UniBond League Division One South
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Tuesday, 17th February 2009, 7.45pm
Generous Gresley Gift Goals
Rushall Olympic must have thought Christmas had arrived very late as Rovers gifted their visitors three very soft goals that enabled them to leave the Moat Ground with three of the easiest points they will win this season and without having to work for them!
Manager Gary Norton was forced to make changes with his defenders Chris Mawbey and Jordi Gough both injured.
Into the squad came reserves team players Justis Hayden, who started alongside Paul Edwards at the centre of defence, and Ashley Justin and new signing forward Keith Harrison both on the bench.
Harley Hollinshead was dropped to the bench with Carl Timms pulled back into defence at right back and Nathan Tate at left back.
The standard was set as early as the second minute when keeper Simon Baldwin somehow pushed a somewhat routine corner from the right by Richard Beale into his own net at the near post.
Rushall could have double their tally two minutes later but Nathan Tate was on hand to head the attempt off the line.
Baldwin redeemed himself a little on 10 minutes when Jarred Stevens turned on the penalty spot and struck a vicious shot that the keeper did well to palm away for another corner. Tate was called on again from the resulting flag kick heading another attempt off the line.
A minute later Carl Slater had the first attempt on goal by the home side but his crisply struck shot just cleared the bar.
Olympic's Craig Marshall will still be wondering why he didn't add to the score but he failed by a whisker to get onto the end of a low cross into the box from the left by Stevens.
Slater again gave his side a glimmer of hope when he cracked in a shot that Olympic's keeper Tony Breedon did extremely well to save at the foot of the post.
A free kick from Ian Cooper was pushed away by Baldwin with a follow up shot just fizzing past the upright.
Just after the hour mark, Baldwin did his side no favours when, for the second game running, he failed to connect with the ball after charging out of his area allowing Stevens to calmly roll the ball into the empty net.
Baldwin proved what a good shot stopper he can be when he blocked a thunderous shot from Beale.
For all Rovers' graft they could not find the cutting edge up front and it was the visitors who looked more like scoring going forward.
The final goal of the evening was again the result of a gift this time from Tate who up to that point had had a good game.
A ball was played down the right into Rovers' bottom left quarter and Tate went scampering after it to clear, but instead of putting the ball out for a throw he chose to inexplicably play the ball in field woefully short of the onrushing Baldwin and into the path of the waiting Olympics substitute and top scorer Nathan Lamey who couldn't believe his luck as he slotted the ball into an unguarded net.
Manager's View
"There were one or two errors tonight. In the last two games they are starting to creep in a little bit and it's so frustrating.
"Tonight we played a good side in Rushall. You'd only got to see the quality on the bench they had to bring on if needed and yet I've asked the lads in the dressing room 'have Rushall had to work for any of their goals?' and they haven't.
"The first goal was a bit of a calamity really. Our front man marking on the front post has had to come off to pick someone up who has made a spinning run. Normally the back post man is asked to come across but obviously we've not had time to work with the guys as three of the back four were new.
"Having said that it looked a routine ball but Simon dropped it in the net and that's the first minute and you think here we go we're up against it. We bounced back well and I felt as though they competed well in the first half without creating chances. Yes, we rode our luck at times but we got to half time at one-nil and you think you are still in with a shout but the manner of the next two goals again Rushall haven't had to work for them.
"That's disappointing. We've not played particularly well tonight and Rushall have been presented with three points. On another night we may have hung in there and the longer the game goes nil-nil or one-nil and keeping the game tight the more nervous perhaps Rushall would have got and maybe thrown some bodies forward and maybe opened things up for us a little bit more but if we give goals away like that we're not going to win football matches at all.
"It is starting to be a concern and it is starting to be frustrating because we are not creating too many chances and I think that's evident in the mood in the changing room as well.
"The graft is there. The pleasing thing tonight was when we went two nil down and when the third one went in it was different to Saturday, heads didn't drop. We wanted than and we needed that. As long as we're giving one hundred and ten percent every minute and every second of every game then I think the supporters will accept the situation. "If we have many more performances in the manner of the last twenty minutes on Saturday the supporters are not going to take that regardless of the situation we're in and that's what I stressed to the lads before the game.
"It was pleasing that we kept going to the end. The graft was there but obviously we are lacking quality and it's something we are trying desperately hard to address. It's futile at the moment. Its many phone calls and many knock backs and that's why we've given two or three more lads from the reserves an opportunity tonight.
"Liam Hebberd is dropping too deep and it's something we've spoken to him about. We don't want him to drop in there but he keeps insisting in doing it and he's isolating Matt Weightman who needs someone with experience with him. Liam has that experience and Matt being seventeen has run his socks off again tonight but he could do with someone up there to guide him through games and to tell him when to make runs and what runs to make and lead the line a little bit.
"The graft between the two of them at time is phenomenal but Tony (Hemmings) brought it up at half time that they are working in isolation. We are trying hard but we are limited in the front man department we signed the young lad Keith Harrison who showed a few nice touches when he came on and we are talking with a Conference club trying to get a player in on loan and we are waiting on that one but we are a bit light up front so it's hard to be too critical of the lads that are grafting up there for us.
"Three people in the last couple of days have asked if Tony (Hemmings) will be putting his boots on again - possibly. He'd certainly give us something in a number of positions but he isn't as fit as he used to be. It's something we've discussed but we're not probably going to go with but I wouldn't write it off because he is registered and if needed, he will pull the boots on.
"I brought Lee Fell off as he was awful. He's been awful for the last couple of games and he knows that. He's big enough to accept that. He's made the step up from the reserves and he's done really, really well and we've been singing his praises for weeks. Lee's a confidence player and that won't do his confidence any good but we need everybody giving one hundred and ten percent for that first period of the game.
"There were one or two situations that developed and we felt we could have got a lot more out of Lee and a few weeks ago would have. We've had a private chat with Lee and he's taken it on his chin and he knows what's needed from him and if he's back to normal then he'll be in the side. If he isn't then it's someone else's opportunity.
"Just because we are in the situation we are in doesn't mean we can have players come in and think they can stroll their way through games. They give one hundred and ten percent while they've got that shirt on otherwise they move over and give someone else a go.
"I've stopped looking at the bottom three or four now. It's going to be a scrap between us and Brigg and we found out at the weekend that it is one that goes down and I know our remaining eleven fixtures as well as I know Brigg's twelve fixtures.
"From my point of view we've got a bit of a cushion but if they put a bit of a run together we'll be watching that one and the last thing I want to do is finish bottom of the league and go down.
"We may need to bring in some players to get us the points we need. Three or four points may be enough but at the moment where are those three or four points going to come from on the evidence of recent performances?
"The Willenhall performance seems a long time ago now where we scrapped and battled. We were disappointed with our organisational play tonight and reiterate Rushall haven't had to work for their goals. We rode our luck at times and we weren't as organised as three, four, five weeks ago. We've got to get back to that and make sides have to break us down. If sides are going to score goals make them have to work to score goals against us.
"We need to cut out individual errors and Simon (Baldwin) has held his hands up in the dressing room tonight. He'll play Saturday as I'll back him one hundred percent. He's had a very good season for us but the last couple of performances haven't been the Simon Baldwin that we know. He's big enough and strong enough to come back mentally and we've had a quick chat and he's raring to go on Saturday and make amends as are one or two others."
