The Carlsberg FA Vase
Station Road, Long Buckby, Northamptonshire
Saturday, 6th February 2010, 3.00pm
Last Eight For Gresley
This was yet another FA Vase game where Gresley put its supporters through every emotion possible and then had them biting their nails in time added on.
Dan Holman gave the Northamptonshire side the lead on 11 minutes but Royce Turville levelled just before the interval.
The Gresley supporters were then sent into ecstasy when their side scored three more goals in nine breathtaking minutes though Turville and Rob Spencer .
However Gresley conceded two late goals to leave the superb travelling fans biting their finger nails and hoping for the referee to blow his whistle.
On a very soft pitch Gresley took a while to settle but despite pressing forward they found themselves behind on 11 minutes when a free kick from the right was headed back into the box where Holman was on hand to bundle the ball in at the far post.
A minute later Mickey Lyons bust into the area but as he rounded the keeper he went sprawling and the referee Mr Field booked Lyons for diving.
The Bucks went close to adding to their score when a cross from the right found Greg Ling who put his header over the bar.
Lyons then tested the home keeper Oli Urquart when he hit a shot on the turn and moments later Carl Slater tore through the midfield only to be cynically tripped by Oli Wilkinson as he threatened.
Gresley were then caught when Ben Foster beat a flat back line only to fire his shot disappointingly wide of the far post.
On 41 minutes Gresley were level. Spencer sent a high through ball for Turville and the striker collected shrugged off the attention of a defender before pushing the ball past the keeper.
In the dying moments of the first half Spencer almost grabbed the visitors' second goal but headed Matt Hill's corner from the left wide of the near post.
Gresley took the lead in spectacular fashion just after the hour mark when Gareth Langford picked out Turville wide on the right. The frontman took a touch which beat his marker and then seeing the advancing Oli Urquart audaciously lobbed the keeper from 35 yards and saw the ball fly into the unguarded net.
The visitors were getting on top and pressing forward looking eager to add to their total with Spencer going close.
Then Gresley added two further goals in an incredible three minute spell. Firstly on 66 minutes Coulson headed Lyons' free kick back into the box where Spencer reacted quickly to head the ball into the net from close in.
The next goal followed three minutes later when Spencer made a good run down the right before flashing a low shot past across Oli Urquart and into the far bottom corner of the net leaving the home side stunned. Jordi Gough could have finished the game two minutes later but his shot flew wide of the upright.
Much to The Bucks credit they didn't give up and closed the gap on 73 minutes. A cross from the impressive Craig Kelly found Dan Chilton unmarked at the far post and he powered his header past Gresley keeper Gary Hateley.
Gresley substitute Stefan Marshall was handed a golden chance to end The Bucks hopes of a comeback when Carl Slater threaded a superb ball through the Long Buckby defence but Oli Urquart did well to block the final shot with his legs.
The referee indicated 6 minutes of injury time and in the second one of those The Bucks pulled yet another goal back leading to a frantic final spell of the cup tie. A corner from the right was slipped to substitute Jon Crockett who sent over a hopeful high ball that seemed to deceive Hateley and fly over the keeper's head and into the far top corner of the net.
The final few minutes seemed to take an age with the referee playing an incredible nine and a half minutes of injury time before ending the visiting supporters' agony and it was Gresley who were through to the final eight of the competition.
Manager's View
"I don't know when we are going to record a straight forward one-nil win, if there is such a thing!
"A fantastic day, absolutely fantastic. To go four one up in the second half - a scrappy game, it was always go to be that way. We had to adapt to the conditions because of our usual play but having gone a goal down we tried to make sure that we stiffened up and we stood up to it.
"Royce (Turville) got a great goal for the equaliser and it set it up for a great second half. We were one-one and were about to change it in all honesty and go a standard 4-4-2 and bring Rob Spencer off and then as we were about to make the substitution Royce has gone through and tried an audacious shot from thirty five, forty yards out wide and it's gone in and we where two-one up and we changed our tack and left Rob on and thank God we did because he popped up with two goals to put us in poll position at four-one and seemingly cruising.
"But, we don't do things easy and we conceded two sloppy goals from our point of view and it set it up for a grand slam finish.
"Where on earth the referee got six minutes (of injury time) from. I struggle to remember the physios getting onto the pitch in the second half and where on earth he got six minutes from I really don't know.
"We were into the second minute of injury time when he indicated the time which wasn't very good but we're not complaining and I'd have said the same if we'd have lost. The officials today, every fifty, fifty seemed to go to the claret and blue shirt but that's done and dusted now and fortunately we're through.
"Credit to Long Buckby for the fight back because they were really putting us under pressure. My argument and I won't pull the lads about it now we'll talk about it in the week at training. The second goal has given them (Long Buckby) a bit of life when we are four-one up. We've got are smallest player in our team marking their biggest player at the back stick and we must have been shouting for thirty or forty seconds from the bench switch it round, switch it round and they dink the ball up and the guy hasn't had to jump and he's put it in to make it four-two then all of a sudden the nerves are starting to flicker a little bit.
"And then when the goal went in in injury time, to make it four-three it was horrible but fortunately we held strong and I can't thank the lads enough for the effort and application they put in and obviously we are into the quarter finals which is something I didn't think I'd hear myself say.
"Coming in at half time I had a quiet word with the officials and said there are two sides in this and I mentioned Royce (Turville) particularly because he was having the shirt tugged off his back and two or three times they gave a free kick against Royce and to the opposition and I was just asking the ref to have a look a little bit more objectively and he (the ref) was trying to say he was letting things go but Royce was having the shirt pulled off his back at times and we didn't seem to get the favours and fortunately it hasn't gone against us.
"I was pleased for Royce to get the equaliser and what a fantastic second goal. Let's not forget that this isn't our strongest team. We've got both of our first choice wingers out and we had one or two players out there who'd been out Jordi Gough and Matt Hill how they got ninety minutes in God only knows and we've got the likes of Matt Millns who came in and did a fantastic job and we had the experience of Paul Edwards to come off the bench as well to settle things down.
"Gareth Langford and Carl Slater in midfield were fantastic. Gareth in particular has given us a new dimension in the Vase run. Obviously we've brought Martin (Gadsby) in who has our preference in our league games but Gareth certainly gives us something different and Martin has a hell of a fight on for league games now.
"But we've got a big challenge. The headache we've got with the fixtures and the congestion a brilliant headache to have, but we've now got another Saturday game called off and another midweek game to fit in as well as the Heanor re-arranged game and we are going to need this squad and we have been contemplating maybe one or two additions to try and help. We don't want to change things around too much. It's a difficult challenge assessing when it's the right time to rest players without upsetting the flow of the team. It's an interesting challenge and one we look forward to.
"If I'm honest, Brian Woodall was on the bench as an absolute last resort in case we needed a five minute chuck at the end. He and Tom Betteridge were assessed and Brian is still struggling very much but he's a special sort of player. Brian wanted to go on the bench in case we needed something. I'm glad we haven't got a midweek match so we've got a week to try and get him right and it's going to be another week or so for Tom Betteridge at least.
"We've got Richard Butler who is struggling with a groin he got last week so it's an advantage not having a midweek game to try and rally the troops up and get one or two of the others back so we'll have a look in the week and see how things go.
"We've got a good squad together but it's hard to compare because previously we were in the UniBond but the one good thing and it's very difficult to measure this, but the team spirit in that dressing room is fantastic. They all get on with each other and they all seem to have that understanding on the pitch.
"No necessarily today, because I don't think we played much football. I fairness to the lads they've learned to adapt and win games ugly and today was another example of that but when the better pitches come we'll be able to play the brand of football and we've proved in quite a few games recently that we can roll our sleeves up and slug it out as well .
"There is an understanding out on the pitch, the lads get on great even the lads on the fringe the likes of Adam Betteridge for example has come in and has done two great jobs in league games and he's sat on the bench today and gives us a good option should we need it.
"They are a great set of lads and I'm privileged to be the manager not just the playing side but the staff as well and we're delighted at the moment because everything is going great at the moment. But, I'm always one who tries to look at the glass half empty and we know we are going to hit a sticky patch and it's how we deal with that if and when it comes.
"It's very exciting when you are awaiting the draw. I must admit we obviously got the draw in the last round away at Dawlish and obviously we were both in the draw on the Monday and it was very deflating and it took the edge of things in that draw when you saw your name come out second.
"I suppose, like me, everyone will be eagerly sat by the computers awaiting the draw on Monday and we hope and pray that it's a home one. We've had some bad luck in the terms of draws in this competition and we've come through two tough away draws against sides above us in the pyramid and we just hope someone is looking down on us and we get a home draw.
"We are down to the key teams now in this competition and we were the lowest ranked team going into today's round of matches so obviously we are going to be the lowest ranked team in the quarter-finals. It's a great feeling to be in the last eight and we are going to enjoy tonight and probably a bit of tomorrow as well and we'll look forward to the draw on Monday."
