Evo-Stik NPL Division One South
The Hawthorns, Hawthorn Ave, Brigg
Saturday, 21st December 2013, 3.00pm
Brigg In Smash & Grab
Well, how on earth did Gresley fail to win a game they thoroughly dominated from the off, the travelling faithful would have been wondering on the long journey home.
Gresley created enough chances to have won not one game but three or four and it's not exaggerating to say that they should have been five or six goals in front before the half-hour mark but wasteful finishing and the woodwork prevented them from doing so.
Lucas Harrison finally converted one of the many chances for his first goal for Gresley but more wasted chances came to bite them and bite them hard when home substitute Elliott Broughton grabbed two late goals to snatch an unlikely three points.
Gresley manager Martin Rowe brought Matt Roome into the right back slot with Jamie Barrett, who'd returned from holiday, on the bench.
The visitors made a fast start with Rob Spencer crashing Paolo Piliero's cross from the left against the bar with five minutes on the clock. Spencer then turned provider laying the ball on for Eric Graves but his effort just cleared the bar.
Spencer then fired a shot fractionally wide of the far post and a superb footballing move out of defence involving Roome, Graves and Spencer ended with Spencer again firing over.
The goal came when Piliero's dogged determination kept him on his feet despite being hacked at two or three times by frantic Brigg players. He managed to push the ball out to Harrison on the left who took the ball a further few yards before slotting the ball past keeper Jake Turner and into the far bottom corner of the net.
It then seemed inevitable that an avalanche of goals would follow as chance after chance was created but sadly not finished.
Jack Langston put a shot wide and when Gresley got the ball on the floor their play at times was mesmerising to watch and more good play almost lead to a second goal ended with Graves finding Kieran O'Connell but his goal bound shot hit the back of a defender and flew over the bar. The corner by Langston was played short to Piliero who returned it to Langston. He controlled the ball before unleashing a shot which Turner did extremely well to acrobatically tip the ball over the bar.
More flowing football from Gresley sent Alex Steadman flying down the right. His cross picked out the unlucky Spencer who was denied yet again by the bar!
As the first half drew to a close Gresley went agonisingly close once more but Piliero's effort whizzed past the far post.
The feeling of 'it just isn't our day' came very early in the second half when yet another chance went begging but John Guy couldn't get any power on his header from Langston's free kick to trouble Turner.
Steadman was then put through on goal by a defence splitting ball but he was denied by Turner who raced out well to smother the ball.
Guy then flicked a header to Langston who smacked a shot which Turner did well to hold onto. Spencer then raced through on goal but Turner, who had to time his tackle perfectly as he raced out of his area, managed to stop the threat. Spencer had another chance minutes later but skewed his shot wide.
A very rare attempt on Gresley's goal came on 70 minutes but Paul Ashton's excellent dipping shot clipped the top of the bar with Mats Morch beaten.
That proved to be a warning as manager less Brigg made the substitution which turned the game. After Piliero had fired a shot wide Brigg got into the Gresley half and a soft free kick was conceded 30 yards from the visitors' goal. Paul Grimes took the kick which cannoned off a defender but fell very nicely for Elliott Broughton who had only been on the pitch three minutes and he finished well firing across Morch and into the far corner.
Thing got worse for Gresley as Brigg scored an undeserved winner well into time added on. With Gresley pressing men forward they got caught by a quick break when the ball was played out to Broughton, who looked suspiciously offside and he managed to keep ahead of the defenders racing back and finished coolly past Morch to make the Gresley travelling support's long journey home a very miserable one.
Manager's View
"I can't remember a game where we dominated so much and came away with nothing. We started well but haven't just put our chances away and to be fair it could have been double figures before half time.
"We had chance after chance but unfortunately it didn't go for us we didn't have a lucky bounce or anything but you make your luck.
"Second half we've not come out as well as we did in the first half but we still played reasonably enough and still creating. Brigg had one decision right at the end of the game and it was a deflection and beat Mats Morch in goal and the last goal the lad was four yards offside. We appealed; they continued and put the ball in the back of the net.
"No wonder they were overjoyed with the win because they'd been totally out played for ninety minutes today and they pinched a win!
"It won't be a problem to pick the lads up for the Coalville game. You've only got to mention one word, Coalville and the lads will be up for that game as well as supporters.
"It's very disappointing today that we've haven't come away with all three points. We played really well today and things haven't gone for us in front of goal unfortunately.
"I said to the lads at half time that Lucas Harrison was showing the way. That's how you score goals abut unfortunately it's just not happening for Rob Spencer or Alex Steadman at the moment. We tried to change it for the last fifteen minutes bringing on Mickey Lyons and Royce Turville to try and finish the game off but it didn't happen. We lost a bit of our discipline at the back as well.
"Sam Grice will be back for Boxing Day after serving a one match ban today but we've played well today even though the game didn't go our way. I'd have been worried if we had played badly but we didn't."
