FA Carlsberg Vase 2nd Round Proper
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 19th November 2011, 3.00pm
Gresley In Fine Vase Win
Gresley upset the odds by pulling off a fine victory over one of this season's competition favourites and last season's beaten semi-finalists Kings Lynn Town at the Moat Ground.
Manager Gary Norton had been concerned as to whether his captain Gary Hateley would be fit to play after receiving a shoulder injury in midweek which thankfully was not as bad as first thought. Michael Nottingham, Gareth Langford and Marc Goodfellow all returned to the starting eleven.
As was to be expected it was a close encounter with Lynn edging the opening quarter but on 32 minutes the home side took the lead. Dean Oliver put a great ball down the left for Richard Hanslow who then raced forward before cutting in to the area and despite two of his colleagues calling for the ball in the middle the young striker saw his chance and struck a fine shot that flew under Lynn keeper Alex Street and into the far corner.
That goal seemed to awaken the opposition and they went close levelling minutes later when a shot at the near post was well blocked by Hateley but although the follow-up was netted the raised flag of the assistant referee chalked the effort off.
On 38 minutes Gresley went close to doubling their advantage. A header from Jamie Barrett cause bedlam in the visitors' box but despite a desperate scramble almost on the goal line Lynn somehow survived and the ball was hooked away before a Gresley player could take advantage.
Gresley came out strongly for the second half and they soon forced a corner from the right. James Jepson swung over the flag kick to Barrett at the far post who headed back only to see his effort hit the far post.
Goodfellow then did well with a dangerous shot that took a deflection and was almost put into his own net by a defender.
On 67 minutes Jepson struck a tremendous shot that was well blocked but soon afterwards Lynn began to apply pressure and Jamie Thurbourne went close firing wide.
Two minutes later a free kick from the edge of the area from Goodfellow picked out Nottingham at the far post but his effort was turned away for a corner. The corner from the left by Jepson flew across the face of Street's goal with no Gresley player able to turn the ball home.
The final fifteen minutes saw Gresley under considerable pressure with Jamie Thurbourne hitting a shot for the far post which Jordi Gough did well to clear off the line.
There was then a period of pressure from the visitors which resulted in four successive corners which came to nothing but then the action went to the other end with Street preventing Jepson's shot going into the top corner with a good save.
Lynn then forced another succession of corners this time seven of them. One resulted in Stephen Spriggs chesting the ball narrowly wide at the near post and then Ross Watson putting a header wide from Jamie Thurbourne's corner.
Gresley weathered the storm resolutely and sewed the match up three minutes into added time. Oliver did well to get the better of his marker on the halfway line and sprinted down the right. He looked up to see substitute Royce Turville racing through the middle and into the area. Oliver then sent across the most inviting ball and the popular striker didn't need any prompting and slammed the ball into the net.
Despite a minute or so of further pressure Gresley held on and can now look forward to the draw on Monday to see who the draw presents them for the third round to be played on 3rd December.
