Evo-Stik NPL Division One South
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Tuesday, 29th September 2015, 7.45pm
Dismal Run Continues At The Moat
This was a game between two sides who are struggling to get going so far this season and lacking confidence which continued at the Moat Ground.
Leek Town arrived on the back of two defeats losing at Romulus last Sunday and then being thumped by Loughbrough Dynamo on Saturday while Gresley had suffered defeat at Kidsgrove.
The game showed why both sides are in the position they are with just three attempts on goal shared between the two sides for the whole game. Gresley had just one and the visitors two of which the second proved to be the winner.
Gresley were short of players owing to Kallum Keane not recovered from injury, Richard Bailey not available and Joe Brothwell's loan deal finished and so there was a surprise for the supporters when both Rob Spencer and Mark Goodfellow were named on the bench.
As is usual with Leek they started very brightly searching for an early goal to defend and it arrived on 7 minutes. Tim Grice broke into the area but was denied by keeper Liam Roberts making a fine block but he could do nothing to prevent Ashley Jackson smashing in the loose ball.
Grice set team mate Jackson up again two minutes later but this time his effort went well over tha bar.
Gresley were finding it difficult to create anything up front with most of the moves breaking down in the final third. They did make one half chance when Matt Roome got down the left and sent over a tempting cross but Jordan Ball could only head over the bar.
Despite forcing two corners late in the first period Gresley could not break through some resolute defending which gave Leek's keeper Chris Martin an easy session.
Caretaker manager Dave Langston made a change at half time replacing Martin Smyth with Sam Wood and he soon saw the action but again the final shot was wayward flying wide from the edge of the area.
Gresley were responding to the manager's words at halftime but still they struggled to pierce the Leek back line and looked at times devoid of any ideas.
Leek sat back soaking up the pressure and tried to catch the home side on the break but in all honesty Gresley keeper Roberts also had an easy second half as the visitors too found it hard to create anything of note.
On 63 minutes the substitute everyone had been hoping for happened when the former Moat Ground favourite Spencer replaced Alex Steadman to loud applause and he was soon making the runs between defenders which Gresley had lacked in the first half.
With 5 minutes remaining Spencer's surprise appearance was almost capped off with a goal as he struck what was Gresley's only shot on target. Langston pushed a ball through the defence and Spencer ran forward into the area but the attention of defender former Moatman Marc Strzyzewski meant that Spencer could not get any power behind his shot at it flew straight at Martin.
One more half chance came in time added on but again Martin did not need to work as Langston fired wide.
