Pre-Season Friendly
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 1st August 2009, 3.00pm
Dynamo Dimmed
The conditions for this pre-season game couldn't have been more contrasting to the one played last weekend.
Coalville's visit coincided with a lovely dry, warm and sunny afternoon but the Shepshed game was played in conditions perhaps best suited to aquatic sports with standing water gathering down by the dugouts.
During one of the monsoon showers the game opened with Gresley having the first attempt on goal when Royce Turville's first minute run down the left ended with a shot straight into the midriff of Dynamo's keeper Richard Williams.
William's punt up field led to the visitors opening the scoring. The long ball enabled Danny Gaunt to beat Gresley's defensive high line and although looking suspiciously offside the front man ran on and slipped the ball through the legs of home keeper Simon Badlwin.
On 14 minutes Stefan Marshall almost got his side level with a stinging shot from just inside the area but Williams made a superb block.
A minute later Williams made another great block and the ball skewed to his right and Turville was quickly onto the rebound but the young striker was hacked down only for the referee Mr Marchant to wave away the penalty appeals.
Turville was causing some discomfort to the Dynamo defence and after collecting a flick on by Marshall hit a shot on the volley that was deflected away and he almost repeated the chance a few minutes later this time Jamie Barrett providing the flicked header.
On the half hour it was Baldwin's turn to make a stunning save grabbing the ball out of the top corner as Dave Timmins' header looked certain to find the back of the net.
Dynamo were to rue some glaring misses the first two coming within two minutes of each other. On 39 minutes Gaunt went inches from doubling his tally flashing a shot across the gaping goal and past the far post.
Then former Moatman Eric Graves made a fine run down the left before cutting in and sending over an inviting cross to the far post where Rhys Powell conspired to somehow miss the easiest of chances putting his header wide from close in.
Gresley came out of the blocks for the second half quicker than Dynamo and equalised with only a minute on the clock. After a good move down the right Turville picked out substitute Callum Keenan who beat the keeper with his first touch of the game.
Shepshed were clearly rocked and the home side capitalised four minutes later. Another good move ended with a shot that Williams did well to parry but Turville pounced forcing the rebound home with the help of the far post.
Yet another horrible miss for the visitors came when Chad Sheppard was put though down the left but with only Baldwin to beat fired his shot wide of the far post.
An even more embarrassing miss came on 65 minutes as Dynamo threatened to get back on terms. A good move down the left presented substitute Mark Williams with arguably the easiest chance of the game but his hurried attempt flew wide of the far post.
Another torrential downpour that made players from both sides continue to lose their footing and the introduction of numerous substitutions made the game a scrappy affair for the last 20 minutes or so but Gresley managed to add to their total.
On 72 minutes Carl Slater shrugged off the tackles of a couple of Dynamo players and made a determined run towards goal. Looking up, he saw Marshall at the far post and sent over an inch perfect cross that big striker headed in at the far post past the static Williams.
In the final ten minutes Dynamo should have, at least, clawed another goal back but their wayward finishing added to their miserable afternoon at the Moat Ground.
A shot was very well blocked by Baldwin and then Mark Williams, not having the best of games, once more missed a gilt edged chance.
Another former Moatman Nathan Morris tried his luck with a long range shot that comfortably cleared the bar before the referee brought the very damp proceedings to a close.
Manager's View
"I thought the officials weren't too bad and were the same for both sides really. There were some decisions that didn't go for both sides.
"The weather wow! It's supposed to be summer and with the amount of rain we should have been playing water polo out there at times.
"Fair play to the ground staff. We spoke to them early this morning and they were confident of it (that the game would go ahead) and I hope we haven't done too much damage to it because it was looking fantastic and credit to all the guys who spend their time working on it.
"This side (of the pitch) in particularly just in front of the dugouts is where normally it does hold a bit of water and you could see the surface water - the ball stopped once or twice.
"But, overall I felt it wasn't a bad game of football. There were some sliding tackles going in and I was bothered about the players and the ground staff were bothered about the stud marks that the sliding tackles would leave. I don't think either ourselves or Shepshed have come out with any injuries which was pleasing.
"There was a little one, I think Chad Sheppard has flow in on Tom Betteridge but to be fair to him his studs weren't raised and it was just his momentum that's come through. He (Sheppard) is a very determined player and you wouldn't mind a player like that in your side because he just wants to win.
"I wasn't happy with the challenge and I told Chad that and I'm sure that if one of our guys had done a challenge on the Shepshed side Dave (Stringer) and Jimmy (Ginnelly) wouldn't have been too happy. In fairness to Chad he has apologised at the end and it was just the winning mentality that he's got. Just use the conditions and don't just slide in there.
"Other referees may have said 'look, just cool down for fifteen minutes or whatever, but the referee's chosen to make that decision and I'm not going to question that on this occasion.
"Carl Timms left and it wasn't my choice he made his own views. We had five players on the bench today and we've had three or four unavailable because of cricket commitments so Carl's looked at the squad, and when you factor all that into it, he's said realistically 'am I going to play' not necessarily sit on the bench so he's made the decision to move on and I fully respect that. He wants to play regularly and regardless of anyone's view he's made the decision for us.
"He (Carl) doesn't think that when we've got our strongest squad available he's going to get a regular game and I've got to respect Carls view on that. I'd have loved him to have stuck around and fought for a shirt. Callum Keenan is on the bench at the moment. Callum is a class little player. He's come on today and bang, goal in the second minute of coming on.
"Carl (Timms) has looked at all the midfield options we've got sensibly and thought I'm best off going to get my regular elsewhere.
"We are building a nice little squad and we have seventeen players signed on and we're in for a couple more. We are waiting for a decision from Strez (Mark Strezewski) hopefully this weekend, and we have a player that we can officially speak to tomorrow and if we sign those two players it takes it up to nineteen and that's with only one goal keeper in the squad. If Tommy Allen will sign first team forms that's twenty without Carl Timms and Nathan Rolph who have both left.
"You have to look at the bigger picture and see what players, the likes of John Shales and Paul Edwards who we've got available as well once the cricket season finishes - of it ever finishes this year with this weather!
"To be fair to Carl Timms he wants to go and settled in with another side before the season starts which is obviously a week on Saturday.
"I've spoken to Mark Strezewski this week more times than I spoken to my wife or so it seems. He keeps apologising in keeping us hanging about, he doesn't want to appear that he's messing us about which he isn't.
"I've chatted to him a lot this week. The postponement of the Rotherham game (against Mickleover Sports) was frustrating for Mickleover and us because we wanted things clearing up afterwards. We spoke at length last night and he's gone to play for Mickleover at St Andrews and he'll be talking to me tomorrow. Once that decision is made either way we can move on but having said the signing of Paul Edwards this week is a bonus for us.
"Paul was very comfortable in the UniBond league last year without being fit. He's very fit now and he can play at the back, in the middle of midfield and up front and stand out so I'm not over concerned.
"With Jamie Barrett also a stand out player in those areas it's a fantastic dilemma to have. I felt my back four in the first half - Martin Rowe and I were chatting - there wasn't enough chat and communication amongst them and we know that Jamie brings that. So Jamie going in there he made us look a little more organised at the back. He was talking and organising and that's no disrespect to Chris (Mawbey) who made way for him.
"I've spoken to both Chris and Gareth (Langford) they don't talk enough. Information and chat out there is key - someone who can organise and see the bigger picture and Strez does bring that. But as I've said if he doesn't come we've got the option of Jamie and Paul Edwards who are both good organisers and good communicators and we'll try to coach that into players like Chris.
"If we've picked any knocks up, and hopefully we haven't, we'll look who's available and who isn't and it crossed our minds to send the reserves to Newhall on Tuesday, but they've got a game at the Moat weather permitting. If that game was postponed we could take one of two to Newhall in a mixed squad.
"It's frustrating because Tuesday was going to be my last training session and there are a lot of things we want to work on. We wanted to train before the game today in some shape work and set plays but out of respect for the ground staff we didn't want to damage the pitch but on reflection on that performance we're not looking too bad at the moment.
"We are certainly not going to hit the floor running on August 11th in terms of how organised we want to be and some of the tactical work Martin, Simon and I want to do but we're not a million miles away because that was a good showing today against a UniBond outfit."
