East Midlands Counties League
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 4th September 2010, 3.00pm
Gresley Rue Missed Chances
Gresley were left to rue some missed chances that should have given then all three points. Rob Spencer had given the home side a first half lead but it was cancelled out late in the second half by Ben Middleton.
Town started brightly with Aaron Large bringing out a good save from Gary Hateley who had to tip the dipping volley over the bar after just three minutes.
Four minutes later Gresley were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area that Brian Woodall hit beautifully but his shot clipped the top of the bar.
Woodall was in the mix of things on 15 minutes when he found Gareth Langford with a pass and the resulting low shot was well pushed away for a corner by Shaun Bodkin.
The hardworking Liam Hebberd was giving the Town defence a stern test and he shrugged off their tackles and crossed for Woodall who fired just wide of the upright.
Hebberd was again involved when Gresley took the lead. He ran through a static backline and tried to chip Bodkin who managed to block the attempt. The loose ball came out to Richard Hanslow whose low cross into the area was slammed home by Spencer.
Within 12 minutes of the second half Town should have drawn level when substitute Ayokume Abbis found himself through with just Hateley to beat but his finish was a poor one shooting well wide of the far post.
Town did get back on level terms but it was a poor piece of defending that allowed them the opportunity. Langford got caught out on the right and the cross was sent into the area and after some scrambling the ball fell kindly for Middleton who took his chance and beat Hateley from 12 yards.
The welcome return on the field of Royce Turville on 77 minutes almost saw the striker score with his first tough. Racing through on goal Turville looked odds on to grab the points for Gresley but he clipped the outside of the near post.
Turville then had a header straight at the keeper and then unfortunately headed Hebberd's cross from the right over the bar with Spencer waiting behind him.
The final chance of the game fell to Hanslow but his header flew well over the bar.
Manager's View
"On the balance of the game I thought we had the edge in terms of chances and in a time game like that you have to take your chances when they come.
"I thought we shaded the first half but we tried to play some decent stuff but the length of the grass on the pitch didn't help. A lot of the time things broke down because we couldn't get our normal passing game going.
"Even when we had our fast exciting players running with the ball and number of times it got caught up. Overall we had the most chances and none more so than the one Royce Turville had just after he'd come on and frustratingly for Royce if he'd had been on a few minutes later to get into the pace of the game you'd have seen that more often than not nestle in the back of the net instead of just skimming the post. It was a shame because it was a big chance for us.
"Then we had a chance right at the end when Liam Hebberd put a cracking cross in right on Rob Spencer's head and Royce got in the way and took it off his head which was a very good chance although he'd got to make good contact with the ball, and we could have snatched it at the end.
"The thing about Gedling is that Mick Galoway has got them working very hard, organised and a difficult team to beat and they're no mugs and I've tipped them to be in the mix this year.
"We weren't at our best today and they've worked very hard and got a point out of the game but overall on clear cut chances perhaps we had most. If you take your chances you win the game but you have to keep clean sheets as well.
"We defended really well in the first half but there was a spell in the second for about twenty minutes when we looked a little bit sloppy at the back and that invited the pressure on and towards that little spell they got their equaliser but we'll let things settle down and then we'll analyse it and we'll go again. We also missed one or two players who may have had the quality to have unlocked their defence in the second half perhaps.
"We'll have both Tom Betteridge, who comes back off holiday tomorrow, and Mickey Lyons who was at his sister's wedding today, back for Tuesday. Tom Land has played well for the last two games but he woke up this morning with some sort of virus. Those sorts of things don't help. We wanted to keep that back four that's played in the last two games together so we were forced to bring Jack Coulson into the line-up and with Tom going away after last Saturday we've been forced to bring someone else into the right back slot.
"It is frustrating because you want to have that continuity particularly on the back of a good performance like last Saturday. But as I keep saying that's part and parcel of football at this level and we'll just keep cracking on. We've got a good squad and we believe in the squad. It's not quite gone to plan today.
"The most important thing is that maybe in the past we might have lost that game but we dug in and the work rate and the endeavour was there bit we've just got to make sure that when the chances come we take a few more than we are at the moment.
"It sounds silly saying that on the back of thirteen goals in the last two games but in tight games like today it's those sorts of games that count - don't take your chances and you pick a point up instead of three.
"I think both managers were disappointed in the performance of the referee and I have to say that more often than not that referee normally give a good performance but I thought he had a poor one today but I'm not using that as an excuse because it shows he's human - some of our lads were performing either today.
"It's a big game on Tuesday and we look to go again and we've got two other bodies back and we've got to sit down and assess things and put our strongest side out.
"A big plus today was getting Royce on the pitch because on Tuesday he didn't have a hope. He's been working himself hard this week and he's had no reaction so we stuck him on the bench and today it nearly paid off for us.
"With regards to injuries, there is one worry Gareth Langford who has an ankle, calf and hamstring problem so we had to make the switch so we'll see how that settles down and how fit he is for Tuesday.
"Apart from that Brian Woodall came off with a tight hamstring but he's on holiday anyway for the next few games, going away on holiday tomorrow so we'll miss Brian but I'm sure everyone who is challenging to replace him is chomping at the bit.
"Oliver Hancock is nearing fitness. He had a full training session on Thursday. He was putting balls into the box and he was running comfortably but we're easing Olly back in and hopefully he's not too far away; maybe he'll get half a game in the reserves. The frustrating thing with Olly is that in the time he's been at the club, we haven't had a run of games from him so we'll have to tread carefully with that one as we don't want him breaking down again.
"He's not a million miles away and we just got to build it up and get his strength and exercise in and around his abs and the core area so that hopefully we don't keep having a recurrence of his groin injury."
