Evo-Stik Division One South
Watermead Lane, Loughborough
Saturday, 11th October 2014, 3.00pm
Edwards Dims Dynamo's Light
A blistering fifteen minute spell totally decimated a Loughborough Dynamo side which has its off field troubles. The troubles appeared to be on the minds of those players who had turned out despite not being paid for eight weeks as Gresley ripped them apart to race into a three goal lead at the break.
Mitch Hanson made it five out of five as he emphatically blasted Gresley into the lead from the spot. Luke Edwards followed this up with two goals adding his third in the second half. However, two home goals from Dynamo led to a nervy second half.
Gresley's care-taker manager Wayne Thornhill made a couple of changes from his side which were beaten at Spalding in midweek with Matt Roome returning to the starting line-up along with Alex Steadman.
On a very good playing surface Gresley soon had Dynamo under pressure and took the lead on five minutes when Kieran O'Connell was brought down in the area by Alvis Jarvis. Regular penalty taker Hanson made no mistake blasting the ball past former Gresley keeper James Lindley.
Four minutes later the visitors had doubled their advantage. Lucas Harrison hit a low shot from distance which appeared to be drifting past the base of the far post until Edwards deftly flicked the ball into the net.
Dynamo looked shell shocked and they could have fallen even further behind minutes later. Harrison made a good run into the area picking out Rob Mulonga. Mulonga had two good shots blocked with Jack Langston firing the rebound just over the bar.
The third goal had a little bit of luck about it. Mulonga tried a shot from the left but sliced the ball horribly but as it headed towards the right corner flag Steadman didn't give up the chase and did extremely well to keep the ball in play and he then drove into the area before finding Edwards who gladly fired home his second of the afternoon.
Langston then tried an audacious lob from the halfway line as he saw Lindley well off his line but the keeper rapidly back tracking was spared any embarrassment as the ball bounced onto the top of the net.
Gresley were still looking for goals and a superb through ball sent O'Connell racing forwards. Lindley saw the danger and came out quickly to try and snuff out the danger. O'Connell got a touch on the ball but somehow Lindley managed to stretch out his left arm behind him as he fell to the floor holding onto the ball as O'Connell was ready to pounce.
Loughborough at last managed to put some moves together and started to look like the side who are high in the league table and it took a fine save from Gresley keeper Ross Atkins to deny Nat Watson who had put his header on target. Edwards had the final say of the first half firing on the turn just over the bar.
Dynamo looked a transformed side in the second half and they were soon producing some good football creating chances one of which flashed across the goalmouth but with no-one there to finish it off.
Their second chance, however, did produce the goods. A good pass saw Luke Smithson rattle the base of the post but Watson reacted quickly slamming the ball into the net from close in.
Gresley were now the side under pressure with Dynamo forcing corner after corner and from one of them Watson in acres of space was allowed to rise to meet the ball but this time his effort went over the bar.
Another corner threatened the Gresley defence but a superb double save by Atkins repelled the danger but only for a couple of minutes as Dynamo scored again when a shot from Jarvis took a wicked deflection completely wrong footing Atkins.
The pressure on the Gresley defence intensified and Dynamo went very close to levelling when Brad Munn had a shot cleared off the line and the rebound fired over the bar.
That pressure was somewhat relieved when Edwards completed his hat-trick. Receiving the ball on the right side of the area he unleashed a stinging shot which beat Lindley at his near post.
You could feel the relief of that goal in the travelling Gresley supporters as the match ran out to a conclusion and despite the home side forcing yet more corners they could not again breach Gresley's defence and they duly completed a fine away win.
Manager's View
"It was a good day overall, we played very well. We decided on the shape for the afternoon after discussions with Russell Peel and Jamie Barrett.
"We started like a house on fire and they're the sorts of things we can do to teams. When we start going forward and keep our good shape and discipline at the back we create a lot of chances.
"It just happened that in the first fifteen, twenty odd minutes we took our chances. Some people think the game is dead at that point but as the game rolled out it was obviously not. They worked exceptionally hard to get back into the game after they reshaped at halftime.
"If I'm honest I should have made the change a little bit sooner. We decided to make the change and Hayden Johns was getting his pads on but they scored the second goal but as soon as we got that third person in there just to shore up and to tweak the shape a little we actually got back on top of the game and started to move the ball around towards the end of the game. Our fourth goal came at an excellent time for us and helped us to go and play again.
"We set up a particular plan for today's game and it worked for the first twenty minutes. They then came at us a little bit.
"Ross Atkins has been brilliant for us since he came in. He commands the area very well and slows the game down. Today we needed him to make some big saves. They were two excellent saves but I'm looking at his all round game and him coming to collect a cross at the end was excellent - he's just an outstanding keeper.
"I spoke to John Guy on either Monday or Tuesday and he's about two or three weeks away. His knee is just not quite there. He comes in for treatment and our physio Sam Andrews said he's going to be about two or three weeks away and it will depend on how rusty he's is after being out six weeks or so.
"We've got a good squad and we are still learning as a management team. I learnt a lesson today when I should have made the change a bit earlier. We are still looking to bring one or two in, a little more experience. We have a young team and we are giving them chances. There were times today when maybe we needed an older head in midfield.
"When Hayden came on he did very, very well and possibly changed the game in my opinion with putting that three in the middle. I think we may need that little more experience and a little more quality because at the minute we rely on two or three players to bring some quality to us and if it takes some pressure off them it will be good.
"The FA Trophy is very important to us now after being knocked out of the FA Cup. Hopefully, we'll get a result against a very tough Tividale side who are playing well this season. We've had them watched already and will be planning for that immediately."
