Match Report  |  Matlock Town vs Gresley FC

This miserable evening summed up Gresley's miserable season. Gresley were always going to be underdogs for this game as NPL Premier League Matlock could name several players with football league and Conference experience.

Gresley manager Damion Beckford-Quailey on the other hand found putting a squad together a challenge. Leandro Browne was leaving for the States on Saturday and his request for International Clearance received by the club meant he could not feature. Add to that Ryan Walker was missing due to a serious family illness, Jordan Wakeling also missing due to a fractured leg and Rob Peet recovering from injury.

Tom Manship and Dexter Morris-Clarke were not one hundred percent fit but had to play due to the lack of players. Matt Roome was out due to a back injury.

Then there were players not eligible to play meaning keeper James Flinders, Sam Grouse and Jon Stevenson had to miss the game.

Beckford-Quailey had to call up reserve team players with Max Atkin in goal and Zaki Hill and James Hemmingway on the bench. Work commitments meant reserve team players Josh Dutton and Kane Lee, who Beckford-Quailey had hoped to figure, could not be included.

Gresley started well enough but it was not long before Town's superiority came to the fore with Jamie Barrett having to clear the danger as Marc Newsham threatened to open the scoring from Jake Green's cross from the left.

It was the turn of Manship to avert the danger clearing an attempt off the line while Dwayne Wiley fired Jake Green's free kick over the bar.

More pressure piled on with Edward Cribley flashing his shot just wide of the far post. However, there was a glimmer of hope has Gresley with their first attack of note saw a header come back off the post and Town keeper managing to smother the ball almost on his goal line as Gresley closed in.

Gresley's defensive frailties, seen for most of the season, were on show again when a ball was not cleared quickly enough allowing former Alfreton player Joe Doyle-Charles to pounce but his shot went wide.

A defensive error handed Town the lead on 25 minutes. Atkins threw the ball to Josh Egginton just out of the area but former Gainsborough Trinity man Newsham smashed the ball back from distance past the keeper.

Atkin was needed to prevent Town from extending their advantage tipping Doyle-Charles' lob-cum-cross over the bar. The keeper did well again to block the Burton Albion loanee Marcus Dinanga from getting on the scoresheet.

However, Town didn't have long to wait for their second and once more it was a soft goal for Gresley to concede almost on the stroke of half time. A corner was swung in from the right by Green and Atkin appeared to be in two minds whether to come and try to clear the danger or to stay on his line. He chose the latter and Michael Williams had the easy task to head the ball past Atkin.

Within a couple of minutes of the second half starting Town had added another goal. A low cross from the left by Green was poked home at the near post by Newsham.

Things went from bad to worse as 6 minutes later Town were four in front. Awarded a soft free kick 20 yards out Green managed to curl the ball around the Gresley wall beating Atkin at his near post.

Gresley looked a beaten side but Laithan Hammond, who had replaced Keenan King, did try to inject some urgency heading Ben Harris's free kick wide.

The best goal of the game was the last one. Niall McManus capitalised on some hesitant defending before racing down the right and cutting into the area and finishing off by firing an unstoppable shot over the head of Atkin and into the roof of the net.

Gresley, to their credit, did try to finish with a flurry with Hammond heading Harris's free kick wide at the far post. The visitors' best move of the game ended with Matt Melbourne slipping the ball through to Hill, who had replaced Tom Manship, but the youngster's shot flew over the bar.

Gresley were unlucky not to have had a chance to at least get a consolation goal when the hard-working Morris appeared to have been pushed over as he raced into the area but the referee Mr Middleton waved away the protests which angered players, management and supporters alike.

The game ended with Town almost adding further to Gresley's misery but this time the shot from Cribley came back off the base of the near post.