UniBond League Division One South
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 16th August 2008, 3.00pm
Sheffield Have The Edge
Gresley Rovers made the worst start to the new league campaign being beaten comfortably by a strong Sheffield side leaving manager Gary Norton furious.
The visitors took the lead after just 12 minutes when a cross found its way to Scott Partridge who curled a superb shot past keeper David Clarke and into the far corner.
Rovers hit back with a header from Jamie Hood just going over from Gavin Saunders's free kick and a similar kick this time found Brian Woodall whose shot was deflected for a corner.
Jamie Barrett then had a chance to level things minutes later but again the header went over from Tom Liversage's corner kick.
Some poor defending led to Sheffield doubling their lead. A shot corner was slung into the box by Matt Outram which the Rovers back line couldn't deal with after several attempts leaving Partridge a clear shot that was helped into the net by Vill Powell.
Barrett brought out a good save from visiting keeper Leigh Walker while Clarke made two outstanding consecutive saves to keep his side in with a chance.
The first from Partridge's vicious shot and then from Powell as he tried to smash home the rebound.
As the first half was about to end another save from Walker denied David Blenkinsopp the chance to at least get one goal back.
The game ended within 15 minutes or so from the start of the second period as Sheffield scored three times to leave the home supporters shaking their heads in disbelief at another exhibition of inept defending by their side.
On 52 minutes Powell blasted home the third goal from the edge of the box. A good move down the right involving Steve Wooley, Gavin Smith and Powell led to Partridge having the easiest of tasks tapping the ball home.
The fifth goal came again as a result of some more poor defending when Outram was given time and space to plant his header from Paul Smith's cross past the helpless Clarke.
The changes Norton had made began to have the desired effect and on 79 minutes Rovers pulled a goal back when substitute Robbie Banks made a fine run down the right before sending over a cross to the near post and David Blenkinsopp nipped in to tap the ball home as the visitors dithered.
Kevin Lock went close sending a looping header goalwards but Walker managed to divert the effort past the far post.
Blenkinsopp grabbed his second goal when a corner from Banks on the right was headed over the visiting defence and again with Sheffield's defence not deciding what to do with the ball the striker took his chance and tapped the ball over the line.
Manager's View
"I feel like I want to kill someone to be honest and rip somebody's head off on the back of that!
"I was shell shocked about half an hour, forty five minutes ago watching that shambolic defensive performance.
"Ant (Tony Hemmings) has just said in the dressing room that 'football does not build character it finds them out!' and we'll find out after today who's got character, who's got heart, who's got desire.
"Last week I was willing to put it down to a bad day at the office playing against a quality side.
"I'm totally gutted. We have a new regime, a new season full of optimism there's been lots of things going off this summer. You wake up on the morning of a new season and you see the sun shining and everyone buzzing. Everyone wants to play, everyone wants to get down to the ground and you see the expectation and you turn in that!
"That aint happening. I'm not going to allow for that and I'm not going to stand for that. Key players let us down massively today. Players who have been bang at it pre-season were way off it today. I could pick names but I've done my talking in the dressing room, they know how I feel.
"No-one could give me a response. People have got things to say and they had the opportunity to say it. Every single one of them could not disagree with a word I had to say in there. There are one or two on the back foot in there today and I want to see a response like a hurt animal on Tuesday night.
"There will be changes on the back of that. There has been some difficult decisions today but we are not going to panic though. Obviously we've been in situations like this before but with all the positivity around on the opening day of the season you don't want to have a performance like that.
"The second goal was as a result of giving a silly free kick away like that in that situation was the root of that goal. We got to half time and to be fair it could have been more. We started the second half a little more positive and we give a soft goal away like that not putting enough pressure on their nine when he took his shot and it's gone in the middle of the goal through Dave's (Clarke) grasp.
"There were several key players today who haven't been at it. We weren't big enough, we weren't strong enough. Technically we were off it today and it's been a lesson. Last week was a lesson, a kick up the backside so we are not standing for that.
"Bringing on Mickey Lyons and Robbie Banks in particular as substitutes had an impact but having said that when you are five-nil up and a game on Tuesday you are going to make changes. I was glad to see Scott Partridge come off because he'd run us ragged all game. So it's hard to say it made a positive impact or not because you are five nil down at home. Putting them on if you're two-one down you can see whether they made an impact or not.
"They both went on and both did a job. Robbie's not quite fit yet but had an impact and Mickey; we know what Mickey can do. He's been feeling a little bit tired and a bit lethargic of late and if I was reflecting last night looking at my team that was the most difficult decision whether to go with Mickey or not. Neither of them has done themselves any harm about being included on Tuesday night.
"The way we defended probably Sam Wilson apart who did a fairly decent job for us I don't think anybody else can complain if they are left out on Tuesday night.
"Dan Douglas has been unlucky to be left out but he could well feature on Tuesday. I'm just disappointed we haven't got the likes of Barry Woolley around and obviously Lee Mellon. We could have done with a character like Lee out there today and maybe Chris White but unfortunately the damage had already been done. Putting Chris on being three or four down it's not going to change the game but putting Mickey on is going to get us back in the game.
"We're not going to panic. We're going calm down a little bit and reflect on things tonight. I was contemplating whether I got the players in tomorrow or Monday but we're just going to get feedback on the ground and consider things properly and prepare for Tuesday's game.
"I can only apologise on behalf of myself and the staff to the supporters who have been full of expectation. We're not going to stand for that and look for excuses. We are going to bounce back from that.
"It's no consolation that we played one of the strongest sides in the league. They've kept the nucleus of the side, the majority of the side and I was talking to their gaffer Chris (Dolby) before the game and they've added better players to it without a shadow of a doubt.
"If you look across their bench and the players who weren't stripped today they've got some great players but technically we have. Look at the side we put out today. It's a young side, very naive but they've got to start learning and it's no consolation as a manager saying that they are a strong side and they'll be up there because it's too early to say first and foremost.
"But, we've presented them with opportunities today. We've not been tough enough, we've not been tight enough - to me that's the basics. Get the basics right and you've got half a chance and you might be able to scrap a result out. But you give sides like Sheffield time and space like that and present goal scoring opportunities to them like that they'll take them.
"If you're not tight and track movement, and I'm talking experienced players, some of the younger players were left out to dry today and that was disappointing.
"Yes, they are a good side without a shadow of a doubt and we've got to be competing better than that or it's going to be a long hard season.
"Let's not forget, and I'll still back the players up, we've got a stronger squad this year than we had last. Maybe a little bit light in places cover wise but we are a stronger squad this season on paper and individually than many would give us credit for but on that showing we've got a lot of work to do to prove it!"
