Evo-Stik NPL Division One South
Greenwich Avenue, Nottingham
Saturday, 9th January 2016, 3.00pm
Gresley Lose Out At Basford
Gresley's stop-start season in recent weeks didn't help in this match as the visitors looks short of match fitness in the first half of a typical game of two halves.
Basford, playing down the slope in the first half had the upper hand but a spirited second half saw Gresley shade the forty-five minute but the match wasn't one for the purists.
Gresley manager Gary Ricketts was not helped in his preparations for the trip to Nottingham with players missing so he had to call on the reserve side to try and fill the bench.
Lucas Harrison was absent due to a trip to London, Jean Dakouri and Ricketts himself serving suspensions so Kallum Keen, on loan at Long Eaton, was recalled and Albert Landsdowne, James Machin and Sam Wright called up from the reserves.
On a surprisingly decent surface during the continuing wet weather Gresley started brightly with Jack Langston curling a shot from the right just over the bar Gresley then had a good shout for a penalty when John Guy was brought down in the area but the referee Stuart Richardson waved the protests away.
Basford began to take a hold on the game as Gresley found passing to team mates difficult with many of the passes going astray and it was the home side who created the first good chance. A short corner by Blair Anderson to Deon Meikle who shot needed to be pushed away by keeper Rob Peet.
Gresley's cause was not made any easier when Martin Smyth hobbled off with what looked like a hamstring injury minutes earlier.
Some over efficient officiating by referee Stuart Richardson threatened to spoil the game early on as witnessed when he booked Gresley's Jake Carlisle for what looked like a good tackle setting a trend which unfortunately continued for both sides.
Gresley were finding it difficult to put any decent moves together struggling to get into the final third on most occasions.
Basford sensed Gresley's unease and lack of match practice and started to turn the screw and the goal they were looking for came just after the half hour mark. A corner from the left by Anderson is not cleared and returns to the wide man who then sends a cross into the box where Meikle unmarked at the far post, is waiting to volley the ball past the helpless Peet.
Gresley tried to respond quickly with Guy firing wide of the near post but it was the home side who ended the half on top.
Whatever was said in the Gresley dressing room at the break seemed to have an effect as they looked far more purposeful in the second period with Liam Holt striking free kick which seemed to be heading for the top far corner until home keeper former Moatman Saul Deeney tipped the effort away for a corner.
Gresley forced another couple of corners which were not productive but then Richard Bailey had a goalbound shot deflected as the visitors threatened to get back on terms. A free kick from Langston then tested Deeney when the low shot was heading into the net until Deeney managed to fall on the ball to stop it.
The visitors had another chance to level when Langston met a cross from the left but his rising volley narrowly cleared the bar.
Following that miss Gresley were dealt a knock-out blow with just 7 minutes of the match remaining. Basford's substitute Courey Grantham sent in a cross from the left which was unfortunately turned into his own net by Jamie Barrett.
Despite that second goal Gresley continued to press forward with Deeney keeping them out on several occasions. The first denying Langston at the near post following Ryan King's good run down the right and then Langston having his shot blocked.
