FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 22nd September 2012, 3.00pm
Fight Back Sees Gresley Through
Gresley staged a remarkable second half fight back to snatch a late victory after going in at half time two goals down with Jordi Gough, Marc Goodfellow and Richard Hanslow all scoring to see their side's name in the hat for the draw on Monday.
Manager Gary Norton made two changes from the midweek defeat bringing Jamie Barrett in at right back and Dean Oliver for Richard Hanslow. Royce Turville was unavailable due to a family holiday.
The visitors made the early running with Courtney Pitt firing a free kick just over the bar. They should have taken the lead minutes later when a shot whistled past the upright from a great position.
Despite the pressure from Stafford it was Gresley who carved out four good chances. Dean Oliver did well to turn his marker in the area but the final shot went straight at keeper Alan Alcock. The hard working striker then went close hitting a low shot from Goodfellow's pass which Alcock diving to his left did well to hold onto. Oliver then had a shot blocked by the legs of the keeper and then he harried a defender for the ball on the edge of the area before controlling it superbly but his attempted lob was just a fraction too low and was caught by Alcock at full stretch.
The Moatmen went close again on 33 minutes when Goodfellow slipped the ball through for Phil Massingham who hit his shot wide of the near post.
Gresley were to regret not converting at least one of those chances as Stafford took the lead on 35 minutes. Luke Bottomer made a superb run down the right before sending over a cross which then seemed to come off the shin of Danny Quinn looping the ball into the net at the near post.
Gary Hateley, who had come in for some criticism in the previous game, did very well to block a vicious shot at his near post from Ryan Brown.
Stafford scored the goal which looked to have been on its way as they applied strong pressure as the first half drew to a close. A free kick over on the left by former Moatman Jimmy Turner caught Gresley knapping and Michael Carr was able to flick his header in at the far post.
Gresley could have wiped out one of the goals as Gough made a run down the left but his cross was swept wide of the near post by Massingham.
Whatever was said at the break to the Gresley lads had its effect because they came out in a determined mood to put things right and boy did they do so in a scintillating second half. A long ball over the visitors' backline saw Massingham race forward but fired his shot wide but the turning point of the game came on the hour as Mickey Lyons and Hanslow were introduced replacing Craig Attwood and Massingham respectively with both having an immediate impact.
A ball from Lyons drew a free kick on the right which was taken by Goodfellow who was unlucky to see his effort clip the top of the bar with Alcock rooted to the spot.
Gresley reduced the deficit on 73 minutes when Oliver laid the ball back to Gough who struck an unstoppable shot from 25 yards into the top corner.
On 80 minutes Gresley were deservedly level. Goodfellow, who was making himself a nuisance in the Stafford area, was bundled to the floor from behind and referee Mr Richardson had no hesitation pointing to the spot. The winger took the kick himself firing his low shot into the corner giving Alcock no chance.
Gresley were clearly in charge of proceeding s and Rob Spencer went close before the home side completed the scoring. Lyons sent a perfect through ball for Hanslow to race onto to and with the visiting centre half struggling to keep up the young striker took the ball round the despairing dive of Allcock before slipping the ball into the empty net prompting celebrations from the home supporters, bench and players alike.
Stafford caused a few hearts to flutter in the dying minutes as Ryan Dicker headed Turner's free kick just wide of the near post but Gresley could have had the last say when Oliver chased down a back pass to the keeper who managed to scramble the ball away for a corner.
Manager's View
"Jordi Gough's goal came from nowhere really. Jordi's not renowned for his shots from distance and one of the things we wanted to work on this year is his quality in the final third. He caught it really, really sweetly.
"Stafford were cruising in the game and had got cigars on at half time. There was a couple of comments that came - I'm not sure if they were from their bench - but that was the main theme of my team talk at half time. When the second goal went in they said it was going to be five or six which I thought was extremely disrespectful.
"They didn't give us any respect and they were chirping all first half and yet at the end it was very quiet on their bench!
"I said at half time they've got no respect for you and they think they're going to roll you five or six. You've got nothing to lose, go and get yourselves back in the game and one goal will turn it. Once we got the goal they went. And to be honest if the game had been another five minutes longer we'd have gone on and won four.
"They had the chances and the possession but graft, determination and desire won through. I apologise for letting myself down at the end but I'm not having any big time Charlies coming here and disrespecting my side like that and they got what they deserved.
"For all the fantastic play Stafford had and they've got some fantastic players in there, we had some really good chances. We saw the whites of the keepers eyes two or three times but they punished us. The first goal was sloppy but the second was a great delivery from Jimmy Turner and the guy got a good finish there.
"At two-nil up we felt a little bit hard done by but as I said to the lads at half time they'd got nothing to lose. We didn't play particularly well the other night but we played a lot better in that first half and we tried to use it as motivation to get them back in the game and Jordi's strike came out of nothing because they were cruising and running the clock down but that gave us the incentive.
"There was a good finish from Marc Goodfellow for the penalty and Richard Hanslow, what a finish! He showed great composure and saved the day. We had nothing to lose and we made the substitutions. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but often when you bring those sorts of players off the bench it works.
"Both substitutes combined for the winner but I bet we won't get much credit for that! Everyone tend to look at the negative but for the supporter who wanted to have a go at me at half time about Gary Hateley, that win is for you!
"Jordi's done really well and continues to impress and that's why we've got him on a contract this season and we want to see him to develop further. Dean Oliver has been a little bit under the weather, a little bit off in the last few games. We sat down and had a chat with him but you can't ask for better than that today. He's put a good shift in and caused them problems. He got in behind them and they've had a right go at the linesman saying how poor the linesman was with missing the offside, but let's credit our forwards as perhaps their back four was a bit too slow!
"Dean got behind twice and their keeper made some good saves and I think that rather than complain about the linesman and the officials like they have they ought to look at their own back four because if that game had gone on we may have scored two or three more.
"Jamie Barrett's performance said it all and I'm not going to say anymore. We've got some very good players at the club but I cannot understand where this negativity has come from. We've had two promotions back-to-back and we are holding our own in the new division. We've just knocked a premiership club out of the FA Cup and we've made the club well in excess of eleven thousand pounds in prize money and I can't believe how many people asked after the last game what went wrong, what went wrong? We got beaten by Sheffield who are a fantastic side at this level and they played some cracking football and if we'd have shown that sort of grit and determination and cut the mistakes out we'd have ground a result out against a good side.
"There are going to be a few more very good sides who will come here and give us a spanking and maybe score four or five. But, if we roll our sleeves up like we did today in the second half sides will have to come here and earn it.
"I just want people to put a foot on the ball and reflect where we've come from in the last two or three seasons. I said the other night that with the budget we've got survival is the key this year and I've got no problems with that whatsoever. But people have got to be real. We are doing okay with a fantastic start to the season. That's two defeats in nine or ten games. If you'd have given me that at the start of the season I'd have snapped your hand off.
"The games coming up are not easy. Stamford away who were right up there last season, a long midweek trip, we've just got to dig in and try and get something from that game. If we are able to do that then great if not we move on to the next game."
