FA Vase 4th Round
Sandy Lane, Dawlish
Saturday, 16th January 2010, 3.00pm
All Square At Dawlish
Gresley and their tremendous travelling support thought that another long trip to South Devon was in the offering when referee Mr Newall decided he's seen enough and abandoned the game with just 10 minutes of extra time remaining due to the constant torrential downpour.
However, within a few minutes of the players leaving the bog of a pitch it was revealed that the replay would move to South Derbyshire as the game had been abandoned in extra time much to the relief of Gresley directors, manager, supporters and players.
The game opened on a decent surface and mild temperature with Gresley going close after just 2 minutes with Brian Woodall having a shot cleared off the line.
The visitors' right back Matt Hill was unlucky to be shown a yellow card for a foul which the referee had chosen to ignore from the home side on at least four occasions earlier.
On 9 minutes Mickey Lyons fired straight at the home keeper Luke Purnell before a superb turn in the area by Woodall shrugged off his marker and squared the ball for Royce Turville whose low shot was well blocked by the keeper. Woodall went close again moments later seeing his shot pushed away by Purnell.
Gresley were well on top and continued to put the Seasiders' defence under pressure as both Carl Slater and Tom Betteridge went close.
Purnell was keeping his side in the game as once more he produced a good save from Lyons who'd danced his way through the home defence before hitting a low shot that the keeper blocked with his legs. Lyons went close on 25 minutes but saw his delicate chip over the keeper go wide.
Against the run of play Dawlish took the lead on 28 minutes with their first serious attempt on goal. A free kick from the left went through the box and was left by all the Gresley back line and the ball found Paul Kendall at the far post and he poked the ball home from close in.
The Seasiders went close to doubling their advantage four minutes later when a cross from the left picked out Adam Mortimer who blasted his shot well over the bar.
Dawlish were reduced to 10 men on 37 minutes when Kendall hauled Turville back as the young striker ran in on goal. With the centre half being the last man the referee had no other option but to brandish a red card.
Woodall levelled for the visitors on 43 minutes after making a good run down the left before blasting the ball home. The referee took exception to Woodall celebrating with the travelling fans behind the goal and showed the yellow card.
Two minutes later Gresley took the lead when Slater made a run through the middle before hitting a peach of a shot from distance that beat Purnell.
As the second half began the heavens opened producing a deluge onto the pitch drenching everyone in the ground but Gresley continued where they left off in the first with Jack Coulson having a header cleared off the line on 53 minutes.
Woodall then fired wide and a miss kick from Gareth Langford landed kindly for Turville but he could not get any power behind his shot giving Purnell time to gather the ball before it rolled over the line.
On 58 minute Woodall flashed a vicious shot that skimmed the cross bar as it flew over, but seconds later Gresley got the goal their pressure deserved.
Woodall made a good run down the right before putting in a low cross that Turville slid into the net at the near post. Woodall went agonisingly close to adding to the total with a chip that just cleared the bar with Purnell beaten.
Much to the Seasiders credit they didn't throw in the towel and continued to press forward at every opportunity. Their persistence was rewarded on 68 minutes when a poor clearance fell to Joe Bushin who ran forward keeping his footing and rounded the onrushing keeper Gary Hately before slipping the ball into the gaping net.
The equaliser was again somewhat fortunate when Alex Mortimer's shot took a wicked deflection which beat Hateley.
Gresley substitute Stefan Marshall had a glorious opportunity to regain the lead for his side but after being put through and rounding Purnell he could only plant his shot wide from an acute angle.
Another defensive slip gifted Dawlish the lead on 79 minutes as Mortimer collected a poor clearance and curled the shot around Hateley and into the far bottom corner of the net.
The pitch was now extremely heavy and slippery as the rain continued to lash down making things tricky for both sets of players.
Marshall fired wide before Purnell produced the save of the game on 88 minutes. A shot was heading into the top corner when the keeper clawed the ball out and away for a corner.
A scramble in the box saw the home goal lead a charmed life as the ball refused to go in the net despite all of Gresley's efforts.
With time rapidly running out for Gresley, Hatley made a run into the Dawlish half leaving his goal unguarded as the visitors threw everything into trying to grab the equaliser. However, it almost back fired as a swift break (as swift as it could be with the surface now becoming farcical) saw Dawlish's attempt go wide of the far post.
It looked like the long journey to South Devon had been in vain with 5 minutes of added on time on the clock when a cross from Rob Spencer was somehow scrambled into the net by Marshall much to the absolute delight of everyone supporting Gresley.
Lyons had a decent chance early in the first period of extra time but his chip over Purnell was a foot too low and the keeper caught the ball. Marshall had another chance to grab a bit of glory for himself but again disappointingly fired wide.
With the pitch now unplayable the game was abandoned and the replay will take place at the Moat Ground next Saturday.
Manager's View
"The match came to an abrupt end. I think there were nine or ten minutes left certainly on my stop watch and the referee blew and made the old signal across his chest and it was game over and although the conditions were worsening by the minute we'd had a little word with him on ninety minutes and said 'look it's getting a bit daft, what are your thoughts' and he we'll keep going.
"I said well, that's fair enough. Both benches were concerned and the fourth official was talking to both benches towards the end of the game and early into extra time but the referee took it on his own back and I suppose it's within his right that if he felt from a safety point of view the conditions were worsening to the extent that players were going to get injured then obviously he's made the right decision.
"It was just a surprise that he didn't come over to the benches and indicate what his thoughts were and get views but ultimately he's responsible for it and if someone had have got inured we'd have all been looking at the referee but he's made the decision as he sees fit.
"The concern was that after an epic game tied at four, four in extra time one of the sides were going to lose to a mistake or something where the ball's got caught up or someone has slipped up and got the winner in farcical conditions.
"If someone had scored in that last ten minutes, I suppose the other side would have put the referee under all sorts of pressure to say that the game was unplayable and we didn't have a fair chance to get back into it.
"On reflection my biggest concern was not that he'd abandoned it but that a lot of people were under the impression that we'd have to come back down here next weekend and obviously subsequent to that we've had confirmation that that isn't the case and we replay at Gresley and I'm a lot happier with that.
"From a financial point of view to come back down again next weekend and in fairness to a lot of the lads who'd taken time off work to travel on the Friday whether a - we'd be able to afford it and b - they could get more time off next week was a question we were concerned about.
"I was very very nervous right up to the first whistle because I just didn't know how we were going to play, how we were going to start the game. Having not played for five weeks I've never been in that situation. We've done our best as has been well documented to try and keep the guys ticking over, keeping them fit. The game last week (against Stapenhill) wasn't a competitive game.
"To start in the manner we did against a side who let's not forget is a level above us we were delighted with that. We'd created some good chances and we played some cracking football and we found ourselves a goal down.
"That happens often in games and it's happened to us where we've been played off the park by somebody and lots of teams have had chances and then we've gone up the other end and scored so that's football.
"In fairness to the lads I was concerned that a few heads might drop but they didn't. The support here at Dalwish was magnificent and kept going and we got ourselves two tidy goals and two-one up and then obviously facing ten men as they'd had a man sent off.
"The way we started the second half I thought we did very well. We got three one up and then we seemed to press the self destruct button as has happened two or three times this season when we've been two goals up. Whether it was fitness, whether it was a loss of concentration I don't know.
"Brian Woodall had signalled to us that he needed to come off with cramp in both legs so I didn't see their second goal because I was doing the paper work in the dug out. I finished doing the paperwork and looked up and the ball was in the back of the net and from that moment we seemed to go to pot a little bit - we were a little bit jelly legged and they were coming through us at will and got the third and Jamie Barret made a very uncharacteristic error in the conditions to let them through for the fourth.
"But, we kept going and credit to the lads we've popped up and haven't stopped believing and got the equaliser right at the end. Ironically they could have gone five three up when Gary Hateley came up for a corner.
"I started my clock right on the second half whistle and he indicated five minutes and we scored in the third minute of that five minutes. Obviously had we been in the same position as Dawlish we'd have thought the referee should have blown earlier. Their bench asked where the five minutes had come from but if you consider that there were five substitutions in the second half and the fact that several players were treated on the pitch for cramp I think five minutes was fair.
"I think the pick of the goals was the one that put us two one up. A left peg from Carl Slater. He'd had one or two attempts that he didn't quite get right but for him to score from there with his left peg.
"I thought the first goal was good as well. It was a great ball fizzed in by Richard Butler for Brian Woodall to get on the end of.
"My favourite was the last goal. I didn't see much of it because my glasses had broken but from the meaning of it the fourth goal has given us this opportunity. Essentially we were out and playing so well we were out of the competition so to get a second chance was great.
"Simon Van-de-Brouke said before the game that if we score make sure you go over and acknowledge the supporters as it's for them. I think Brian Woodall took it literally to the letter and piled into the supporters and picked up a yellow card for his troubles so it's Simon's mistake!!
"I think the referee in those circumstances could use a bit of common sense but the rules are the rules so you risk that. I went in to see the referee at half time because Matt Hill had got a yellow card and before there had been four heavy tackles where he chose to talk to players. Matt Hills' tackle was his first and the referee has given it as he sees it and given a yellow card setting a precedent and then not following it up.
"He was not the worst referee we've had and he's not the best but it wasn't about the referee today. It was a great game between two teams that respect each other and even the fourth official said in such a pressurised situation it was one of the best games he's been involved with between two benches that have nothing but respect between each other.
"Anyone here today has been entertained and we are just pleased to be back in it and not having to come here again. We've now got a chance to try and do the job at Gresley and a good opportunity to do that at home.
"It's very kind of the supporters to think we've got what it takes to beat Dawlish. The problem is that we created some cracking opportunities almost at will during the first sixty five and if we'd have taken them the game was dead.
"Having said that, and as Mickey Lyons has just said got ourselves three one up we've got to see games out better than that and be a bit more rigid. Without making excuses you could put a little bit of that down to the fact that we haven't played for five weeks maybe. And also Dawlish made two substitutions at three one down and credit to them. They've been positive and in effect with ten men they've had three men up front for a large part of the second half so you have to give some credit to Dawlish for getting themselves back into the game as well.
"I think the only person not involved today who will be delighted that we've got a second bite of the cherry is Martin Rowe. I haven't spoken to him today but I did yesterday. We had a brief chat from Mexico as we were driving down here and we had a further chat last night to confirm the team. His team he picked was the same as mine so we agreed in that respect.
"Mexico is six hours behind us so I suppose I'll get a chance to talk to him on the way back to our hotel this evening and he'll be delighted with that.
"One concern we do have is Carl Slater who is on the table at the moment. In the little melee before the referee blew his whistle he may have tweaked his hamstring a little bit which is a concern to us obviously.
"I might have to mini bus the lads around Torquay tonight between pubs as some of them can hardly walk in the dressing room and it was the same for their guys as they were dropping every thirty seconds with cramp, even their keeper went down at one stage which makes you think how's that happened?
"We are going to enjoy tonight and we are just please to be in the competition having seemingly been cruising and then see the reverse and the roller coaster and almost be out of it."
