East Midlands Counties League
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Tuesday, 27th April 2010, 7.45pm
Gresley Crush Heanor
This was a must win game if Gresley were to hang on to any hopes of catching both Bardon Hill Sports and Dunkirk but it didn't start to well conceding a penalty in the first three minutes which was despatched by Dan Williams.
However, a superb hat-trick from David Blenkinsopp and further goals from Mickey Lyons and Royce Turville turned the game on its head and it finished in a quite comprehensive victory for the home side.
Gresley's Richard Butler could feel a little hard done to as a tremendous shot seemed to hit his arm in the area giving him no chance to move it out of the way and referee Mr Hopton harshly decided that it was deliberate and gave the spot kick and Butler a yellow card.
Williams made no mistake sending Simon Baldwin the wrong way.
However, that was just one of two serious attempts on target from the visitors as Gresley got hold of the game and put Heanor to the sword with arguably one of the best displays of the season.
Town's lead lasted just two minutes as a fine run from Lyons down the right ended when the midfielder picked out Blenkinsopp in the area who smashed the ball home from close in.
On 15 minutes Gresley almost grabbed another goal. This time it was Tom Betteridge who supplied the cross which was inches in front of the outstretched leg of Brian Woodall arriving at the far post.
Betteridge was instrumental in the home side getting their second goal a minute later. His run down the left and cross into the area panicked Town's defence and the ball ended up at the feet of Lyons who fired the ball into the net.
Three minutes later Gresley had almost put the game out of Town's grasp. Blenkinsopp found himself on the left side just outside the area and with hardly any back lift hammered a shot that beat keeper Sam Ogrizovic and into the far top corner.
Gresley were firmly in control and a corner from the right by Woodall was flicked to the far post by Tom Land but it was just a little too high for Blenkinsopp who put his header over the bar.
The save of the game and arguably of the season came on 39 minutes. Gresley were awarded a free kick 25 yards out and Woodall hit a superb shot that looked for all the world to be heading for the top far corner of the net but Ogrizovic was equal to it and flung himself full length to his left to get a hand on the ball and push it away for a corner.
Gresley continued their dominance in the second half with Ogrizovic having to make another good save to deny the Land at the near post.
The fourth goal came on 51 minutes and yet another good effort from Blenkinsopp. Lyons did well with two defenders around him to get a good touch on the ball and push it through to Blenkinsopp who then coolly controlled it before chipping the ball over Ogrizovic and into the empty net.
Town were being restricted to bits and bobs but they did have a decent chance when Gresley failed to clear their lines and with Baldwin out of position a header back towards goal went wide of the gaping target.
Lyons should have doubled his tally when the hard working Royce Turville managed to get the ball in from the bye line only for the midfielder to miss his kick and the chance had gone.
Heanor's only real chance of the half came on 72 minutes when Lee Stevenson launched a thunderbolt of a shot that Baldwin did really well to get behind and block.
Gresley skipper Carl Slater fired one of his customary long-range shots just wide as the Moatmen continued to look for further goals.
The fifth and final goal came right at the end of the game and the scorer deserved it for his never ending efforts for his side.
A corner from the right by Woodall ended up coming back to him and he supplied a superb cross that Turville managed to get his head to and put it over Ogrizovic and into the net.
Gresley had a good shout for a penalty in time added on when substitute Rob Spencer was tripped in the area but disappointingly the referee waved away the appeals.
Manager's View
"This was a different game to the one at their place. I think I'm right in saying that their starting eleven was the same that they played just over two weeks ago.
"We did seem to labour a little bit at times but we did in the first half create some decent opportunities and played some decent stuff but they we solid defending on that day.
"But, today they took the lead which probably opened the game up a little bit very early on and they've caught us on a good day today and that is probably as good as a performance we've put in since the turn of the year in terms of the offensive football some of the passing and movement on a tricky pitch because it was hard and bobbly but some of the football was fantastic, some of the goals were very, very good quality.
"More pleasingly for me was the way we went about our defensive duties today from front to back which was fantastic.
"I think getting back in the game quickly was quite pivotal. The longer the game had gone on with us losing to the penalty we might have got a little bit frustrated but the goal came so quickly the lads didn't have time to get frustrated.
"Heanor are a good side, very organised and perhaps we were fortunate to get the early goal although it was a good goal but it was a pivotal moment getting back into the game so early.
"We knew Glenn (Kirkwood) would have his players fired up for the second half - we were leading three-one and a two goal lead can be a bit tricky and if they'd have got a goal early in the second half their heads would have been up and we may have panicked a little bit and got a bit jumpy so to get that fourth goal was very pleasing and from then on apart from a top drawer save that Simon Baldwin had to make from an outstanding volley from just outside the box, we absorbed the pressure fairly well.
"We are getting back to full strength now and the blip of form that we did have after coming out of the FA Vase seems to have gone. Each game that goes by; a solid performance we still have regrets about what might have been but we can't do anything about that. We had a number of injuries in and around we played Dunkirk and Gedling Town in the league cup but I still maintain that the likes of Hinckley away and St Andrews away those were strong squads we had on duty those nights, not necessary offensively but defensively but we went through a little patch where we were not doing our jobs properly and it's cost us points.
"David Blenkinsopp's finishing qualities are there for all to see and since we've swapped systems and gone two up front the workrate Royce Turville continues to put in goes unnoticed because Dave is putting a few goals away but he's a good foil for us.
"In the last few games Richard Butler has been fantastic in the middle of the park for us with the experience and the craft and the industry in there. Jordi Gough picked an injury up and the chance came for Richard and he's been superb so we're very pleased at the moment.
"Martin Gadsby is going to be out until the end of the season and so is Rhys Powell. Adam Betteridge will come back into the fold. He's been doing very, very well of late but Tom Betteridge has come back in from injury. He had a good first half but faded a little bit in the second half and that's why we brought him off so we'll have Adam back for Saturday.
"For the first time in, I can't remember how long, we have a spare midweek next week as well. We were a bit concerned about the number of games we'd got to get in bit we've done it and we're not far off full strength now going into the last two games which could be important.
"Gary Hateley wil be back but the things we've asked Simon Baldwin to work on since earlier in the season he's played them all tonight. His kicking was fantastic and I don't remember him putting one out where often he'd put two or three out of the stands. His kicking was superb and it was an outlet up to Brian Woodall which came off tonight which was good. He was talking and organising his back four in a loud and commanding way and we're pleased with that and it's given us a great headache for Saturday.
"We've got a number of headaches but that will be the main one. He's done very well for us and made a couple of good save; his handling has been good, his kicking as been good and he's done everything asked of him - apart from saving the penalty but we'll let him off that one!
"The only thing we can do is to win the games put before us. We've won nine out of the last ten the other game being the draw at Heanor so we can't do any more than that.
"I can't fault the lads for the work they've done but I still say that if we win the last two games which are still a long, long way away, we play Borrwash who will do everything in their power to beat us with the connections such as ex-Borrwash players here and those sorts of things and Hinckley who have already beaten us this season. But, if we can get the six points it will take us above the points target we set by one so if somebody beats us then it's absolutely all credit to them. Dunkirk haven't had a blip all season and they've banged results out.
"You can't really afford to have a blip and we've had just the one perhaps and it's looking that it may cost us!"
