Pre-Season Friendly
Edge Hill, Stapenhill
Tuesday, 14th August 2012, 7.30pm
Gresley Finish With A Six
Gresley finished their pre-season programme with a comfortable win over Leicestershire Senior League Premier neighbours Stapenhill at Edge Hill.
The visitors were almost handed their first goal after just 9 minutes when Christian Harding's mistake allowed Richard Hanslow to fire towards goal but the effort was cleared off the line by Simon Walker.
Marc Goodfellow then went close with a shot that went fractionally wide but on 16 minutes Gresley were ahead. Goodfellow sent Lavell White through he finished well coolly slipping the ball past Swans' keeper Ben Gough.
A minute later Gresley were two up. Referee Roy Burton, who had denied the visitors a penalty earlier, had no choice but to award this one when Royce Turville was cleared pushed to the floor by Walker in the area. Turville sent Ben Gough the wrong way from the spot.
Stapenhill went close as Lewis Campbell fired a cross the face of the goal and wide of the far post but Gresley then went to the other end to score again. Turville did well to lay the ball back for Hanslow whose low shot beat Ben Gough.
With five minutes to go Goodfellow dribbled his way into the area before pushing the ball on to Turville who fired towards goal but the Swans' keeper brilliantly pushed the shot away.
Both sides made changes for the second half and Gresley's substitutes Dean Oliver and Phil Massingham conspired to increase their side's lead. Oliver sent Massingham racing through and after getting the better of two defenders beat the keeper at the near post.
Oliver was instrumental in most of the Gresley attacks and his pin-point pass to fellow substitute Rob Spencer ended with a cross into the area which Kyle Bryant rammed home.
Mickey Lyons raced down the right and sent a cross into the box where Oliver had three attempts but each one was somehow cleared or blocked on the line as the ball refused to cross the line.
Campbell, who had had a decent chance in the first half, shot agonisingly close but it was Gresley who scored again when Michael Nottingham's long pass picked out Massingham who controlled the ball well before slipping the ball past the keeper.
With time almost up Stapenhill went the closest they'd got all game when Charlie Rumin in space down the right hit a good shot that Gresley keeper Gary Hateley did well to block at his near post.
