Pre-Season Friendly
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 23rd July 2011, 3.00pm
Disappointing Defeat For Gresley
It was perhaps apt that Shepshed Dynamo took the honours in this penultimate pre-season game at the Moat Ground as the match was dedicated to the memory of popular Shepshed secretary Dave Wheatley with a minute's silence observed before the kick off.
Unfortunately, the game was not one of the better ones to watch with it being a scrappy affair that neither side could manage to take control of.
Gresley made several changes to the side that beat Heanor Town so convincingly with Matt Hill, Lee Barrow, Jake Duffy, Jermain Gordon, Marc Goodfellow and Jamie Barrett all absent.
It was a first showing for former Barwell striker Matt Gardner and Jordi Gough who has been suffering from an ankle injury was also present taking a place on the bench.
Gresley had the first chance with hardly a minute on the clock when a free kick from just outside the area taken by Mickey Lyons was headed over the bar by Barry Woolley.
The homeside took the lead on 12 minutes through Lyons who hit a superb volley into the far bottom corner of the net. Four minutes later Woolley had another half chance but put his header over the bar once more.
Dynamo's equaliser came on 36 minutes and had a huge slice of luck to help. Two deflections ended with a miss kick that flew through the area where Richard Guest stuck out a leg and the ball was diverted past keeper Darren Keeling.
With minutes remaining of the first half Gresley were unlucky not to have gone in to the dressing rooms back in the lead. Richard Hanslow turned his marker on the edge of the area only to see his shot come back off the inside of the far post with Dynamo keeper Alex Goddard beaten.
Dynamo started the second half playing some good passing moves which ended in some poor finishing. Julian Topliss letting fly from distance that sailed well over the bar being just one of them.
Gresley again went close to taking the lead this time it was substitute Aaron Dillon who was disappointed. A great cross from the right picked Dillon out on the far side of the area and his header was cleared off the line by Craig Meakin.
As in previous games changes of personnel seemed to disrupt Gresley's game and a slack piece of defending gave Dynamo the lead on 77 minutes when substitute Ricky Muggleton was allowed to turn just inside the area and hit a low shot that left Keeling helpless.
Two minutes later an almost identical goal was scored for the visitors but this time is was fellow substitute Nick Kennerdale's turn to score.
Gresley didn't give up with Turville heading over the bar and then two remarkable saves from Goddard denying first Hanson and then Turville right at the end of the game.
