Midland Football Alliance
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 21st April 2012, 3.00pm
Spencer Fires Gresley To The Top
Rob Spencer's 60th minute strike fired Gresley to the top of the Midland Football Alliance League and just one win away from back-to-back title wins.
Gresley made two changes with Dean Oliver replacing Richard Hanslow up front and Jamie Barrett coming back in as right back as they looked to get the three points they needed. However, their opposition Coventry Sphinx had been in the top two form most of the season and the Moatmen were expecting a tough game and that's what they got.
Despite having the disappointment of not being able to be promoted if they won the league due to their ground not having the necessary ground grading for the next step up, Sphinx were looking to remain at the top and certainly would not lie down and be rolled over.
Gresley started brightly with Phil Massingham shooting wide and Dean Oliver firing his shot straight at Sphinx keeper Carl O'Neil. Oliver then fired a shot at the keeper second later.
Sphinx took the lead on 22 minutes somewhat against the run of play when Luke Williams saw Gresley keeper off his line and sent over an audacious lob from 30 yards which sailed over Gary Hateley's head and into the net.
The lead lasted just eight minutes. Marc Goodfellow burst into the area and O'Neil brought him down and was a little unlucky to see a yellow card. Referee Mathew Homer didn't hesitate and pointed to the spot. Oliver chose to take the kick which was not the most powerful of kicks and O'Neil flinging himself to his right palmed the shot away for a corner.
James Jepson slung over the flag kick from the left and Michael Nottingham rose to powerfully head the ball home from 6 yards.
Sphinx had a glorious chance to regain the lead when on 36 minutes Matthew Brown beat the offside trap only to blast his shot well wide of the upright.
In the dying seconds of the first half the woodwork denied Massingham when his tremendous shot came back off the bar with the keeper beaten.
Early in the second half Jepson curled a free kick just wide and Spencer fired wide after latching onto a long diagonal pass over to the right.
Gresley took the lead on the hour when Goodfellow robbed the ball off a dallying defender and threaded the ball through to Spencer who didn't miss this time blasting his shot past O'Neil and sending the highest league gate at the Moat Ground into thunderous raptures.
The home side almost extended their lead three minutes later. Awarded a free kick, Goodfellow curled a superb shot which was heading into the top far corner but O'Neil again saved his side with a top draw save as he dived full length to push the shot away.
Twice in a matter of minutes Coventry showed why they were the league leaders as they went close with both Pavel Tomczak and Luke Williams firing just wide.
O'Neil was much the busier of the keepers this time holding a low drive from Goodfellow and then holding onto a flicked header from Spencer after Massingham had crossed into the box.
The home supporters held their breaths when Jamie McAteer when an hairsbreadth from heading in an equaliser from substitute Thomas Muldoon's corner.
Gresley keeper Hateley had just one save to make and it came with just two minutes of normal time remaining when he had to push Luke Williams' well struck shot away for a corner.
The final say almost fell for Spencer when he raced through onto to substitute Richard Hanslow's pass but rushed his shot firing wide.
Mr Homer blew his whistle ending a good match and it was soon made known that Gresley's other title rival Westfields had been beaten four-one at Loughborough leaving the title within Gresley reach.
Manager's View
Martin Rowe
"I think the crowd won us the match today. We had over six hundred at the Moat Ground and I could really see us losing the game even when we went one-nil down.
"We've been in that sort of situation so many times this year and we just come back stronger and stronger. I thought it was a real tight game with neither team giving much away but I always thought we had the edge and Rob Spencer's goal was unbelievable - total passion, belief and he just ran his heart out.
"Dean Oliver didn't quite catch the penalty right and Coventry's keeper is quite agile and he managed to get down and knock it away and then we get a corner and Michael Nottingham should be doing that far more often for us but it was a nice goal and got us back into the game.
"He's scored six this season but I expect more goals off Michael to be fair. He's a big lad and he should be scoring more. Every time he goes up he should be scoring goals.
"James Jepson is putting some wonderful balls in there and they're all around Michael and he should be scoring more goals.
"Rob Spencer really works hard, he maybe hasn't got the ability of Marc Goodfellow but what he gives you is energy all over the pitch and he'll run and run and sometimes you need that in a team and Rob's been good for us all season.
"We've said to the lads, who are on a high, that they've haven't done anything yet until Tuesday. The lads know what to do and we've still got a game left next Saturday. Hopefully, we'll be able to do it on Tuesday. Knowing the way we go about things we'll most likely get a draw on Tuesday and then have to win on Saturday but we're hoping to get the three points on Tuesday.
"It's in our hands now and we always thought that if we won our last three games we'd win it anyway but now we only need to win one game now and hopefully we can do that on Tuesday.
"I spoke about Jamie Barrett last time. We rested him on Tuesday and he got seventy minutes which helped us tremendously today. He'll be very doubtful for Tuesday but Gareth Langford is now fit and available. He's had a very hard training session today and come through it very well and we've also got Mickey Lyons available for Tuesday as well.
"We defended really well today. Marc Strzyzewski and Michael have done well there. Before we had a good partnership with Michael and Jamie but Strez has come in late and formed a very nice partnership."
