Midland Football Alliance
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 17th December 2011, 3.00pm
Christmas Cracker at The Moat
On a horrid cold and wet afternoon at the Moat Ground both Gresley and Tividale served up a warming display of entertaining football.
Gresley manager Gary Norton was forced to make changes with new signing keeper Tom Gutteridge replacing Gary Hateley who is in the United States on business. Central defender Michael Nottingham succumbed to illness and so Norton partnered Jamie Barrett with Gareth Langford at the heart of the defence and Marc Goodfellow returned after missing the midweek game with a slight calf strain.
Tividale themselves also had to make changes after losing midfielder Adam Simkiss with a double leg break in their game against Rocester which was abandoned because of the injury.
The game was end-to-end with the visitors soon showing why they'd only suffered two defeats before the start of this encounter. Joel Kettle was soon testing Gresley's new keeper out with a shot that ended up in Gutteridge's arms and the action switched to the other end where Turville laid the ball on for Dean Oliver who struck his low shot past the near post.
It was then Tividale's turn to go close with Kyle Hill also striking a low shot that Gutteridge did well to hold on to.
Tividale's impressive Chris Russell brought out another good save from the young keeper who pushed the low shot away at his near post and from the corner another save.
Gresley pressed forward but were then caught by a quick break catching them a little flat footed but Matt Jukes fluffed his chance blazing his shot well over the bar.
The home side took the lead just after the half hour mark when Oliver made a good run down the right before driving a low ball across the area which eluded the visiting keeper Tim Beech but Goodfellow sliding in at the far post steered the ball into the net.
Gresley's lead lasted just four minutes when Russell's dash down the left ended with a cross that was flicked past Gutteridge by Jukes.
With the referee about to end the first half James Jepson found Goodfellow on the left and his low cross was put away by Rob Spencer at the far post.
Tividale were level after just a couple of minutes of the second half when a half clearance from Gutteridge was knocked back into the danger area where it fortunately found Russell who made no mistake from close in.
Chances were being created at both ends with Jukes having a shot deflected and Holmes shooting over the bar.
What proved to be the winning goal came in the 66 minute and what a goal it was. A long punt from Gutteridge down the middle was expertly controlled by Turville who then calmly laid the ball back to Goodfellow who measured his shot carefully before hitting a sublime curling strike from 25 yards into the top corner leaving Beech grasping at thin air - a goal from the second it left his boot.
Tividale thought they'd been given a chance to grab at least a point when Jordi Gough was harshly adjudged to have brought down Russell in the area. Russell chose to take the spot kick himself but his shot was blocked by Gutteridge and with the net wide open the striker embarrassingly fired the rebound well over the bar.
Goodfellow went close to completing his hat-trick but hit his shot over the bar, substitute Richard Hanslow had a chance but his shot across the goal flashed past the far post and as the game drew to a close Goodfellow once more went close but his curling goal bound shot was deflected away for a corner.
On such a terrible afternoon with a really heavy pitch, and heavy sleet showers on and off both sides should be congratulated for serving up such an entertaining game.
Manager's View
"This was a very entertaining game. I heard a couple of the lads who stand behind the dug outs say it was entertaining.
"Tividale are one of the best sides we've seen here so far this season. They are a cracking side and I spoke to their manager who said the amount of times he's heard that this year, but that's full respect to them.
"They've come here and given it a good go. There number 9 is one of the best forwards we've seen up here for an opposition. His movement caused havoc but we were aware of Russell but when we heard the news that Michael Nottingham had gone down ill overnight we were a bit concerned about what we were going to do there and he's caused havoc all afternoon.
"Fortunately we managed to hang on for the three points with the new signing Tom Gutteridge making the penalty save and to be honest I thought the rebound was going in but he put it over.
"It was an entertaining for the neutral. End-to-end between two decent sides and on that showing if we're up there at the end I'm sure they will be there or there abouts on that showing.
"We had floodlight failure for a little while which seems to happen to us two or three times a season during the winter. I think it's the third time I've had to do my halftime team talk in a dark dressing room with a couple of phone torches lighting the way but it was nice that it was resolved. It's never dull here is it?
"The winner was an outstanding goal from Marc Goodfellow. We were disappointing to concede a minute and twenty odd seconds into the second half. It was a culmination of little errors. Jordi Gough had a couple of chances to put the ball in the channel but he's shanked inside. Dean's not reacted for a ball he could have won easily probably the only time he hasn't reacted because he was everywhere. The ball then went into the keeper and he miss kicked it. They then smashed the ball back in and found the danger man who put his chance away very well but it was a bit of a calamitous twenty or thirty seconds to be honest.
"The guys showed character and Marc won the game with an outstanding strike, an absolutely fantastic strike and he was unlucky not to have got his hat-trick when the keeper tipped one out the top corner. A cracking game for both sets of supporters.
"We've looked at things in training and we've really changed the approach of some of the guys. Maybe we'd been a little bit too easy on some of the guys earlier in the season and early on we had a bit if a rude awakening right from day one really. We got spanked on the opening day at Westfields, and then we had the win here against Dunkirk and then got beat at Rocester so the signs were there early that there was something to be concerned about.
"After the no-show at Ellesmere you can't ask anymore from the lads. They've really stepped up to the plate and a few new players have helped and at the time Jordi Gough and Jamie Barrett were out injured so having them back and one or two new signings has really galvanised us and we're doing okay at the moment.
"Mickey Lyons found himself on the bench today and he's done nothing wrong at all. It was one of those games today and looking at the heavy conditions Danny has done well in his last two games before today, James Jepson has come back and had a cracking performance against Alfreton and given the heavy conditions it was a option we decided to use and to have Mickey on the bench and what an option to have.
"He's a sensible guy and understood and what an asset to have on your bench. We had Richard Hanslow back from illness as well so we've got strength in depth at the moment. But, we've got a couple of suspensions coming up and we'll pick an injury up here and there no doubt so we definitely need the whole squad at the moment.
"Aaron Dillon was unlucky today. He was in the squad and then when Michael went down this morning we felt that with Gareth Langford going into the side it maybe that Lee Barrow might miss out but we felt we needed an option at the back to give us a bit of cover but having said that we didn't use him as an option, we slid Jordi across to try and cope with the nine and he did very well in there so Aaron can consider himself really unlucky at the moment. I understand he's a frustrated young man but he's dealing with it in a professional manner and hopefully Aaron will get his opportunity in the coming weeks and he deserves one, he's been very, very patient.
"We are hoping for a bit better weather so we can get the Christmas games on. We've pretty much wrecked the pitch today. It was touch and go but we decided to give it a go this morning and I think everyone has enjoyed the entertaining game but the pitch has took some hammering and fortunately we are not at home again until Boxing Day so the ground staff have got a bit of time to get it right but we move on and see if what the weather brings us and hopefully we can get the game on at Loughborough."
