East Midlands Counties League
The Town Ground, Heanor
Saturday, 10th April 2010, 3.00pm
Stalemate at the Town Ground
This game was like two boxers slugging it out with constant body shots but with neither managing to get in the knock-out punch to end the bout but in the final ten minutes or so it sprung into life.
Both sides had gilt edged chances to grab the three points as the game drew to a close but the both goals refused to be breached.
Heanor opened brightly with Jaylee Hodgson firing weakly at Gresley keeper Gary Hateley and at the other end a good move between Brian Woodall, David Blenkinsopp and Royce Turville ended with the latter hitting his shot over the bar.
It was the home side's turn then to try their luck but another weak shot this time from Lee Stevenson made it easy for Hateley to hold on to. Gresley's Rob Spencer then fired just wide as the action swung from end to end.
The lively Dan Williams got the better of Jamie Barrett but from a very good position could only fire into the side netting. He them kicked the ball away in frustration and was deservedly booked for his petulance.
Gresley went agonisingly close on 37 minutes when Turville managed to get a flick on the ball to send it goal wards but Heanor's keeper Sam Ogrizovic somehow managed to claw the ball from out of the top corner of the net.
Shots from Carl Slater went wide and over respectively and Tom Land also missed the mark with a shot after Jordi Gough's corner had found the defender at the far post.
The first half ended with both sides having an equal share of the game.
Heanor went a fingertip from taking the lead on 47 minutes when a shot from the left was acrobatically tip over the bar by Hateley.
Further attempts from the home side went begging with Hodgson having the better one which he fired over the bar at the far post.
On 56 minutes Heanor had their keeper to thank when Turville was put through but Ogrizovic did well to stick out a leg to block the shot.
Heanor should have taken the lead two minutes later when a superb cross into the box just evaded Gary Webster sliding in at the far post.
Barrett almost gifted the hosts a goal but was mightily relieved to see his header sails inches past his keeper's far post.
A header from Ashley Grayson almost paid dividends but his flicked header from substitute Jake Pidock's right wing cross flew wide.
The final ten minutes of the game produced some of the most exciting moments of the game, not from the football played but by the chances both sides had to claim all the points.
On 80 minutes Town's Graham Well made a fine run down the left and into the area and just when everyone expected him to blast the ball goalwards he inexplicably chose to try and pick out a team mate running in at the far post but his pass was a poor one and the chance had gone.
With time quickly running out a cross from the left picked out Hodgson just beyond the far post but his shot flashed across the goalmouth and past the far post.
On ninety minutes Gresley was inches from scoring when Gough's corner from the left was met by substitute Martin Gadsby whose powerful header looked destined for the top corner but instead it clattered against the junction of bar and far post with Ogrizovic beaten.
That wasn't the end of the drama as Slater made a good run through and found himself one-on-one with the keeper whose outstretched foot denied the midfielder his moment of glory.
With the travelling Gresley supporters still wondering how they weren't celebrating a goal the action swung to the other end and all of those supporters were now standing with their hearts in their mouths as Town substitute Stephen Atkinson was baring down on Gresley's goal unchallenged and although he slipped the ball past Hateley the ball hit the post and bounced back for the keeper to gratefully gather into his arms.
In the end it was a fair result as neither side deserved to lose this game.
Manager's View
"I thought on balance we shaded the first half, we had a lot of pressure in and around their box some half chances.
"I don't want to get carried away but for one of the goals, Royce Turvilles, we had disallowed the assistant referee was fifteen yards out of position and I don't think it was off side.
"It's a hard job to do, it's all right for us managers to stand here and say 'if, buts and maybes'. I thought we shaded the first half and a fairly even second half. In fairness Heanor defended superbly well. The big fellow at the back was like a magnet for the ball and we just couldn't break them down.
"We couldn't really play our normal passing and technical game because the pitch was quite bobbly and we were giving it away a bit cheaply at times but we just couldn't force the breakthrough.
"I'm not sure when we last had a nil-nil but it's been quite a while and what a time for it to come. I was hoping we would just get that breakthrough towards the end.
"I can't argue with the effort the lads put in, they chucked everything at it. There was a lot of effort if not the usual quality; it was an end of season game, it was quite hot and the pitch was quite bobbly and that's what we've got to expect sometimes.
"Like us, Heanor managed to get in behind the defence a couple of times. We've had a couple of one-on-ones and they had a couple of one-on-ones. One of them the referee has missed a most innocuous of fouls on Brian and allowed the game to go on but it's not about the officials today. I thought they were average at best but they did their best and it was a good game.
"I thought the three officials did okay but it was about missed chances for both sides today. They could have sneaked at the end when the guy went one-on-one and then there was one when he tried to play his mate in when he'd have done better to have taken it on himself.
"In that respect on clear-cut chances you would say it was an even game but with the half chances in the first half I thought we just shaded it but Craig Hopkins and Glen Kirkwood will probably come out and say that they just shaded it so a draw was probably a fair result.
"Gareth Langford had to come off near the end with a very tight hamstring which is very sore and we hope it hasn't gone so Jack Coulson will get his chance to get back into the side. We've got Royce Turville carrying a few knocks and David Blenkinsopp who was really struggling before the game with a back problem and you could see he wasn't firing on all cylinders so he's going to be struggling for Tuesday.
"Adam Betteridge had a fitness test before the game due to a calf problem and he had to come off with it today and we've got one or two other bumps and bruising so we'll have to see how we are fixed for Tuesday night."
