FA Trophy Preliminary Round
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 18th October 2014, 3.00pm
O'Connell At The Double
Gresley made their way into the next round of the FA Trophy with a comfortable victory over ten men Tividale without getting out of third gear.
A double from on fire Kieran O'Connell did the damage and they could have added more to their tally if it had not have been for the keeper and defenders.
Caretaker manager Wayne Thornhill kept faith with the same starting eleven which claimed a good win at Loughborough last week and they were soon threatening the Tividale defence with Eric Graves trying an overhead kick within the first two or three minutes.
The game became very scrappy for a period until the Moat ground was lit up with a superb goal. A throw-in from the right by Matt Roome found O'Connell who took one touch, turned and then hit an unstoppable shot from 22 yards which arrowed into the top far corner leaving keeper Charlie Price a mere spectator.
It was just what the game needed to take away the tension until the game was disrupted by a bizarre piece of officiating. O'Connell had been scythed down and it took five minutes for the referee Ashley Guest to make his decision after consulting his assistants, one of them twice! After all the discussions Sam Williams received a yellow card.
The game restarted after the lengthy delay and Tividale almost levelled. Mark Smith hit a shot which appeared to be going wide until Jazz Luckie flicked it on bringing out a fine save from Ross Atkins a t his near post.
Minutes later Roome was adjudged to have fouled Sam Rock but this time the referee's decision was almost instant in producing the yellow card.
Gresley came out of the blocks quickly for the second half and O'Connell went close to doubling his tally but the outstretched leg of Price denied him.
Tividale's second attempt on goal produced another good save from Atkins again at his near post. Another clumsy tackle from Williams saw him receive a second yellow card and consequently a red from the referee.
O'Connell was giving the Tividale defence the runabout and after some good work down the left he picked out Luke Edwards who fired a shot just wide.
Graves produced the pass which saw O'Connell race through into the Tividale area and coolly slot the ball past Price for a fully deserved second goal.
Jack Langston made a run down the right and his pass to Edwards almost saw a third goal but a last ditch block at the near post prevented him from getting on the scoresheet.
Another play giving the visiting defence a nightmare was Rob Mulonga and on several occasions he pushed the ball past the full back before tearing past him to get to the ball and put over a cross into the area.
Tividale almost reduced their arrears when a long high ball was headed on by Luckie and it looked to be drifting wide of Atkins's far post but curled to clip the outside of the upright.
Langston then caught the Tividale defence napping and he robber a defender of the ball and passed to O'Connell whose low shot was straight at the keeper.
Lucas Harrison went close with a free kick which flew the wrong of the post and with the game almost at an end Luckie had a couple of chances to at least chalk one goal off but the first one sailed well over the bar and his second well wide.
Gresley now face Romulus at home on 1st November in the next round.
