East Midlands Counties League
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 7th May 2011, 3.00pm
Champions
This was not the classic game by any means as both sides had a lot depending on the result. Gedling Miners Welfare were hoping to finish as high as possible and perhaps steal runners-up spot.
Gresley were hoping to end all the ifs and buts caused by the shenanigans of Hinckley by winning today in front of their own fans to be crowned league champions and it was apt that the points and title were secured by a strike from Gresley captain Carl Slater.
In front of the highest home league attendance for the new club Gresley started nervously but created a chance after just two minutes when David Blenkinsopp's run down the right ended with a cross that Tom Betteridge on the far post met but his header flew wide of the post.
On 11 minutes it took a smart save from Gresley keeper Gary Hateley to prevent the visitors going ahead after Jamie Barrett had flicked a header from a long throw-in by Correy Nightingale towards the top corner of his own goal.
Gedling went even closer three minutes later but this time it was the woodwork that denied them. A corner from Jamie Brown resulted in a bullet like header from Warren Hatfield that crashed back off the bar.
Somewhat against the run of play Gresley grabbed that all important goal. On 24 minutes Woodall slipped the ball into Slater who hammered a low 20-yard volley that beat keeper Ross Cherry to put the home side ahead. Two minutes later Danny Holmes almost doubled the advantage but fired the wrong side of an upright.
Gresley finished the first half strongly and went close of adding goals before the break. Lee Barrow went close heading Holmes's corner towards goal only to see his effort cleared off the line by Chris Hall and then Holmes saw his attempt also cleared off the line on the stroke of half time.
Gedling opened the second half going close has Nightingale headed Brown's free kick just over the bar with barely a minute of the half on the clock.
On 56 minutes Slater went close to doubling his tally when Royce Turville laid the ball back but the shot cannoned off the base of the far upright and ran across the goal line and out for a goal kick.
Blenkinsopp than had the chance to extend the lead but fired wide after Turville's shot had been blocked.
Gedling came back and a good cross from Dave Marlow was flicked on by the head of Matt Peberday fractionally wide of the far post. Barrett also went close with a header but his effort from Holmes' corner flew wide.
The final five minutes were a tense affair as Gresley closed slowly in on the title and the perfect ending was almost written on 93 minutes when Woodall, playing his final game before joining Dagenham & Redbridge, was put through and after beating the keeper was unlucky to see his shot hit the outside of the near post.
Finally the referee's whistle put the suspense to an end and Gresley players and supporters could celebrate the winning of the East Midlands Counties League.
Manager's View
"I think I've just about said enough about the replayed games concerning Hinckley, Heanor and Borrowash. It's an absolute disgrace what Hinckley have done and they've been caught out and unfortunately it was us who was caught in the fall out from that. I feel I've let myself down a little bit because I had a go at the league officials who were at the game today as I don't believe those games should have been replayed.
"Any other semi-professional league in the land probably wouldn't have replayed the games and it put added pressure on us. But the lads have had the resolution and character to win it outright. In the end it was not Borrowash's fault, it was not Heanor's fault and if we'd have done the same and appealed but the league had to be stronger.
"None of this matters now. All that matters is that we are promoted which was one massive step to getting this club back where it belongs and I'm so proud of the lads and everyone connected to the club.
"We've done it on probably the worst pasting we've had from the fans in a number of years. We had an enforced five or six week break around Christmas time and then after beating Borrowash to go top we lost away at Bardon and then we lost having been two-nil up here, which was only our second home league defeat in two seasons. The pasting came in a really tough time for me having lost my Dad and my best mate and a close colleague at work passed away all within a short space of time. I and the lads got it and what a way to answer those criticisms by going on a twenty game unbeaten run and win the league - happy days!
"Against Gelding today we were very nervy from the off and credit to Welfare who, by the way, have been on a magnificent run themselves to stay in touch and anything other than a win the other night at Holbrook, which I was very nervous about, meant that Gedling could have come here today to win the league and beat us. If there was going to be any more pressure that was it.
"You could argue that Gedling didn't have anything to play for today just second place. I work with their assistant manager Frank Corrigan at Rolls Royce and he emailed me and said you need three points to win the league and we need three points for the chance of getting runners-up and what a game it's going to be.
"But you could see almost from the off that Gedling were playing without pressure on them to win the league but we did and that weighed heavily on the shoulders of the players and we didn't play the football we can play. What we did show in those ninety-minutes was that we showed character and resilience that we didn't have last year but we have shown in many tough times this year.
"We got a goal from a fantastic strike by Carl Slater. It probably kicked up a little bit and deceived the keeper and to be honest we had two more cleared off the line in the first half and had the better of the chances in the second half and I don't remember Gary Hateley having one save to make.
"I thought Gedling looked more relaxed on the ball and moved it around very well. We seemed edgy and jumpy but the lads battled and ground it out and credit to them.
"It was fitting that the skipper got the goal for us. We've been giving him a bit of stick recently for not scoring as many goals as perhaps he should have done but then in the last few weeks, he got the rocket to get our one hundredth goal at home against Graham Street Prims. He then got a massive goal the other night and got us two goals ahead at Holbrook where we were a different class. We knocked the ball around beautifully with no pressure on us and Carl's popped up with the all important goal for us today with his left foot of all things, so for him to win the league for us like that was very fitting and after the amount of time Carl and me have spent at the club and I'm delighted for him. This club means so much to the both of us, it really does.
"I'm also delighted for the supporters. We take criticism when it's due but we're getting the plaudits now and it's a nice place to be.
"I considered last season as a failure because we didn't win the league and finished runners-up. To get to the FA Vase quarter-finals was a great experience and five years ago this week we got to the UniBond play off final but I said to the lads that I was more nervous today than when we could have got into the UniBond Premier.
"This club needs to be playing further up the pyramid and they've trusted me a stuck with me through thick and thin and given me an opportunity to lead a new club as Gresley FC and it's been brilliant for the last two seasons. Six seasons ago we had all the off field stuff going off but during that period we won the Derbyshire Senior Cup and got to the play-off final and then it all went wrong.
"We've risen from the ashes, reformed and got a lot of criticism for that. Everyone wants to beat us wherever we go in the East Midlands Counties League. We got close last year but considered it a failure and if we hadn't won it this year I'd have considered this season a failure as well.
"This is the best group of players I've had in my time at the club. I've been here eleven years including my reserve team time and this is the best dressing room. The craic and the banter is just fantastic and they've all pulled together. It's easy when you're winning but it's about the character when you're not winning. We lost around Christmas time and it says a lot about this squad because we've not been beaten since and to lose just two league home games in two seasons says a lot about the quality we have at home. Our Achilles has been our away form but it's still among the best in the league this year because we turned that around so I'm delighted.
"Some will say it's not a massive achievement winning a step six league but it's very competitive and I'm delighted to have done it I really am.
"The league this season has been far more competitive. I had a chat yesterday with Glenn Kirkwood from Heanor and they've been magnificent all season, Borrowash have been an absolute credit and people have been saying that you've got the money, you've got the funds to go and buy players and bring players in. Yes, we get good crowds here and we are able to pay expenses when maybe other clubs can't but you still have to go out and have the guts and determination to stand out and we've done that over the course of the season.
"We are not thinking of next season at the moment we are just enjoying this. I really do hope these players stay together. There is a lot of talking to be done between now and when the next pre-season starts. There is a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes at the club and the club has momentum now and we go into next season with that momentum and maybe kick on.
"I've not thought about what league we'll go in, I've not entered that conversation all that mattered was getting over the line.
"If you look at this league, the four top teams have been nip and tuck over the last few weeks and credit to Heanor, Borrowash and Gedling but we're just delighted to have just pipped them over the line at the end.
"We get criticism for being a well supported club being raped and pillaged on the forums. In the last two years I've not even gone onto the East Midlands Counties League forum because you have to keep out of that. I don't even go on our own club forum. On that other forum we get called big time Charlies but we've had nothing but respect for the people of this league for the last two years. We've had a lot of bad press and some of it earned because of the actions of a minority and I must stress a small minority of our supporters but the majority of our supporters, ninety eight, ninety nine percent, have been impeccable, respectful and this is for them.
"I want to dedicate the winning of the league to my Father and my best mate Phil who both passed away this year and it means such a lot and to have done it after an up and down season I'm lost for words. I think the champagne is kicking in now as I'm starting to ramble now!
"Brian Woodall has been fantastic for us all season and he was the same last season when he got thirty goals and the quality is there for all to see. He's got a big step ahead of him regardless of whether Dagenham have stayed up or have been relegated today. Brian has done us proud and we'll keep in touch and hopefully at the Presentation Evening we'll give him a great send off."
