East Midlands Counties League
The Welfare, Leicester Road, Ibstock
Tuesday, 26th January 2010, 7.45pm
Gresley Grind Out The Points
After the exploits of the last two weeks in the FA Vase Gresley returned to league action at near neighbours Ibstock United.
On a glue pot of a surface Mickey Lyons and Stefan Marshall got the goals that ensued Gresley where back on track.
This was not a performance for the purists but one of dogged determination and effort against a hard working United side.
Lyons went close after just 7 minutes but his shot on the turn was saved by United's recently signed keeper Mick Goodwin.
However eleven minutes later Goodwin was beaten when Martin Gadsby laid the ball back for Lyons to hammer into the net from just inside the area.
The pitch, which appeared to have taken a hammering on Saturday, didn't help either side to move the ball across the ground has it failed to bounce in certain areas and passes were falling short.
United's first clear cut chance of the first half came on the half hour when a whipped in cross from the left by Chris Lewis found former Moatman Kev Lock who could only head well over the bar.
The hosts had one more chance before the break but again the header went well over this time from Rich Wileman.
The second half began with Gresley pushing forward and Goodwin was called on to make a fine save from Lyons who had been put in the clear by Royce Turville's pass.
Substitute Adam Betteridge who replaced his brother Tom towards the end of the first half when he picked out Turville whose glancing header went just wide of the far post.
Gresley were looking to increase their lead and the goal duly arrived on 54 minutes. A good run down the right by Rob Spencer ended with him finding Lyons who took one touch before slotting a low shot past Goodwin.
On 66 minutes United had perhaps their best chance of the game but once more their finishing was wayward. A cross from Mark Chamberlain landed perfectly for Lock in a good position but his header went disappointingly well wide of the target.
With just 8 minutes remaining the home side were down to ten men when substitute Ant Cresswell tangled with Richard Butler in the box and then stupidly stamped on the defender's back as he lay on the floor right under the nose of referee Mr Banks giving the official no option but to brandish a red card.
The game was cut and dried five minutes later when Marshall ran onto a ball down the left before cutting inside and firing a low shot that beat Goodwin.
Lyons almost completed his hat trick in the dying seconds of the game when he curled a sublime curling shot towards the top far corner only for the veteran keeper to make the save of the game to deny him.
Manager's View
"How can you put on a decent performance on a pitch like that? We've done a professional job tonight in difficult conditions. That's not having a dig at Ibstock's pitch because obviously they had a very heavy game on Saturday and they've done what they can to it.
You could see the bobbles on the ball. It was a leveller and without being disrespectful on a normal surface when we try and get our game going it's great watching fancy football but we've showed tonight, against a side who are no push over they work their collective socks off for ninety minutes, didn't give us an inch and we've managed to fashion three goals and a clean sheet on a very tricky night for us and we are delighted with that absolutely delighted.
"Ibstock didn't have too many chances which was the pleasing thing. I thought second half we defended much better collectively and as a back four unit.
"We were very concerned at half time the amount of times the back four were individuals in the first half - they've played a lot of games together that back four so we had a bit of a dig at half time and they looked a lot more organised second half.
"We got a lot of close calls with the linesman's flag in the first half. We were trying to play off side for some reason and we were a bit disjointed but second half we were solid and I don't remember Gary Hateley having a big save to make at all.
"It was a nervy game until we got the third goal. I was a little bit nervous and we were desperate to keep a clean sheet then.
"I'm just delighted because there are going to be a lot more tough away games to come in midweek with these sorts of conditions until the weather gets a little bit better we are going to be playing on some tricky surfaces.
"We've showed tonight that we can grind results out and let's not forget that these (Ibstock) played the league leaders on Saturday and the second goal didn't come until the ninety fourth minute and Ibstock by accounts hit the woodwork three or four times so they were very unlucky not to have gotten anything out of that game. We knew it was going to be tough night and so it proved.
"We were delighted with Stefan Marshall when he got the third goal. He's had a really frustrating season so far with injuries and various things. He's got such pace and power and away at Dawlish he had several chances where he's got through and maybe lacked that little bit of composure you need to get some goals in. Tonight's he's cut inside and we were delighted when it hit the back of the net because that will do his confidence the world of good.
"To go five weeks with no game pretty much and you get your injury list cleared and now it's unbelievable. We lost Brian Woodall going into tonight with an ankle injury from Saturday. Jordi Gough turned an ankle at work by all accounts he twisted his ankle on a slab at work yesterday.
"Then we've had Tom Betteridge come off with a foot injury. We've had Jack Coulson come off with a dead leg, Royce Turville has barely lasted an hour with tight hamstrings and we've got one or two more in the dressing room. We've got Matt Weightman ill, Gaz Langford went on as a sub with a knee problem so yes we're struggling a little bit.
"We keep saying that this squad is going to be stretched to its maximum in the coming weeks because we've got a lot of games to cram in. We've had conversations recently with the extended squad as I call it with the likes of Mark Blount and Paul Edwards and we may need to look elsewhere and maybe draft one or two in short term to allow these lads to come back.
"Brian Woodall may be a week away. I've seen the state of his ankle and he's been in for treatment before the game. I've not seen Jordi but perversely they are texting each other pictures of their ankles so I've seen the state of Jordi's ankle on Brian's phone and that's not looking too clever either. They've both been for x-rays and both were clear in terms of fractures or breaks which is pleasing.
"Both of them are going to be big risks over the next couple of weeks - obviously we want them both back. Ironically, Jordi would have started tonight. We knew Tom was struggling with hamstrings and things like that and he's done his foot tonight so we were going to give Jordi the opportunity he deserves tonight so it was unfortunate that he picked his injury up today.
"We need to try and keep the flow going now as much as we can. We've tried our best to keep focused on the task in hand which was the league game tonight. Even as the supporters were arriving tonight were saying 'have you calmed down from Saturday? '
"We were delighted with Saturday and to be fair to the lads tonight I thought some of the lads may have had their minds elsewhere. Ibstock were winning every fifty-fifty balls and got a lot of the second balls as well so we've had a little bit of a dig at halftime and we seemed to stand up a lot better and we made the most of the second half.
"Yes, there are some big games to come. Gedling have just lost their manager he resigned after their win on Saturday so whoever gets the job there is going to fire the players up as often happens when a club loses their manager you see some freak results so we've got make sure that doesn't happen to us.
"And then we've got a big one on Tuesday next week as well with Heanor coming over who despite losing on Saturday are very much in the mix of the five or six sides pushing for the title so two big league games before we can start to think about the side from Northampronshire."
