UniBond Division One South
Cannon Park, Retford
Saturday, 23rd August 2008, 3.00pm
Hoodwinked
Gresley Rovers left Cannon Park with all three points and their hosts, last season's runaway league champions Retford United stunned.
Rovers went into this game lifted by their second half performance at Rushall Olympic on Tuesday where they should have had a share of the spoils.
Manager Gary Norton made just one change to the starting line-up bringing in goalkeeper Nicky Scaife for David Clarke who had a run out with the reserves.
Retford thought they'd made the perfect start when Duncan Bray picked out Paul Grimes who fired past Scaife but their celebrations were cut short by the flag of the assistant being raised.
Rovers settled but the home side were pressing forward with Ollie Chappell heading wide on 17 minutes.
Ten minutes later Scaife made a superb save tipping a stinging shot from Dan White over the bar.
On the hour Rovers were awarded a free kick just outside the area but Mickey Lyon's shot flew across the face of the goal.
Minutes later Oliver Hancock made a good run through the middle but unfortunately his shot went wide.
Four minutes before the break David Blenkinsopp had a chance to take his side in at the break a goal up. Robbie Banks played a terrific ball through sending Blenkinsopp on his was but with only keeper Chris Kingston to beat the striker tried to curl his shot around Kingston who made a decent save.
With the referee almost blowing for half time, Micky Godber curled a shot that clipped the post leaving Scaife helpless.
Rovers came out for the second period flying and soon were in the lead. They forced a corner almost from the off and Banks swung over the flag kick which found Blenkinsopp. However, his shot was blocked but Jamie Hood was on hand to smash home the rebound from close in.
The home side tried to get back into the game but a wild shot by Ryan Ford didn't help matters.
Rovers were still having the better of the chances and a good move saw Lyon's set Jamie Barrett up but the final shot was poor firing wide.
On 73 minutes Retford should have levelled. A long throw into Rovers' area was not cleared but Ford, just four or five yards out somehow managed to put his shot high over the bar.
Two minutes later a corner from the left by Ford was headed towards the goal but was cleared off the line by a Rovers' defender.
Rovers held out in the final minutes and should have doubled their score two minutes into time added on. Substitute Kevin Lock was heading for goal but a yard inside the area he was hacked down from behind for a clear penalty but unbelievably the referee Mr Plowright saw nothing wrong with the tackle.
Manager's View
"I'm delighted - a bit speechless to be honest! I thought we worked very hard today.
"I spoke to Pete (Duffield - Retford's manager) before the game and he said he didn't feel his side was functioning on all cylinders yet.
"But we hadn't been functioning on any up until half time against Rushall so it was pleasing to come away and grind. We played some good stuff as well at times and arguably we missed the two best chances of the game possibly, three best chances of the game been one-on-one twice with the keeper and we'll be doing a bit of work on that on the training pitch.
"I'm delighted with the three points and clean sheet trying to get some points on the board after a third attempt.
I'm more pleased for the lads because we've taken a battering as a team and I took most of it head on with my coaching staff over the last few days so it's pleasing to come away and grind a result out like that.
"We've had to calm them down in there (the dressing room). I said to the lads "calm down and have some respect, you are in the backyard of the champions. Although we won the game today we are not getting carried away we've still got a lot of hard work to do.
"We're not finished yet! Today was more like it. How the team can perform as a group of individuals last Saturday against Sheffield like that defensively and then can come and keep our discipline and shape today as we did I'm not quite sure but I'm pleased we have put it that way.
"It was a real team performance today. It was gritty and it was a carry on from the other night against Rushall. Perhaps it wasn't as good a football but it was disciplined and I must admit there were spells in the first half when we played some really, really good football and there was large parts of the second half that we played some good football and then when we needed to we played the game that we needed to.
"We were disciplined, we were putting into corners in the end running the clock down. We had a great shout for a penalty as well. The referee thinks that Locky (Gavin Lock) slipped but I think otherwise.
"I think we had two or three nailed on ones the other night but we are going to get our luck in the coming games, but at the end of the day it didn't cost us anything.
"Going into injury time I had the Burton Albion pre-season thoughts all over again that we were going to concede a late one but fortunately we held out.
"The keeper made a big difference - a huge difference with his kicking. He looked a bit shaky once or twice when he come for stuff but he's new and he was very nervous would you believe, a man of his size, very nervous but at the end you saw his worth when he's come and plucked two massive balls in a crowded box when we were put under pressure. It takes so much pressure off you when you've got a keeper who can do that.
"His kicking was great and his handling after the first ten or fifteen minutes was superb. He took a blow on the head in the first half making him a bit dizzy but he enjoyed it and long may that continue.
"It really was pleasing to keep a clean sheet. People of got to think of the start we've had. We were not in the best of shape going into today's game we'd played the last season UniBond play-off finalists, the Southern League play off finalists and we've played last season's UniBond champions in our last three games.
"It was not the ideal start coming into today and if anything the pressure was off today because we weren't expected by anybody to get anything from the game.
"But we got three points and that's given us a foundation to work with but we can't relax. We've got a couple of players missing for the next few games. I've been busy trying to persuade Jamie (Hood) to play on Monday but he's got a flight that will be difficult to get to. He's our captain and we really could do with him to play but at the end of the day we'd respect it if he found it too tight for time.
"Mickey Lyons as well. I've just said to him "I've nicked your passport from your car and you are going nowhere!" But he flies off on holiday tomorrow so he misses the next two games Monday and Saturday, which is a huge blow to us, but in fairness to Mickey he'd got it pre-arranged before he'd signed for anybody this pre-season.
"But we've got bodies in the squad. Lee Mellon played ninety minutes for the reserves today, Chris White has played ninety minutes today as did Chris Sleath and David Clarke so we've got plenty of bodies around at the minute and we've got versatility and flexibility in the squad.
"We lack a little bit of quality but what we lack in quality on today's performance we've got the work rate and work ethic but we've got to make sure we do it week in week out not just a one-off.
"Brian Woodall could be back. He did the warm-up today with us. He's a bit sore but we are hoping he may be available for Monday's game but we will have to have a look at that. We'll get him in early to assess him but he's been striking the ball but mainly it's been straight line stuff and we've not pushed it but there is a chance he may be."
