something but it was taken away from at the end with their second.
"David Blenkinsopp had a massive chance to equalise but he's been missing for two weeks maybe if he'd have been match fit he might have stuck that one away but these things happen. That apart he worked hard and you could see the quality he's got but unfortunately none of his team mates could live up to that standard.
"Tom Groves had to come off. He's been a massive player for us of late because of the injuries he hasn't played a run of games in the same position - left back, right back, midfield and today he switched to right back to cover Dan Douglas who was suspended today but he's took a bit of a back injury so whether that clears up for Tuesday is very doubtful.
"We will have to have a body count for Tuesday and I'm not expecting any of the players who were out today, eleven I think it was before kick off and that's another couple added to it, to report back fit so we'll just have to see how we figure.
"Obviously we are talking to players all the time so we'll just have to see what the next day brings in terms of knocks coming out and a few of them might declare themselves fit.
"We've just got to dig deep through this little spell. It would have been nice if we could have dug something out today. I would have taken a draw in all honesty before the game with Quorn's recent run of results but it wasn't to be.
"We can't complain about the injuries but I can complain about the quality my players have shown today because it wasn't enough - they are better players than that."
