UniBond League Division One South
Dales Lane, Rushall
Tuesday, 19th August 2008, 7.45pm
No Gold For Rovers At Olympic's Ground
Gresley Rovers can consider themselves very unlucky to come away from this game without a point to show for their endeavour especially in the second half.
Rovers were soon on the back foot when after just 6 minutes an attempted clearance by keeper David Clarke from a Jamie Hood backpass clattered against Rushall's Nathan Lambey and the ball looped back into the empty net.
Lamey almost scored again three minute later when he hit a ferocious shot from just outside the are that Clarke did well to block but the rebound fell nicely for Dave Haywood and he had the easiest of tasks slotting the ball back into the net.
Rovers did try to hit back and on the half hour a good move saw Oliver Hancock thread a pass through to David Blenkinsopp whose low shot was well held by home keeper Tony Breedon.
Rushall threatened once more with Craig Marshall firing just wide and Phil Rowe's shot saved by Clarke.
Rovers' defender Dan Douglas, back in the starting line-up, skimmed the outside of the far post as he whipped in a shot from Mickey Lyon's free kick.
As the first half drew to an end Clarke made a terrific save to deny Lamey at his near post.
The visitors came out for the second half looking determined to get back into the game and they dominated Rushall pinning them back into their own half for long periods with the home side resorting to the big hoof up field to try and relieve the pressure.
Carl Slater had a shot blocked very early on and Robbie Banks went close to reducing the arrears when he looped an attempt over the advancing Breedon only for the ball to roll the wrong side of the post.
On 53 minutes Rovers scored. A good move saw Lyon's play a one-two with Jamie Barrett and then send a pinpoint pass to the waiting Blenkinsopp and the prolific scorer coolly slotted the ball home.
Lyons was instrumental in a move that almost saw Rovers grab the equaliser. He picked out Barrett sending him racing down the down the right. Barrett sent in a cross that just evaded the outstretched leg of Oliver Hancock at the far post.
On 71 minutes a poor decision by the referee saw him wave away the clearest of penalty shouts as a defender in the area tripped Blenkinsopp as he was making space to shoot.
Rovers manager made a change sending Kevin Lock up front at the expense of defender Sam Wilson as they went all out to grab a point that their second half performance had fully deserved.
The change could have reaped dividends minutes later when Lock's low shot was extremely well saved by Breedon as the ball looked destined for the back of the net.
With time running out and Rovers pushing up field looking for a goal they were caught out.
Lamey was given too much time to pick out Richard Beale whose shot looked to be flying wide but it clipped the post and flew across the face of the goal and ended up just inside the opposite post.
It was cruel on Rovers as their second half fight back deserved a share of the spoils and the third goal made the score line very flattering for the home side.
Manager's View
"We nearly came back from a two goal deficit but we certainly made it hard for ourselves. The manner of the goals - the first one was a bit freakish and the second one we could have done a lot better, I have to be a bit critical of the keeper in that respect.
"But Dave (Clarke) showed a bit of character making a great save when easily his head could have gone. That goes for the rest of the side as well because after ten minutes I looked around and people were very flat and heads were down.
"On the back of Saturday and you start a game like that I was actually worried myself thinking 'my God what are we going to do here, what's going to happen?' I fully expected a response but I didn't expect the level of response we got in the second half and I was delighted with that and it gives us something to build on but at the end of the day we've lost the game.
"No excuses, we made mistakes and were punished and at this level of football you're going to get punished. No excuses, the buck stops with me and I decided to sort it out.
"Our second half performance, but for the one that flashed in at the end off the post one of the only opportunities they've had really from distance, our lads are dead on their feet.
"And if they could give that week in and week out I'm not going to argue. The quality of some of the football we played, and this isn't me trying to dig myself out of a hole, those people who were here tonight will have witnessed some of the football we played second half was something to work with.
"I made a mistake on Saturday, I should have started Mickey Lyons and if he was feeling it from what he was telling me was an illness on Thursday, feeling a lit lethargic I should have taken him of then and not brought him off the bench.
"It was a mistake. I make mistakes I'm human you know and it's about time people realised that. There are a lot of people working very, very hard at this club and it all isn't what it seems. I've still got lads in that dressing room who are still owed money from last season. So don't tell me that people don't care at this football club. I've told the lads to stop reading the website forum because there is some absolute tosh some of the stuff put on there.
"Some of its good, some of its great with criticism where criticism is due. The performance on Saturday was absolutely woeful and they fully deserved, me included, the slating they got on there. But don't go on there putting the situation of people's wages, budgets and that the players are being paid because they are not. It is being sorted and we are happy with that and a lot of those players could have gone elsewhere and have stayed at this club.
"They've showed me passion, they've showed me fight and they've showed me desire and anyone who was here tonight can't question that and it's about time they got off our backs after two games.
"Yes, we have no points after two games but on the back of that performance in the second half I'm more than happy as it gives me something to work with.
"The Sheffield performance was absolutely woeful and we deserved the majority of the slating we got but only for the performance and nothing else.
"Dan Douglas was fantastic tonight he really was. He was very unlucky on Saturday but I felt Jamie (Barrett) who'd played at full back during the pre-season gave us a bit more. I really want to encourage our full backs to get forward. Sam (Wilson) on the other side hasn't had too much football so he's lacking a bit of fitness. He started off a bit shaky but he got into the game but his legs had gone a little bit and to be fair we decided early on that if we were still chasing the game that was the switch we were going to make.
"Dan Douglas was superb tonight and he's shown what he's about. He's been left out of the side and come back in tonight and done a great job.
"One of the big concerns for me is middle of the park. Gavin Saunders has been out of sorts, he's a quality player but I went for Jamie (Barrett) in there because he's got the legs and he had a half decent game for us.
"He was a bit sloppy first half and gave the ball away a bit cheap but second half I can't fault any player if I'm honest.
"Mickey Lyons was fantastic, some of the things he did was breath taking and he's settled in nicely for us - dead pleased!
"We were a man down because Chris White called me a lunch time after we'd already selected the squad and told those who weren't involved in the sixteen last night, saying he was concerned that he couldn't get away from Hull in time and at five o'clock he rang me to say he was only just leaving.
"Obviously the benefit of having five subs on the bench I could have called somebody in at late notice but in fairness to them we'd got things planned for them to be included in the training with the reserves and so we decided not to go. But, when Dave (Clarke) pulled up after kicking the ball I was maybe cursing my luck thinking at that moment I should have brought Simon Baldwin along as back up but in the end we didn't need it.
"For eighty minutes tonight any Gresley supporter watching tonight would have been fairly proud. In the first half, after a shaky start we really didn't get going but we battled and showed character in the second half and there was only one side on the pitch and that was us!"
