East Midlands Counties League
Primrose Hill, Blackwell
Saturday, 26th September 2009, 3.00pm
Slater's Late Strike Earns A Point
It looked like another game, which Gresley had dominated, was going to end pointless until substitute Carl Slater's low strike salvaged a share of the points deep into time added on.
Lowly Blackwell Miners Welfare had just two attempts on goal but found themselves ahead through two some poor defending as the visitors failed to capitalise on a hatful of chances.
Tom Betteridge went close to opening the scoring on 14 minutes when his cross-cum-shot deceived the keeper Jermaine Judson but bounced off the top of the bar.
Six minutes later Brian Woodall was sent through on goal but Judson was quickly off his line to clear the danger. Moments later Judson did well to push Jamie Barrett's stinging shot away.
On 26 minutes Woodall had two half chances the first was blocked by a defender and the second he blazed over the bar.
Gresley were creating the chances but were being frustrated by some resolute defending from the home side.
Woodall made a good run down the right and sent over a cross that picked out Mickey Lyons but the midfielder could only put his header over the bar. Barrett was next to head wide this time Tom Betteridge was the provider of the cross.
Despite Gresley having most of the play it was Blackwell who took an unlikely lead against the run of play right on the stroke of halftime. A cross from the right picked out Nick Hewer totally unmarked and he confidently planted his header wide of keeper Simon Baldwin.
Gresley needed an early reply and it came on 50 minutes. More pressure from the visitors resulted in Lyons bursting though in the area only to be brought down by defender David Barrie. Barrett, who scored from a penalty in midweek, chose to take the kick but it was a poor one and Judson blocked the shot only for the alert Royce Turville to ram the rebound home.
It looked like the floodgates would open as the game became one way traffic but Blackwell were working extremely hard defending for all they were worth.
Four chances came within the next four minutes with Turville putting a volley over the bar, Woodall having a shot superbly finger tipped away for a corner by the keeper, Turville putting a header over and then another shot deflected just wide.
Woodall then shot over the bar and Rob Spencer firing Turville's flick agonisingly wide.
Gresley were to rue all these misses as the only attack from the home side ended in a goal. Blackwell forced their only corner of the game on 77 minutes and as the ball sailed over it appeared that Baldwin had dropped the ball under pressure and Shaun Archbold was on hand to scramble the ball home. The linesman had his flag raised but after a talk from the referee the goal was given.
Blackwell began to waste time and a couple of time the referee indicated that he would add time on and it was deep into the time added on that Gresley got the goal that gave them at least a share of the points.
Gresley forced a corner on the right taken by Woodall, eventually the ball came to substitute Slater who had replaced Lyons, and the midfielder smashed a low shot from 25 yards through a crowded box and into the corner of the net much to the visible relief of players, management and travelling supporters.
Manager's View
Martin Rowe
"This was a game we played very well and dominated the game for eighty percent of it. We played really well at times but our build up was a bit slow at times.
"We should have been a lot slicker, a lot quicker but you've got to give credit to them (Blackwell). They absolutely worked their socks off trying to close us down.
"But we've created enough chances to have coma away from this game winning five, six, seven one and if we made mistakes at the back and I'm sure Simon (Baldwin) will put his hand up as he made a mistake for the second goal and maybe the first goal by not doing a proper clearance he should at least have got it halfway but his clearance wasn't very good.
"We've been getting some harsh lessons recently but our biggest problem is that we need to put the ball in the back of the net and kill sides off. When we have that twenty minutes of pressure we are not scoring goals. If we'd have scored one goal in the first fifteen minutes we'd have gone on and won the game.
"We made a decision when we got here today to leave Carl Slater out which was a very, very difficult decision but Carl will put his hand up and say he's not been playing that well this season to be fair. We made that decision which may be right or it may be wrong but me and Gaz (Gary Norton) made it.
"The great thing was that when Carl came on today he proved what a good player he is but as a club Gresley needs that for ninety minutes not just now and again and I'm sure that with him being left out again today he will respond in the best way by producing a good game next week if he plays.
"Stefan Marshall has hurt his back at work and was out today which was very disappointing because Stef's played the last few games and was just starting to get back into it.
"Royce (Turville) has come on today and has two very good chances but unfortunately he's not hit the target but he responded well for the penalty which is a forwards' instinct.
"I know supporters are going to be disappointed by particularly last week's but also today's results but I can assure you that me, Gaz and the rest of the lads are working hard. No-one will be more disappointed than Gary, his heart and soul's in Gresley Football Club and I think at times people need to get behind Gary instead of maybe getting on his back a bit too much.
"As a club we've dropped down two divisions and a lot of people have been saying 'we'll do this, we'll do that' but it's very difficult because we are like the Man U of the league and everyone wants to beat us. But, we'll be there. We're focused; we know what we want to do, and where we want to be around Christmas time.
"Next week we are in the FA Vase and we'd like to have a good run in it but I'd swap that for promotion from this league. That is our number one priority but there is no reason why we can't do both.
"People have got to be more focussed, even more so now. It's an opportunity that we could possibly win. We'll try and get as far as we can in that competition but our priority is the league."
