Evo-Stik NPL Division One South
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 1st December 2012, 3.00pm
Brigg Bag The Points
A moment of first half madness saw skipper James Jepson shown a straight red card leaving Gresley a mountain to climb, one which they failed to scale with an hour left to play with just ten men.
A questionable decision by referee Matthew Wilkes infuriated Gresley players, management and supporters alike which led to Jepson throwing the ball at Martyn Gee and Mr Wilkes after consulting his assistant pointed to the dressing room.
Young keeper George Woodward kept the number one jersey and Matt Roome was handed the right back slot. Richard Hanslow was given a start with Jordan Nadat a place on the bench.
Things started well for Gresley as they threatened early on but Hanslow was unlucky to have been dubiously flagged offside as he put the ball in the net when he clearly on side.
Rob Spencer then went close but fired his shot wide of the far post and then the hardworking winger laid on a superb ball for Hanslow but again the chance went begging as the ball flashed past the far post. Spencer then tried his hand again with a shot straight at Town keeper Miles Fenty.
Then against the run of play Brigg took the lead. Danny Buttle looking offside when he collected the ball ran down the left into acres of space and crossed to Liam Dickens who had the simple task of slotting home with Woodward in no-man's land.
Gresley should have had a chance to have levelled things a few moments later. Hanslow turned his marker and as he took two strides into the area was hacked down by Gee. The referee adjudged that the offence had occurred a yard outside the area. The Gresley players were appealing and during the questioning the assistant referee indicated that he wished to speak to the referee. Nearly everyone in the ground thought it must be to indicate that the foul had been in the area and Gee the last man denying a goal scoring chance. But, instead of awarding the spot kick and red carding Gee the referee confirmed his decision and red carded Jepson for his moment of petulance.
If going a goal down was a hard enough trying to come back with ten men made it all the more difficult. But, to their credit, they did fight back not from one goal down but three!
With Gresley still seething about the sending off and the denial of a penalty they got caught again and as a result of some poor defending found themselves two goals down when a free kick from the left was not cleared and Liam Davis hit a shot which went in off the base of the far post. As the first half drew to a close Spencer had the chance to reduce the arrears but shot wide of the far post.
Phil Massingham went close early in the second half but Brigg extended their lead with another dubious goal. Stuart Preston who was a couple of yards offside was allowed to complete his run before slipping the ball past Woodward.
Gresley made two changes bringing on Jordan Nadat for the injured Spencer and a few minutes later Marc Goodfellow for Massingham and it seemed to liven things up for the home side. Roome picked out Hanslow who hit a superb shot on the turn which was well blocked by Fenty. The goal that Gresley needed came when Jordi Gough raced powerfully through the Brigg defence and hit an unstoppable shot past Fenty at his near post.
Five minutes later Gresley were back in the game. A clever lay-off by Nadat for Goodfellow ended with a low shot that beat Fenty.
Gresley looked as if they could at least get a share of the points but as the pressed forward looking for their third goal they were caught by a quick break which resulted in a cross being headed down by Ryan Paczkowski to Davis who was unmarked and he made no mistake smashing the ball past Woodward.
Gresley still had chances to get something with Hanslow hitting a shot on the turn wide, Nadat doing similar but firing over and then hitting a thunderous shot into the side netting.
Brigg should have added a fifth goal. With nearly every Gresley player in the Brigg half a long ball saw Preston run onto it but was denied by Woodward who blocked the chance.
Gresley will look back on this game as to what might have been as they played well enough, created enough chances to have won easily but were caught by some poor defending and some, let say, interesting decisions by the officials.
Manager's View
"We have to acknowledge reality that the goals we gave away weren't the best. For the first twenty minutes I don't think Brigg touched the ball and then all of a sudden we're picking it out of the net when we were caught by a quick break.
"Immediately after that we had a man sent off when that happens you have to be big and strong and organised for five minutes. So to concede so soon in the manner we did where there were just bits in the box and the ball's been stuck in you are already making an already difficult situation a mountain to climb.
"I've got a degree of sympathy for the third goal. The lineman was a little bit behind play. He just finished telling their bench or our bench to sit down and found himself alarmingly behind play and gave an offside decision. He had given us offside so many times we couldn't have been for all of them perhaps we were! The fourth goal, you can't get turned like that in the box.
"Having got back in the game three-two, and had the momentum we started to sit in deep and panic a little bit and it was a poor goal to give away to be honest.
"So we've not helped ourselves but you don't know where to start on the officials. I have to be careful what I say obviously. The pivotal moment was around the free kick in the box or the penalty or outside the box and the sending off for the goal scoring chance he denied us and yet the linesman gets involved for something ridiculous.
"James Jepson had just thrown the ball back at the guy who'd just thrown it at him. It was nothing violent it was just one of those things. No player was appealing and just got on with it but the busy linesman got involved and it spoilt the game. Richard Hanslow was through on goal. I asked the assessor who didn't answer me. Whether that was to stop me getting into trouble or he was embarrassed about what he was assessing I'm not sure.
"Even with ten men in the first half I still thought we played some good stuff. We created some chances and I was full of it at half time and said to the lad 'let's give it a real go' and to concede the goal in the way we did, again in dubious circumstances knocked the stuffing out of us.
"In fairness to the lads they kept going and if we could have finished today there would have definitely been something from this game for us even with ten men but that's football.
"I'm not going to have a go at Brigg they haven't created the situation but have benefitted from it. With eleven men on the pitch in the first half they couldn't live with us. That was no guarantee that we'd have gone on to have won the game but we were playing well but unfortunately the officials have spoilt the game but that's football. Sometimes the decisions go for you and sometimes they don't. It's just one of those things; you have to take it on the chin and after the game shake hands. I thought the officials had a poor game but I'm sure they'll be back and have a good game wherever they go.
"I'm quite happy we haven't got a game in midweek but from the club's perspective I'm sure after such a defeat you'd like to get back on. I'd like to go out again and play them with eleven men and see if we could get a result. It's like when you fall off your bike you want to get back on.
"We are all down at the moment and disappointed and itching for the next game but we have some knocks and it will give us a chance to recover. I'm not sure about Rob Spencer's knee. We've had a lot of midweek games so it's nice to have a little break.
"Richard Hanslow came in for his first start and I thought he did alright. His goal wasn't offside but as his manager I'm going to say that but from a number of spectators' views he didn't look offside. He worked hard and tracked back a few times.
"What I'm disappointed with is the seven day rule. Mickelover Sports were within their rights to put seven days in for Richard. When they were up he spoke to them and told them he wanted to remain a Gresley player and yet last night the night before the game they are on the phone to him again upping his money. When a seven days is lodged, the club concerned have twenty eight days in which to sign the player and I think that's something that needs looking at. Richard has turned them down and that should be it and they should say I appreciate your not coming to us and all the best for the rest of the season.
"But for Mickleover's manager Dick Prattley to continue to contact the player and put it in the paper that he's going to continue to do that for the whole twenty eight days is unsettling for Richard, it's unsettling for the club. He needs to have a little more respect. It's a bit embarrassing as well. He's turned you down once, live with it, move on and find another player instead of keep pestering us for our players. I'm not happy with it too be honest.
"I don't know whether Richard has turned Mickleover down again so I'll have a chat with him."
