Match Report  |  Gresley FC vs Witton Albion

Witton Albion kept their push for automatic promotion back to the Northern League Premier Division with a win at the Moat Ground.

It wasn't the dominating display as shown by their title rivals Shaw Lane but a workman like showing ensured they were rewarded with all three points.

Unfortunately, Gresley could not conjure up a single attempt on target all game due to dogged defending by the visitors and some poor play in the final third from the Moatmen.

Matt Melbourne was ploughing a lone furrow up front with the gap between him and his midfield far too large despite the terrier like work from Tom Manship and Dexter Morris-Clarke.

Gresley were undone by two sloppy defensive errors and off side decisions which were not given. Witton accepted the chances and finished well.

Manager Damion Beckford-Quailey made two changes to his side which lost to Lincoln last week with goalkeeper James Flinders replacing Max Atkins and Tom Manship coming in for Ryan Walker.He was still without the suspended Alvin Jarvis and Keenan King. Laithan Hammond and Jon Stevenson were also absent due to injury.

The start was disastrous for the Moatmen as they fell behind with barely three minutes on the clock. A lofted ball over to the right and not dealt with. Steven Tames, looking a yard offside when the ball fell to him, collected the ball before clipping the ball over the advancing Flinders.

Gresley did force a couple of corners which amounted to nothing but the nearest they came to anything like a chance came on 18 minutes when Reece Morris cut in from the right only to fire his shot wide of the near post.

Tames then had a good opportunity to extend his side's lead. Matthew Devine picked out his team mate in the area but after turning his marker he could only skew his shot wide of the far post.

However, a minute later they had doubled their advantage. A long pass to Tame over on the right was not cut out and despite being clearly offside again, put a cross into the box to the unmarked Will Jones who tapped the ball into the empty net.

Gresley had another chance just before the break but once more the effort was off target with a header from Ben Harris's corner going wide of the far post.

The second half started with Gresley trying hard but with passes going astray their task was always going to be difficult.

On 66 minutes Leandro Browne slipped the ball down the left to substitute Sam Grouse who had replaced Harris two minutes previous. Grouse made his way to the bye line and sent over a cross which visiting goalkeeper Calvin Hare managed to claw out of the air with Melbourne lurking.

Albion looked as if they had decided to put up the shutters and accept their two-goal lead and with both sets of players visibly tiring in the warm sunshine the rest of the half fizzled out with hardly another attempt on either goal.

The gloss was taken off Albion's win with the news that Shaw Lane had come back from two down at Newcastle to win three-two. The top two meet on Tuesday at Shaw Lane which could prove to be a pivotal game for both sides.