UniBond League Division One South
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Friday, 21st March 2008, 3.00pm
Stalemate at The Moat Ground
Manager Gary Norton gave two players their club debuts as he tried to get that win that has so far eluded Rovers for nine games.
Young winger Jason Nadat and midfielder Lee Mellon were introduced alongside Brian Woodhall and Gavin Saunders both making their Moat Ground debuts.
An almost gale force win and torrential sleet showers did nothing to help either side as the pitch got heavier as the game went on.
Brigg were the first to carve out any sort of a chance when Paul Grimes low shot went inches wide of the upright.
A corner from Saunders bounced around in the area and was only half cleared to Nadat who tried to control the ball but in the end scuffed his shot from just inside the area.
Nadat was in the thick of things minutes later when after some good work from Woodhall he collected the strikers cross and fired towards goal. However, the shot was blocked with what was suspiciously like a handball in the area but the referee Mr Blackwood ignored the appeals.
Brigg were handed the best chance of the first half when a slip from Rovers defender Miles Chamberlain gave Grimes the opportunity to shoot but the attempt went straight to keeper David Clarke.
Daniel Barret was unlucky for the visitors hitting a low first time shot just past the post.
The scrappy first period ended with both sides having one more opportunity to go in at the break in front.
A long dipping shot from Tommy Spall just cleared Rovers' bar and Woodhall having a decent attempt deflected for a corner.
Brigg came out looking purposeful and were soon threatening the home goal. A good move allowed Stuart Ainsley the chance to shoot but Clarke did well to block the effort with his legs.
Jamie Hood, who had reverted back to his usual central defensive slot then almost gave the home side the lead. A shot corner saw Shaun Ridgway lift the ball into the area where the defender managed to get his head on the ball but the chance went agonisingly wide.
Tony Hemmings, playing in the strikers' position, was inches away from connecting with Woodhall's cross shot as he slid in at the far post.
Almost on the hour both side were forced into changes as Mellon and Rick Day had a sickening accidental clash of heads, which resulted in both players needing hospital treatment.
Hemmings showed a good turn of pace making a good run through the middle and firing a shot that Brigg keeper Damien Steer did well to hold on to.
Clarke missed a corner from Grimes on the right but Dan Hope couldn't capitalise and headed the chance over the bar.
Woodhall looked the most like Rovers player to score and went close on 84 minutes when he cut inside a defender and fired but Steer save well low down at his near post.
From the resultant corner Hood was unlucky to see his volley scream over the bar from just outside the area.
Substitute Jermain Hollis on in place of Nadat almost scored an unlikely goal. Collecting the ball out wide on the left he struck a curling goal bound shot that again Steer did extremely well to palm away from the top corner of his net.
A quick break at the end almost saw Brigg snatch an undeserved winner but Clarke was up to the task and tipped Grimes' shot away for the corner.
Manager's View
"I said after the Warrington game not getting anything out of that game that was it as far as the play-offs were concerned and we were looking to try and build for next season.
"I thought we were unlucky today. I thought the new lads particularly Lee Mellon, before he went off with his head injury, brought a lot of what we've perhaps missed this season and perhaps previous seasons into the team.
"For the first time as long as I can remember we've had two six footers in the middle of the park and they've both contributed very, very well.
"Gavin (Saunders) has a good range of passing but he is short of fitness although he has got through another ninety minutes and looked tired towards the end.
"Lee Mellon showed us in just over an hour whilst he was on the pitch what he's all about. He's got drive, he's got enthusiasm and he met his team mates before the game today and within thirty seconds of the kick off he's hollering and barking out instructions and getting organised in there with people - shouting at people and that's what he's been brought in for as well.
"We've missed that - he's good in the dressing room as well as we witnessed before the game with his banter and that. I'm just disappointed that he had to come off because if we could have kept Lee on we may well have done enough to have won the game.
"Brigg's striker and Lee clashed heads. It was quite a brave header because if Lee hadn't have got there he may have had a free header on goal. They both clashed heads and they're both on the way to hospital now. Lee's injury is on the top of his head and that's the one we are concerned about with Monday in mind.
"He didn't want to come off again a testament to the sort of guy he is but it will require stitches and we'll have to see what the medics say. Lee's view is whether they can patch him up and play with a bandage or something - Terry Butcher comes to mind - because we'd love to get him involved at Cammell Laird but we are governed by what the medical people say.
"We haven't scored in the last two games and that's the stark reality. Anyone who was at Warrington poor old Brian (Woodhall) could have had a hat trick in the second half, the keeper's made some cracking saves.
"Today we didn't fashion a lot of chances but what chances that were going - I don't remember Dave (Clarke) having a save to make - just flashed wide of each post or over the bar but nothing real clear cut one-on-one situations. Jermaine (Hollis) at the end, a speculative effort nearly went in.
"We created some half chances, some quarter chances but we really didn't create any clear cut chances but I still felt that we'd created enough to win the game. At times it was our quality and delivery in the final third or at times that little bit of luck in the final third.
"I genuinely thought we did enough to win the game but credit to Brigg they kept battling. They are in a position where they want as may points as they can and obviously we'd not won for nine games before today so it was an important game for both sides and it was a little disappointing because that run goes on.
"We've not scored in the last couple of games however, it is only a matter of time. Look at Brian Woodhall he's fantastic. I'd have loved him and Blenks (David Blenkinsopp) to have played together again today but it was not to be.
"Tony Hemmings worked very, very hard. We are limited with our front men options. Paul Edwards has been carrying some knocks and he's limited in what he can do training wise. With twenty minutes to go you are sending Paul on hoping that we'll be able to do enough in the final third to win the game and we very nearly did.
"On the flip side of it we've given cheap goals away lately but I felt that having Hoodie (Jamie Hood) back in there with Miles (Chamberlain) it was probably as solid as we've looked for a long time as well.
"If you can stop goals leaking at one end you've always got an opportunity at the other end. A key thing today was that we got the clean sheet and we can build on that. We've got some tough games coming up and we'll see if the new editions we've made to the squad can cope or improve us against the top sides.
"We've got a few games against those sorts of sides and we've failed to pick up any meaningful points, significant amount of points against those sides. We start on Monday at Cammell Laird. We've got nothing to lose but they've got everything obviously because they are still going for the title. It's going to be a big game for us."
