Midland Alliance Football League
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 24th March 2012, 3.00pm
Gresley Fight Back Stuns Rangers
An incident filled game saw Gresley grab all three points after being two goals down after 33 minutes. The afternoon had everything goals, good saves, yellow and red cards.
Both sides were reduced to ten men in the second half with Mickey Lyons for Gresley and Rob Dean for Rangers both being sent to the dressing room.
Gresley manager Gary Norton was forced into making a change as striker Royce Turville was away at a wedding giving Richard Hanslow the responsibility up front alongside Dean Oliver. Danny Holmes was on the bench after completing his suspension.
Norton was hoping for revenge after a thoroughly lacklustre performance from his side at Beech Grove earlier in the season.
However, after first three minutes things looked decidedly dicey as the visitors took a two goal lead with the Moatmen not having an attempt on target.
Rangers showed their intent with Kevin Renshaw firing a shot wide of an upright and then took the lead on 9 minutes. A good move down the right ended with a cross the eluded one Rangers player but Andy Ford managed to get the merest of touches with his head to steer the ball into the far bottom corner with Gresley keeper Gary Hateley stranded.
A good flowing move from Gresley ended with Rob Spencer powering his shot over the bar and minutes later a cross from Lyons was met by Oliver but his header also went over the bar.
Rangers' doubled their advantage on 33 minutes as a result of some poor defending from the home side. Ford was given far too much space and before he was closed down he struck a tremendous shot from just on the edge of the area that flew past Hateley.
Gresley desperately need a goal to get back into the game and it came from Marc Goodfellow. Deep into time added on in the first half Goodfellow struck a low shot from the left of the area and despite Rangers' keeper Dave Maguire get a hand on the ball he couldn't stop it from crossing his line.
Goodfellow went close in the early part of the second half firing wide but on 60 minutes Gresley's cause was not helped by a needless red card for Lyons. Ford had clattered into the midfielder but Lyons appeared to slap Ford in retaliation giving referee Mr Upton no alternative but to brandish a straight red card.
Two minutes later Hanslow thought he'd levelled things for Gresley but was harshly adjudged to have been offside. Seconds later Holmes went close curling a shot towards the top far corner bringing out a terrific save from Maguire who managed to push the ball away for a corner.
Gresley were looking for the equaliser and a fine run down the right by Spencer ended with a low cross that was just behind both the onrushing Goodellow and Kyle Bryant. Oliver then provided a cross that Spencer met but his header was held by Maguire.
Spencer was then put through and as he charged forward he was brought down by Dean and being the last man the referee showed the defender a straight red card which perhaps on reflection was a little harsh. From the resultant free kick Goodfellow managed to squeeze the ball with a low shot into the net between the keeper and his near post.
Ten minutes later Gresley were in front in fortunate circumstances. A run down the right ended with a cross that seemed to come off Spencer's back and into the path of Oliver who, seeing the keeper well out of position hit a first time shot from a long way out that had Maguire trying to scramble back but his efforts were in vain as the ball nestled in the back of the net.
Two of the visiting bench were warned and at least one was red carded by the referee as they protested and vented their understandable disappointment at being hauled back and then overtaken.
Goodfellow tried one of his trademark lobs but this time Maguire stretching to his limits managed to grab the ball as it was flying over his head.
Things could have been an awful lot different as the match drew to its conclusion. Hateley made a breathtaking save to get a fingertip to a well taken free kick from substitute Damen Beech and then made an even better save somehow purely by instinct diving towards his goal line to scoop the goal bound ball over the bar for a corner to keep his side well and truly in the title race.
Manager's View
"There is never any shortage of talking points with us! We don't do things easily and credit to Ellesmere for their part in a very entertaining game.
"It was a beautiful day, a big crowd and the worst possible start we could have hoped for. To find ourselves two-nil down in the manner we did with two sloppy goals from our perspective really poor goals to give away.
"Our goal just before halftime made our team talk hell of a lot different to what it was going to be and in fairness there was only one side in it second half. Obviously there were many talking points in the second half as well including sendings off it was a huge three points for us in the circumstances we found ourselves in.
"We got ourselves back into the game just before half time and we were putting a lot of pressure on them in the second half. We had a goal ruled out for a debatable offside and we had one or two other close things and then Mickey Lyons felt as though the lad tried to do him in a tackle. We felt from the bench that the guy had got the ball - there are different views wherever you stand on the pitch.
"Mickey is not normally one for reacting like that. Having said that I can remember a couple of seasons ago at Dunkirk when he got sent off but I can't remember any other times he's been in trouble but I've got no qualms about the red card, you can't put your hand into someone's face in the manner in which he did and you can't expect to stay on a football pitch.
"Then we had a couple of bits of luck. I'm an honest guy and I'm not going to say their sending off was a sending off. I felt it wasn't. We'd put a diagonal ball in behind their back four which Rob Spencer was going to get on to but it was going away from goal and diagonal but the officials have deemed it a red card offence and that's given us a bit of luck and we scored from the free kick.
"We then had a bit of luck for the winner when the ball's landed on someone's back and dropped into the path of Dean Oliver who stuck it away and got the goal his performance deserved.
"Having said that, we had lots of possession, lots of half opportunities and I felt on the balance of the second half we deservedly won the game but Ellesmere will feel we had that bit of luck.
"I must say that the two saves Gary Hateley made at the end to keep us the three points were fantastic. He gets a lot of unwarranted criticism from some quarters and some people are quick to jump on his back if he scuffs a kick or whatever. Gary is the captain of this club and he's done a fantastic job.
"He's the best captain I've ever had at this club in nearly a decade. There is nobody better in terms of motivating the lads and focusing them. I haven't had a better captain so it's about time they gave him some credit. He had a questionable game at Studley were he made a couple of mistakes and we then have idiots who want the captaincy off him and wanted him dropped. Get behind the lad he's done fantastic for us today and he's kept us the three points today."
