East Midlands Counties League
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 5th February 2011, 3.00pm
Blenkinsopp In Last Gasp Strike
Gresley have David Blenkinsopp to thank for scrambling in the final goal of the game in the final few seconds that handed his side all three points after the Moatmen had gone two goals down though a Richard Butler own goal and a penalty from Lee Barton.
Blenkinsopp gave his side a glimmer of hope just before the hour mark and Gresley drew level with a thunderbolt from Carl Slater before the popular striker struck the final blow.
Gresley should have taken the lead on 2 minutes when Blenkinsopp was put through on goal but with only the keeper Tom Allen to beat seemed to be undecided whether to shoot or take the ball around Allen and a combination of keeper and defender snuffed the chance out. The loyal home supporters were hoping that they wouldn't be left to rue the missing of a golden chance.
Blenkinsopp went a hairs breadth of connecting with Adam Batteridge's fine cross but seconds later Ibstock took an unlikely lead. Liam Hebberd slipped as he looked to tackle Chris Lewis on the left allowing the winger to get in a threatening cross which the unfortunate Butler knocked into his own net.
Blenkinsopp was unlucky again after Hebberd had made a fine run through the middle before slipping the ball to his right for Blenkinsopp who hit a first time shot that went past the far post.
United had a great chance to increase their lead when a cross from the left picked out Lee Baillie on the penalty spot but his free header went straight into Gresley keeper Gary Hateley's midriff.
On 33 minutes Brian Woodall hit a 25 yard screamer that just cleared the bar and Blenkinsopp tried an acrobatic scissor kick that went wide.
United opened brightly and were soon putting Gresley under some pressure with Lewis having a stinging shot tipped over the bar by Hateley.
With only four minutes on the second half clock United doubled their advantage when Hebberd was harshly adjudged to have brought down Lewis in the area. Barton took the spot kick and although Hateley got a hand on the ball he couldn't prevent it ending up in the back of the net.
Gresley manager Gary Norton brought on Mickey Lyons and Kyle Bryant for Hebberd and Tom Betteridge and the change seemed to have the desired effect as the home side started to exert some pressure on the United's defence with keeper former Moatman Tom Allen making a superb block to deny Blenkinsopp.
A glimmer of hope for the home side came on 58 minutes when Bryant was hacked down by Barton in the area with referee Mr S Watts pointing to the spot. Blenkinsopp continued his recent penalty form by blasting his kick past Allen sending the keeper the wrong way.
Five minutes later Gresley were level when a cross was only half cleared and the ball falling perfectly for Slater who hit a thumping low volley from just inside the area that easily beat Allen.
Ibstock then took advantage of a disputed free kick taking it quickly before the Gresley defence had readied themselves but Baillie could only fire wide.
For the final fifteen minutes Gresley began to turn the screw but the goal they were desperately seeking seemed to elude all their efforts with Bryant having a decent shot cleared off the line and Allen making a superb save down to his right to hold onto a stinging shot from Jordi Gough.
Royce Turville then brought out a top class save from Allen as the front man hammered in a shot on the turn that the keeper palmed away for a corner.
Lyons should have done far better from the flag kick but he was leaning back when he hit his shot and his effort cleared the bar.
Just when it looked like Gresley would have to settle for a share of the points up popped Blenkinsopp to take all three. A cross from Jamie Barrett saw Slater challenge for the ball with Allen and defender Jack Robinson in the area and as the ball broke loose Blenkinsopp was on hand to slot the ball into the unguarded net.
Manager's View
"It was a fantastic last half hour of the game and we need it to be honest we dug that out from somewhere.
"I'm really pleased and relived to have got three points and I don't want to go through many games like that where we go two-nil down before we click into gear. If we'd have played like that in the last half hour against St Neots we'd have won the game. The shape of the team of the team changed which probably went a long way in turning the game around.
"I'm claiming the man-of-the-match today for that for that one. It did make a difference. Two-nil down you've got to do something and I always try to do something positive in a situation like that. We went three at the back and got Mickey Lyons on in the hole and we put Kyle Bryant on the left hand side and both were very, very instrumental and all of a sudden it gave a lift to some of the players on the pitch and some of the thing we were doing wrong in the first hour of the game started to come off. We were picking a lot of second balls up and Ibstock couldn't live with us for the latter twenty, twenty five minutes of the game.
"Their keeper Tommy Allen has made a couple of fantastic saves and also one or two in the first half. Ibstock battled well and probably deserved something out of that. But credit to the lads for keeping going but I need some help from them. I'm trying to get them up for every game and get them passionate from whistle one but today it was flat, really flat from us. We had a couple of good chances and you'd look for David Blenkinsopp to score one of the two chances he had but having said that he poked home the scruffy winner so if that's how it's going to be I'll take that. We really should be taking the chances a little bit more. Wasted chances cost us at Gedling and almost cost us today but a little bit of sloppy defending almost cost us today as well.
David Blenkinsopp has scored four in two games but three of them have been penalties. I need a bit more from him from open play. He scrambled the winner today but he'll know that the chance he had in the first minute where his touch took it through to the keeper and the other chance when he went through one-on-one and missed the target. Dave's here to score chances like that but, credit it to him, he's buzzing around and his work rate has markedly increased from just before we left him out of the side which was our biggest complaint of him. He's getting better and he keeps chipping in with the goals.
"Carl Slater led from the front today and I may be a bit biased but the last time I saw a performance like that was the David Beckham performance against Greece to get us to the World Cup! Carl was everywhere in that last half hour. Before that he was probably guilty of trying too hard and trying to make things happen himself too much but in that last half hour of the game he was everywhere the ball was and that helped to turn the game around. If he can perform like that week in and week out we are going to be very happy with him.
"Barry Woolley thinks he's got a shout for being fit for next week so we'll train this week, the first time in a long time, and hopefully we'll get him though training so he can be considered for next week.
"I have to say Tom Land was unlucky today. We were seriously considering starting him but the back four against St Neots did well with Richard Butler doing well and he did fairly well at Blackwell so we tried to have that continuity. Tom is chomping at the bit but he's only been on the bench once since getting fit after his injury. We are a bit stretched without Barry Woolley and even with Tom on the bench we are keeping with Richard at centre back at the moment but he's not an out and out centre back but I still think we need to strengthen in that area to be honest and it's something we've been trying to work on.
"Gareth Langford has really been struggling with his back since Tuesday. We decided to give him a rest today and the good thing is we've got a clear midweek and with the yoga Gareth has been doing along with some stretching he may be in a position to be selected next week but it's too early to say at the moment we'll just have to wait and see how he feels and whether he feels he can get through a game. We missed him at times in there today but having said that I thought Jordi Gough was superb but we need it from nil-nil when the first whistle goes from all the team.
"I need some help from them to get themselves up for games but they'll not need any getting up for the game next week the top of the table clash but when we are playing sides who will come and battle as Ibstock we should be well aware of that. Every game is now a cup final and if they don't perform their shirt is under threat. That's how we need the players to start every game.
"Ibstock played most of the game with eight or nine players behind the ball but it's up to us to break them down. In the first half too many of our passes were going astray, we were sloppy and players weren't on each other's wave length. The pitch was difficult but it's not cut up at all just a bit bobbly but that last half hour proved we can get the ball down and knock it about and pleasingly we managed to turn it around in the last minute."
