East Midlands Counties League
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 6th November 2010, 3.00pm
Spot On Turville Fires Gresley To The Top
In the ninety fourth minute of a well contested game at the Moat Ground substitute Liam Hebberd was brought down in the area and fellow substitute Royce Turville calmly slammed a low spot kick into the bottom corner sending Gresley to the top of the table for the first time since forming just 15 months ago.
On today's performance Hinckley will gain more points than they will lose as they matched Gresley for large parts of what was an entertaining game with both sides trying to play a style of football that is a very refreshing change from that normally witnessed at this level.
Gresley were finding the visitors defence very difficult to breach but what few first half chances that did occur fell to the home side.
Brian Woodall managed to get his head to a cross but the ball went straight into the arms of Hinckley's keeper Elliott Shilliam.
Shilliam was to have an important part in the game as he prevented Gresley on several occasions from scoring with a series of very good saves.
The first came just after the half hour when Woodall provided a cross which Rob Spencer flicked on to David Blenkinsopp who in turn hit a powerful volley that Shilliam did well to push away for a corner.
The half ended with Barry Woolley heading a ball down for Gareth Langford who fired his shot over the bar.
Second half Gresley came out of the blocks quickly and another good cross from Woodall found Spencer who planted his header just wide of the far post.
Shilliam then kept the scores level pulling off a fine save to deny Woolley's powerful header from finding the back of the net and from the resultant corner from Jamie Barrett, Woolley again went close but this time his header flew wide.
Substitute Danny Holmes, on for Adam Betteridge, then provided Spencer with a chance but the normally prolific front man put his header straight into Shilliam's midriff but a minute later Shilliam had to make another fine save as this time Spencer's header from Woolley's cross threatened to breach his stubborn resistance.
For all Hinckley's fine football and possession they didn't have a cutting edge up front and failed to put one attempt on target. However, on seventy nine minutes they should have taken the lead.
Jermain Gordon received the ball on the right totally unmarked strode forward but with only Gresley keeper Gary Hateley to beat embarrassingly fired his shot wide of the far post - a golden edged miss that they were to rue at the end of the game.
Gresley's Danny Holmes who had earlier been booked was shown a second yellow with a minute of normal time remaining and subsequently a red card leaving Gresley to play out the dying minutes of the game with just ten men which they did to dramatic effect much to the delight of the players, management and Moat Ground faithful.
Manager's View
"That's has hard as we've had to work for a long time at home to get a result and credit to Hinckley. I said in my pre-match the league table isn't anything to go into in terms of the build up of the game because the side that's at Hinckley now aren't the side that started the season.
"They've got a new management team in and they filled the team full of quality, lads with pedigree who have played a lot higher and some young quality lads as well.
"Some supporters may have looked at the league table without knowing what's gone on and we get slated for playing poorly. They are a good side and if they are not out of the bottom places in five or six games time I'll be surprised. If they can keep that side together they are going to fly up the table on the evidence of what we've just seen.
"Having said that, on the balance of ninety minutes and clear-cut chances - and I would say their keeper was the man-of-the-match some fantastic save- whereas Gary Hateley hasn't really had any saves to make. We had a couple of hairy moments particularly when Jermain Gordon went through just after we'd had one at the other end and he's put it wide.
"That short spell of where we went close and then they hit us on the break and went close encapsulates what was a fantastic game of football. Even had it finished nil-nil I'd have been proud of the performance of the lads.
"It was a fantastic advert for football at this level. Two good sides who try and get the ball down, try and work hard and try and play in the right way. It was icing on the cake was to get the three points at the end. Obviously it was disappointing for them but to get the penalty especially with ten men. Danny Holmes says his sending off changed the pattern of the game. I think he was trying to deflect a bit of a rollicking!
"I'd have settled for a point. Call me negative but it would have been gut wrenching to have a late sending off but not won the game or even lost the game. I wanted to make sure we kept our shape and we fortunately we managed to get the winner and a big three points.
"I thought the referee did okay today. For Danny's second yellow card it was one of the few decisions that their bench wasn't up and appealing for. I think the ref showed the second yellow due to a bit of pressure from one of their experienced players. I think Danny did go through the back of the player and you couldn't really argue with the yellow. Someone of Danny's experience although he's a young player, should know maybe not to go in like that but it's happened and it opened the game up a little bit. Had Danny not been sent off we may not have won the game.
"I think the referee and linesmen did okay. They made some mistakes, we all make mistakes and I don't think the referee favoured any one side, There were a few mistakes for us and a few mistakes for them but overall what a cracking game of football.
"With our late goal and if it's confirmed that our main rivals have both dropped points at home then it's fantastic. It's a tough league and there are no easy sides in it and you have to work for everything you get. We were just interested in ourselves and winning the game and what goes around in football comes around. Go back a few weeks and Borrowash ground a result out beating Bardon with a couple of goals in injury time including a late penalty to win the game so it's been our turn today and I'm sure there are many more twists and turns to come during the course of the season.
"It's hotting up nicely. There are several sides, Heanor Town have been on a good run recently and they come here next Saturday in the Vase. Hinckley are going to fly up the table if they play like that and put that sort of side out every week. Gedling Miners Welfare who lost in midweek are very well placed and there are one or two other sides who are going to make things difficult for everybody in the next few months so it's going to be an exciting run in.
"Some people were saying that Liam Hebberd should be on for the start of the game but Brian Woodall had a fantastic game, fantastic game and we just put Liam on for fresh legs. Liam has found himself out of the side because he's not played as well as he can do in my opinion. He came off the bench and won us the penalty but it's a talented squad we've got.
"We are trying to build a squad so that if someone isn't having a particularly good game, or even if they are like Brian Woodall who had a cracking game but just run his legs off, we can change things. We brought Liam on and he got the penalty that won us the game and that's what we need coming off the bench. You can only play eleven players and we want a squad full of players who can come off the bench and make an impact on the game either offensively or defensively depending on the situation we are in.
"Chris Bate is here every week but he doesn't get much pitch action but when he's needed I know he'll go on and do a great job for us. He trains regularly although he's working in London at the moment so there's a bit of an issue with that but he keeps himself fit and you watch him in training and you know that if you have to put him out there he'll do a job. Jordi Gough is a regular but he's tweaked his knee slightly and that was the only change from the starting line-up and we've got away with not using him today which is good and we hope he can get his knee right.
"If you look at the three who came off the bench and the suspended Mickey Lyons, that's the kind of squad we are trying to build."
