Pre-Season Friendly
Asterdale Sports Ground
Thursday, 14th July 2011, 7.30pm
Defeat In Prims Friendly
Gresley visited Graham Street Prims for their second pre-season game but it didn't quite go to plan. Manager Gary Norton made several changes to Saturday's starting line-up bringing in Richard Butler, Lee Barrow, Rob Spencer, Sam Blount, Jermain Gordon and Mark Goodfellow.
After a quite a while without rain the game was unsurprisingly played on a bone hard, bumpy surface which hardly gave either side a chance to play passing football with the only goalmouth action coming on 10 minutes when a cross from the right was headed against his own post by Prims defender Rob Fretwell.
Carl Slater then hit a shot that was blocked by a defender and Gordon picked up the rebound and hit a good shot on the turn but straight at home keeper Dave Kinder.
The highlight of the first half came on 18 minutes with a superb goal from Goodfellow who looked up to see the keeper slightly off his line and coolly lobbed Kinder from 35 yards.
Goodfellow was involved again swinging in a corner from the left that picked out Slater but his low shot flew the wrong side of the upright.
Prims looked lively up front and they almost levelled things on the half hour when Fretwell made a good run and was only denied the equaliser by Gresley keeper Darren Keeling making a fine block at his near post.
Keeling was called into action again just before halftime this time denying Harley Hollinshead's free kick from finding the back of the net.
After the halftime break Norton made five changes bringing on Tom Betteridge, Oliver Kelly, Mickey Lyons, Jamie Barrett and Richard Hanslow.
On 57 minutes a moment of sloppy defending saw Prims equalise. A corner from the left picked out Fretwell at the far post who headed past Keeling.
That goal seemed to fire up Prims and two minutes later they took the lead in spectacular fashion. Awarded a free kick just outside the area, substitute Sam Norris hit the perfect kick taking the ball over the wall and into the top corner leaving Keeling a mere spectator.
Gresley dominated the final 25 minutes but a combination of wayward finishing and resolute defending preventing them from drawing level.
Pushing forward did leave the back door open to a swift break from the home side which happened on a couple of occasions but thankfully snuffed out before there was any damage done.
Perhaps the visitors deserved at least an equaliser when they played arguably the best move of the match but the final shot from Matt Hill flew wide of the near post. They went even closer with five minutes remaining when a shot from Tom Betteridge was blocked and the rebound struck against the post by Royce Turville followed by Hanson firing Turville's rebound wide.
The game ended with Kinder making a superb acrobatic save preventing Lyons' freekick from finding the top far corner.
