FA Cup Preliminary Round
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 30th August 2008, 3.00pm
Rovers Ease Past Alvechurch
Gresley Rovers got off to the best start possible in this FA Cup preliminary round at home to Midland Alliance outfit Alvechurch. Unfortunately for the visitors it was completely the opposite!
Alvechurch started the game looking distinctly shaky and on 3 minutes it contributed to a goal and a sending off.
Keeper Shaun Hayes inexplicably passed the ball back into the path of Rovers' David Blenkinsopp after miss kicking his clearance out wide in his area. Blenkinsopp took a couple of strides forward and just as he was about to slot the ball into the gaping empty goal he was cruelly hacked down from behind by defender Scott Smith.
The referee Mr Howitt had no alternative but to award the penalty and send Smith off for an early bath for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity.
With Blenkinsopp off the field receiving treatment midfielder Gavin Saunders chose to take the spot kick that was a poor one but Saunders, after Hayes had blocked the kick, slotted the rebound, home.
Alvechurch continued to dish out some very harsh treatment on Blenkinsopp during the next couple of minutes with Neil Sullivan making a cynical foul on the striker adding to the injury that the referee totally ignored.
However, Rovers added to their lead just three minutes later when a corner from the left by Oliver Hancock was headed home by Jamie Barrett.
Alvechurch made their first attempt on Rovers' goal on 15 minutes when Sam Wills fired well wide.
Rovers extended their lead on 20 minutes after a quick throw in from Jordi Gough picked out Saunders who made his way into the area where he found Blenkinsopp with a pass who side footed the ball into the net.
Five minutes later Barrett went close to adding a fourth but his header from Gough's corner went wide.
Whether Rovers thought the game was over and they were looking forward to the next round, they seemed to take their foot off the accelerator and allowed Alvechurch to score after some poor defending.
Instead of putting the ball out of play defender Sam Wilson chose to try to head the ball back to keeper Nicky Scaife but his effort was woefully short and Ashley Edwards nipped in to take the ball around the stranded Scaife and knock into the empty net.
Rovers hit back forcing a couple of corners and right on the stroke of half time they almost bagged another goal when a cross from Gough was volleyed goalwards but the ball clattered the underneath of the bar and bounced away to safety.
Rovers' manager was forced into an early change after Blenkinsopp struggled to shake off the knee injury picked up at the start of the first half bringing on Kevin Lock.
The home side went close seconds later when Miles Chamberlain headed Gough's corner just over the bar.
They didn't have to wait long for the goal that virtually ended the game. On 54 minutes Saunders flicked a clearance from the Rovers' defence through to Lock who raced forward and coolly slotted the ball past substitute keeper Josh Coney.
With Rovers content to rest on their tally Alvechurch had a couple of rare chances to reduce the arrears. James Ince flashed a shot wide when well placed and substitute Joshua Ferran should have done far better putting a free header wide.
Hancock did well to get in a low cross that flew through the box but no Rovers' player could get the vital touch. A minute later Lock fairly challenged the keeper and the ball fell to substitute Tom Livesage who put his first time shot just wide.
Lock seemed the most likely to add to Rovers' total and was unlucky to see his lob go just wide with the keeper stranded.
Alvechurch finish strongly with a long-range shot from Steffano Abanandi going close and Ferran fluffing his chance hitting a shot straight at Scaife but in the end it had been a comfortable victory for the home side.
Manager's View
"Yes, we got off to the dream start today - same as last week only in our favour! That's where Dave (Blenkinsopp) picked his injury up in the first minute. Goalkeeper, when you make a mistake like that you want the ground to open up and obviously it's been in our favour today and got the penalty and because Dave's had to come off the pitch for treatment, he's our penalty taker, he's not been able to take it so Gavin (Saunders) stepped up.
"It was as poor a penalty as you're ever likely to see at this level of football, I think he was on his holidays how he strolled up to take that one but fortunately it dropped for us and he got the rebound and then we got the second goal after the sending off so we were pleased with the start obviously.
"We just got sloppy for their goal to be honest. We got the cushion of the early goals and the third one going in the corner from a Jamie Barrett header and they were a man down and we were three nil up at home and rather than be professional and take the game by the scruff of the net and put on a show for our supporters and build further confidence, we thought 'right we'll coast' and it stood out a mile.
"Our passing was sloppy, our movement was sloppy, everyone was passing the buck with very few exceptions and it's a good job that we got the goals in the bag when we did because on another day we may have been punished for that.
"Kev Lock sealed the game. We are still looking for players to go and impose themselves. I know it's a muggy afternoon but those guys out there in the second half had the opportunity to move the ball, play the system and get the ball down and play and be offensive and win the game professionally and we should have won the game by a little bit more.
"They key is that we won and we are through to the next round although overall the performance we are not happy with that. We'll be working on that in training on Tuesday and Thursday and the benefit is that we haven't got a game this week.
"We were going to take Dave (Blenkinsopp) off at halftime but he wanted to come out and give it a go but if he'd have put that one in on the stroke of halftime to make it four one I would have made the decision for him but three one if I took Dave off and they'd have got going and got a sniff early doors I just didn't want to limit ourselves with the options we had on the bench. It was apparent from his first run after halftime that he was still struggling with it so we thought we'd get him off.
"It's only a slight problem in the knee - I'm hoping so anyway - he'll get treatment this week and fingers crossed he'll be ready for next week.
"Nicky Scaife didn't have much to do today. His kicking was superb by the way. He was a bit erratic last week but what he did he did very well but there was the occasional ones when he scuffed them but today I thought he was almost exceptional.
"He gives us such an extra dimension when we can get out of our half and a lot of his kicks turn into offensive moves for us. But no, he didn't have much to do today but what he did he did well. He'll like that sort of afternoon game in game out I suppose."
