East Midlands Counties League
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Tuesday, 24th November 2009, 7.45pm
Turville Strike Enough For Gresley
A strike from Royce Turville in the final seconds of the first half was enough to see Gresley take all three points against highflying Bardon Hill Sports but if the homeside had taken all their chances then they could have had the game sewn up by halftime.
On 2 minutes a cross from Brian Woodall found Turville in the area but his header was well held by Sports keeper Aaron Harris.
Jordi Gough then went close firing a low shot inches past the post as Gresley dominated the early exchanges.
A series of three corners ended with Turville hitting a shot over the bar and on 34 minutes yet another corner from the left by Matt Hill was met by Martin Gadsby but his powerful header was cleared off the line.
It was virtually one way traffic as Gresley carved out chance after chance but unfortunately none finding the back of the net.
Turville was causing the Sports defence all sorts of problems and the young striker almost got on the end of a long ball but put his effort over the bar.
The visitors them had keeper Harris to thank for keeping the score level when he made two point blank saves from Turville and Martin Gadsby from close in.
Bardon's solitary attempt on goal came on 40 minutes with Sam Saunt shooting wide of the upright.
As the first half drew to a close Turville almost poked the ball home after beating Harris to the ball but his effort went agonisingly wide but seconds later the keeper couldn't prevent Gresley from taking a fully deserved lead.
Mickey Lyons collected the ball just outside the area and picked out Turville to his right who obliged by hammering his shot past Harris and into the net.
The second half began as the first had ended with Gresley pressing forward seeing Carl Slater fire over the bar and then shooting wide from Woodall's free kick.
Former Moatman went close as his cross-cum-shot caught the wind and landed on the top of Gresley keeper Gary Hateley's net.
Harris was by far the busier keeper making a fine block from Lyons and then producing another good block this time from Turville.
Woodall then went close when he turned a defender in the box but hit a low shot wide. Lyons then fired wide before Bardon had arguably their best chance of the match.
On 78 minutes a ball into Gresley's box was not cleared a shot from very close in was superbly blocked by Hateley as Bardon looked certain to level the score.
With the referee playing nearly 6 minutes of extra time Jake Duffy's free kick could have caused some problems for Gresley but the kick was deflected away for a corner.
Gresley substitute Stefan Marshall then made a run down the right but hurried his shot and the ball flew well wide of the target.
Manager's View
"Without a shadow of a doubt we deserved better than one-nil. I'm still out of breath from a frenetic game ninety minutes. We've won the game one-nil and it was in the balance as they kept grafting and plugging away but I thought we thoroughly deserved the three points.
"If there was anyone in the ground who thought we didn't must have been watching a different game. We created six or seven fantastic chances and just couldn't seem to put the ball in the net and its cost us at times this season.
"I sat on the bench thinking it was going to be one of those nights we are either going to draw the game or lose the game from the verge of winning it.
"Even in the second half Mickey Lyons has tapped it back just inside the box and maybe closer but Carl Slater just got his body shape all wrong and blazed it over the bar and there were several other good opportunities. Their keeper has made some cracking little saves as well.
"We were delighted with our forward play but at half time we felt as though how much of it was us or how much was down to the conditions and in the second half I think we equally got the ball down and worked it well and there was some cracking football from both sides.
"Bardon aren't in the position they are in for no reason. They've gone on a fantastic run recently and I think they have a couple of rough results.
"But, yes we won the game one-nil but easily or maybe it should have been a little bit more comfortable.
"We are now in the mix and we've got a couple of games in hand on one or two sides but the biggest factor to come out of tonight and really unexpected was the clean sheet. I thought the back four was absolutely fantastic.
"Jack Coulson has got his place back with Mark Blount's injury and he's been magnificent alongside Jamie Barrett who's consistent. Richard Butler is giving us that little bit of steel in a key area of the pitch although he does worry me from time to time.
"Rhys Powell has been stuck at an exhibition in London and it shows the depth of the squad we've got. We'd only got three outfield players on the bench and one of them only got the call at five o'clock out of the reserves, Chris Burnham, who came and helped us out from off a train from Birmingham.
"Matt Hill has gone in and he's been unlucky in the last few weeks. He's put a great shift in for us and he's not put a foot wrong but he just ran out of steam.
"Credit to every one of them. The three in midfield Carl Slater, Martin Gadsby and Mickey Lyons did very, very well for us, Brian Woodall did well for us. A little bit frustrating in the final third but he put a shift in defensively which we needed and Jordi Gough as well. Royce Turville up front fantastic.
"I thought one or two were struggling towards the end as it was a fast frenetic game. Two games in a short space of time on heavy pitches but doesn't Martin Gadsby give us something in midfield that we didn't have before? I lost count of the number of headers he won, flick ons and how many balls he won in the middle of the park.
"Previously and no disrespect, lads of the height of Carl and Mickey perhaps we may have lost a lot of ball there. We are delighted with his contribution but it's a good squad we have at the moment and we've got that strength in depth.
"Even when we've had seven or eight players not available injured or unable to make tonight we've managed to put a competitive eleven out with decent options on the bench as well.
"In seven years of managing this club, and I genuinely mean this and I've pulled both keepers out before, it was probably one of the most difficult decisions to make because Simon Baldwin hasn't done a lot wrong in the past two games.
"Even my coaching staff who I take advice off, Simon Van-de-Brouke and Martin Rowe it was very, very tight and it was one of those forty nine fifty one and we plumped for Gary Hateley. I really hope Simon stays with us. Simon was around last season and Gary's just joined us and if he had an offer from a bigger club would he stay and that sort of thing.
"I picked the keeper who I felt just had the edge by a percent. I wasn't too happy with him in the first ten or fifteen minutes as his kicking seemed to follow on from his last performance for us in midweek but then he pulled off a fantastic save. The thing he gives us a little bit more of is his communication to his back four and if we can get Simon doing that we would really be splitting hairs between them. I'm delighted with Gary and the clean sheet and the back four and the clean sheet.
"I thought we wound the clock down quite well tonight in the end. The experience we have brought in and the experience we have in the team we try to dictate the tempo of the game accordingly. Sometimes that may mean slowing it down and winding the clock down but it's frustrating for such an attack minded side. Brian wants to get the ball and he wants to go for goal. Stefan Marshall gets the ball and he wants to go for goal. When you are in injury time Stefan Marshall has gone for goal and it's gone for a goal kick and immediately with the spare ball they are on the goal kick and we are against the wind and bang the ball is along the edge of your box.
"We've just had a talk in the dressing room and Stef made out he couldn't hear me in the wind but next time he will run it into a corner and maybe run the clock down a little more. Overall I thought it was professional the way we defended and held onto the ball in key areas.
"Their bench were not happy with the officials and to be fair neither were we. It's not uncommon in games in this league regardless of the result to be unhappy with the officials and I'm sure Bardon's manager and his team has got a few incidents he's not happy with and likewise we've got a few incidents we're not happy with.
"The guys are there to do a job and they'll do their best. They don't mean to go out and cause disharmony between the two benches but it is a frustration. I thought Saturday's referee for example if he'd been a bit stronger I wouldn't have been complaining about Barrow's tactics after the game but fortunately we can cope with that if people want to kick us.
"We need strong referees in this league but in the last couple of games we seem to have struggled. It's easy to sit and criticise as a manager on whether you've won a game or lost a game as they are doing their best but sometimes you get things and sometimes you don't its swings and roundabouts or so they say.
"Tonight means nothing unless we can follow it up with a win against Anstey and that's not a game we're taking lightly despite the league positions because look at what's happened with one or two other games Holwell and Blackwell I've just reminded the lads.
"I didn't want to tarnish or put any bad vibes on the result tonight because it was important but we have to be mindful that it's not about these games but every game and we've got to make sure we do an equally professional job on Saturday.
"We've got a few selection headaches. Jack Coulson is flying out abroad and we've been speaking to him and he's just got himself back in the side and it would be a shame now if he has to give his shirt away so cheaply and we are trying to reorganise that, Hopefully we'll have one or two more available who weren't available tonight and we'll try and do the job.
"We are taking each game as it comes. It's an old cliché but we are trying to take one step at a time. That's a decent result for us tonight and roll on Saturday we are looking forward to it."
