UniBond League Division One South
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 12th January 2008, 3.00pm
This game will, unfortunately, be remembered for a piece of inept refereeing by Mr Smith that denied Rovers a perfectly good goal that would have given them the lead midway through the second half.
Grantham started well and took the lead on 6 minutes when Terry Fleming put a through ball for Sam Mullarkey to fire past Rovers' keeper David Clark and into the far corner.
Carl Slater almost got on the end of David Blenkinsopp's cross sliding in at the far post as Rovers hit back. Stefan Marshall made a good run down the left feeding Jordan Lambert who fired just wide.
A free kick from Danny Blair saw Blenkinsopp flick on a header that had Town's keeper Mario Ziccardi stranded but again the effort went the wrong side of the upright.
Jason Turner then almost caught Clarke out as he fired his shot into the side netting.
Rovers' equaliser came as a result of a fine flowing move out of defence. Blenkinsopp picked the ball up deep in his own half and drove forward picking out Blair on the edge of the Town's area. Blair cracked a low drive that Ziccardi managed to parry but into the path of Blenkinsopp who coolly slotted the ball into the empty net for his 22nd goal of the season.
Two minutes later it should have been 23 for the prolific striker but his perfectly good goal was disallowed. An attempted through ball was clearly handled by Adam Sturgess but the ball fell into the path of Blenkinsopp who strode in on goal before slotting the ball under the keeper and into the net.
Just as the Rovers faithful were cheering the lead, Mr Smith pulled the action back for the free kick a good five seconds later instead of giving the home side the advantage much to the anger of the home bench. What made matters worse Sturgess didn't even receive a talking to by Mr Smith or shown a card. A red card was surely deserved because Blenkinsopp was denied a clear goal scoring opportunity.
Rovers came out looking to put the visiting defence under pressure with Blenkinsopp firing straight at Ziccardi within minutes of the second period starting.
However, it was Town who got a decisive goal on 56 minutes. A poor piece of defending from Miles Chamberlain saw the ball only half cleared to Turner who, seeing Clarke well off his line, lobbed an inch perfect ball into the top far corner leaving the keeper completely stranded.
Rovers again pushed forward with Lambert feeding Marshall through the centre. The striker hit a first time shot that Ziccardi managed to block with his legs. Fron the resultant corner Leigh Platnauer powered a header that the Town keeper caught under his bar.
On 73 minutes the game was made safe for Town when as a result of more poor home defending they scored a third.
Chamberlain was again guilty of not clearing the danger and Rob Norris took the opportunity to turn a defender before drilling a low shot that beat Clarke and went in with the help of the far post.
Jon Hawley was left in acres of unguarded space to pick his spot but Clarke pulled off a great save pushing the away for a corner.
Blenkinsopp then sent over a superb cross that Marshall headed just over the bar but the game was given a slightly flattering look to it when Jamie Hood's clumsy tackle in his own area with only a minute remaining gave substitute Sean Cann the chance to increase Town's lead from the penalty spot which he did sending Clarke the wrong way.
Rovers will have another chance to end their 75yr hoodoo by Grantham when they travel to meet for the third time in the league in March.
Manager's View
"After the start we had going a goal down after six minutes and to get ourselves back on terms we scrapped away in the first half without the quality we've seen of late and one-one at half time it is a winnable game for us.
"We finished the half particularly strongly I felt and it was a disappointing second half with some uncharacteristic defending from us has given Grantham three goals in the second half.
"We were very disappointed with that defending particularly when it comes from players that have done well for us of late. Miles (Chamberlain) commented that the second goal was from a weak header which was uncharacteristic. I don't know whether he thought he couldn't get enough purchase on it to get it back to Dave (Clarke) or not but he headed it back into midfield and their guy has tried an audacious attempt from distance and in fairness Dave's starting position was good but then the guy found the top corner with a lob, a sublime effort.
"The third goal as well for me we had two or three opportunities to clear it and clear it with distance and purchase but we didn't and they've finished well in off the post.
"And the fourth goal I've had a word with Jamie (Hood) in the dressing room that in that situation you've got to stand up, there's no need to go to ground. The players bearing down on goal wide in the box and if he goes to ground it's a penalty.
"We've lost the game four-one which was a kick in the teeth for us particularly on the back of a long run and the only comfort we can take from it is that it had to come to an end sometime.
"It was disappointing that we didn't create much offensively today but when we did we were trying to walk the ball in. Whether we think we've become a Barcelona over night to walk the ball into the net but to me we didn't get enough shots off to test the keeper. The shots we did have trickled through to the keeper and he picked them up.
"Arguably some of the lads in the dressing room are falling back to midway through the first half when the referee has made an absolute howler with the goal that would have put us two-one up. The linesman did the right thing and flagged because it was hand ball, the referee then has to let the play go on because it had put us though in on goal and if the referee hasn't got the advantage rule in his book I'll be ramming through the dressing room door in a minute.
"I went in to see him (the referee) at halftime and asked him what his opinion of the situation was and he said 'he didn't see an advantage to give'. I'd have rather the guy said 'Gaz I've made a mistake and I hold my hands up' but he would have needed to be a big, big man to have done that - fair enough but I'm sat here reflecting on what might have been a turning point. If we'd have got our noses in front we've been good at defending leads of late particularly on this run. All the games bar one we've had to defend single goal leads and it may well have had a difference.
"But I'm not going to blame the referee because defensively second half we can't defend like that and expect to win games. But to me that was an absolute howler and a bigger man would have held his hands up and admitted he'd made a mistake.
"All their team, bench and supporters would have been happy with it but for me it was a very poor decision.
"We missed Shaun Ridgway today. He had a fitness test at one o'clock today and we are very disappointed he didn't make it because his energy and enthusiasm and also his passing is something we woefully missed today.
"I felt as though all across midfield in the first half we weren't working hard enough, pressing hard enough. Their first goal came from us not working hard enough and pressing the ball in midfield.
"Tom Groves for me if he's going to press people he's not got to stand two three yards away and they've transferred it to their number eight and we've not pressured him and he's picked a pass up for the opening goal.
"We missed Shaun's energy and drive today but we've got a big strong squad and Carl Slater's come in today and he's no mug at this level and he's a very, very good player.
"It was disappointing because two or three performances today, especially if you look at the run we've been on when there's been some big performances, one or two looked flat. We worked hard on Tuesday night in training and we had a session down at the gym because we couldn't get anywhere to train on Thursday night so it's not like we took our foot off the gas and got complacent giving players nights off.
"It was strangely flat today from two or three players but having said that, I thought there were several positives to come out of it. Danny Blair's performance, second game back from injury, was good but we haven't become a poor side overnight.
"I've maintained all along with the run that we've got to perform against the sides in the playoff mix. Grantham have been in there all season, they've had a couple of bad runs but they seem to enjoy playing us because they tend to go out of the bad run after they play us.
"We are not going to lose too much sleep over it. Of course it's disappointing, we will all be hurting and disappointed tonight but it's key that we put it down to a bad day at the office and move on to prepare for Goole next week."
