Evo-Stik NPL Division One South
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Monday, 23rd September 2013, 7.45pm
Another Win For Gresley
A goal fifteen minutes from time by Marc Goodfellow was enough to ensure Gresley could claim their first home win of the season.
In an entertaining game Sutton Coldfield Town took the lead through Mark Danks but Mitch Hanson levelled on the stroke of half time and Goodfellow's goal sealed the points.
Gresley manager Martin Rowe made several changes from Saturday's starting line-up. Defender Liam Guest and Danny Holmes returned with Jamie Barrett and James Jepson given a place on the bench.
After a scrappy first twenty minutes the Royals took the lead with their first attempt on goal. Danks was put through and he managed to beat the onrushing Gresley keeper Ross Etheridge to the ball and then coolly chipped the ball into the empty net.
The visitors almost added another goal a few minutes later when Lee Parsons made a run down the left and hit a shot which Etheridge blocked and then grabbed at the second attempt.
Dean Oliver then went close for the Moatmen when he turned on the edge of the area but his shot went straight into the midriff of Royals keeper Lee Evans.
Gresley did have the ball in the net but the upraised flag of the assistant referee soon put paid to any celebrations. Still putting Sutton's defence under pressure as the first half drew to an end, a superbly floated free kick from Holmes was met by Marc Strzyzewski but Evans denied the big defender his goal by acrobatically pushing the header away.
A good shout for a penalty as the ball was handled by a defender in the visitors' area was waved away by referee Alix Pashley and then Sam Grice had a shot saved by Evans. But the visiting keeper could do nothing to prevent Gresley levelling just seconds from the halftime break. A whipped in free kick from the right by Goodfellow was met by Hanson running in at the far post and his powerful header was unstoppable.
Gresley started brightly in the second half and were soon putting the Royals' backline under pressure with Guest putting his header from Goodfellow's corner over the bar.
Sutton were still dangerous on the break and their tactic of the long high ball almost regained them the lead as Luke Chapman fastened on to one of them but a fine save from Etheridge denied him.
Gresley almost took the lead in a somewhat comical manner. Joel kettle back headed the ball but his keeper had come out to collect the ball and was helpless as it sailed over his head but their embarrassment was spared as the ball rolled just the wrong side of the upright.
Both sides were looking for the winner and it was Gresley who finally got the goal they had been searching for. A ball down the left found Goodfellow who fired his shot across Evans and into the bottom far corner of the net.
Jordan Nadat, making his first appearance of the season after recovering from a back problem he picked up in pre-season, went close to scoring within five minutes of replacing Kieran O'Connell. His shot forced Evans into a save pushing the ball away for a corner.
Despite a couple of corners in the dying few minutes the Royals couldn't deny Gresley their hard earned win.
Manager's View
"We made changes to the team. James Jepson and Jamie Barrett needed a rest. Two games in three days they just can't do it so we have to rotate the squad. Unfortunately, Liam Guest is cup tied so that's one situation sorted for Saturday.
"I thought Liam played really well today. He's a young lad, only eighteen, won everything in the air and got better as the game went on.
"I thought for the first twenty minutes we weren't at the races. We couldn't get any momentum going in the team and Sutton kept putting the ball into the channels turning us around and it took a bit to sort that out but in the last twenty minutes of the first half we started to get on top and deserved the equaliser. Second half Sutton were much the same but I think we deserved the win today.
"Marc Goodfellow scored one of his goals. The team works hard to get him into those positions and he tends to put them away. It was a team effort they were all working hard and perhaps last season we would have drifted away but there is good spirit in the team at the moment and we've got to keep that going now.
"Jordan Nadat got sixty minutes on Saturday playing for the reserves and scored. He's still a long way off but he can do ten, fifteen or twenty minutes for us when we need him and he's the sort of player who can change games.
"Saturday we will just go to Brackley and enjoy it. It's a big game for us. We are the under dogs and we like that and we're going there to play and enjoy it.
"We had Brackley watched on Saturday. We know what they are about and we know it's going to be difficult but you never know in football and especially in the FA Cup. Our spirit is high at the moment and if we defend like that and take it into Saturday's game we will do well.
"Ross Etheridge made a couple of good saves early on. That's what keepers do! Ross is playing well. He got a bit of a clatter on Saturday but that has not stopped him, he still came in and collected and he has really made a difference to us this season. Sam Grice played well on Saturday and backed it up tonight. Sam is a good hard working player and he's getting better and gaining more confidence."
