East Midlands Counties League
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Tuesday, 13th April 2010, 7.45pm
Spencer's Goal Wins It For Gresley
For the second match on the trot Gresley found themselves in a tough encounter but this time a solitary second half goal from Rob Spencer sealed all three points but they were hard won in what was not the most entertaining game seen at the Moat Ground this season.
Gresley made the first attempt on goal as early as the second minute when Stefan Marshall beat St Andrews' keeper Adam Smith who'd strayed a long way out of his area to the ball. Instead of trying his luck he squared the ball to Spencer who disappointingly fired wide.
The home side went close again on 10 minutes. A Jordi Gough free kick found Tom Land who headed goalwards but Smith did well to tip the ball over the bar.
St Andrews carved out their first attempt on goal on 20 minutes when Will Robinson was put through but at the vital moment completely missed the ball with his kick.
Gough then fired a shot from distance that was well held by Smith and a minute later Marshall made a good run down the right and his cross was met by Spencer but his header was straight at the keeper.
The visitors missed a golden opportunity on 35 minutes when Land was robbed of the ball on the bye line as he was trying to shield it out for a goal kick. The ball was played into the area where it was collected by the unmarked Clint Gunn but embarrassingly the striker managed to somehow put his shot over the bar from close in.
Land went close early in the second half putting his shot over the bar and then on 63 minutes Brian Woodall had his shot cleared off the line.
Three minutes later Gresley got the goal they'd been looking for when Woodall beat the keeper to a high ball into the box. The ball eventually fell for Rob Spencer who smashed his shot past Smith and into the net.
Spencer could have doubled his and his side's total just minutes later when Carl Slater did well to provide him an opportunity but Spencer dragged his shot wide of the post.
The game became rather laboured for the final period of the game but the visitors almost earned themselves a share of the points on 82 minutes when Gunn raced forward but Jamie Barrett raced back and made a superbly timed tackle that took the ball off his toe before the striker could take his shot.
Manager's View
"That was three points and a clean sheet. When I shook hands with the referee at the end I asked where did he get seven minutes from and he said he meant to play three or four before the incident down in the corner.
"Richard Butler said something when Royce (Turville) got fouled and got himself a yellow card. The officials called me into the dressing room after the game and said that Richard had been involved again afterwards and said something to the linesman and he could be in some trouble so we'll have to see about that one.
"At the end of the day, if the officials had done their job correctly and played the three or four minutes of injury time they were going to the incident in the fifth minute wouldn't have happened.
"If Richard has got a ban coming up it won't affect us this season but we'll see in the report and deal with it. Richard should know better, he's an experienced lad. He was down their warming up and he just got involved when he shouldn't have done. He's a sub not used and he was showing the passion the guy's got for the game but he should know better than to get involved but sometimes it's easier said than done.
"We didn't control the game tonight, in fact we played a lot better at their place and lost the game so what's more important three points and a clean sheet or dominate football matches and we've done that to death this season and still ended up losing games or drawing games when we shouldn't have done. Arguably we shouldn't have won that game tonight but we did and we'll take that as a positive.
"We've just had a long chat in the dressing room and whether the lads were nervous or tentative we just didn't get the ball down and move it. Every outfield player tonight with the odd exception of probably the defensive unit who have got the fourth clean sheet on the trot, as been unrecognisable tonight.
"Even the skipper, he's got the ball and he's given it away, Jordi Gough has got the ball and has given it away, The wide lads have given it away and the front lads haven't held it up. It was a completely disjointed performance.
"But they've battled off the ball and defended well to the extent has Gary Hateley had a save to make? One probably?
"If we'd have scored early on with one of those half chances we had it might have settled us down a little bit. There have been plenty of opportunities and times this year when we've been disappointed in defeat with lots of reasons and excuses in those games, games we shouldn't have lost but as one of the lads has just said let's move on from this. It's three points and another clean sheet but it doesn't take away the concern and the fact that we want to play some entertaining football and you want the fans to come here.
"It was a good crowd again tonight for a midweek but you want them to go away and say 'okay regardless of the score, we've seen a good game tonight' but from a managers point of view at this time of the season it's another three points which is the most important thing.
"We've dug deep again tonight with the squad. We had several players unavailable due to injuries, suspension and various things. We tried to freshen it up a little bit with one or two who haven't played regularly like Stefan Marshall and Rob Spencer who has been in and out due to work commitments and his new baby but even that didn't work but Rob battled away and has popped up with a scrappy goal for us and not for the first time for us this season.
"There were a lot of tired legs out there. I think the Vase, as good as it was, has put us in the position where we have all these games to catch up. For the last few weeks we've been playing Saturday's and midweek and it's starting to take its toll as we predicted on one or two of the players.
"Brian Woodall seemed to get a bit of a spurt on in the final ten minutes. I don't know whether he saw that we were going to take him off but he seemed to step it up a gear but that's the frustration that's Brian!
"I think when they went 4-4-2 we did then have a little bit more space in midfield which is where they were bossing the game with the three in midfield, but when they went 4-4-2 and put another man up there to get back into the game it opened them up a little bit in midfield.
"We then tried to string one or two passes together but when we got into the final third again it was wasted. It was a frustrating game but I'll sleep better having won one-nil rather than drawn or lost the game as easily could have happened with performances this season.
"Our home record in the league has been very good this year. The only dint in that record was the defeat by Holbrook early in the season. I said to the lads tonight 'don't just turn up and think we'll win this game regardless of league position. We've been bitten on the backside before at St Andrews.
"We've had a good run at home and there are only two home games left and we want to go out on a high and one of them is a massive one against Heanor and then we've got Hinckley Downes but we've now we're on the road for two games before we play Heanor here in two weeks time in midweek and the amount of goals we've scored between us I don't think it'll be another nil-nil!"
