Evo-Stik South
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 11th November 2017, 3.00pm
Gresley Frustrated Again
Gresley manager Damion Beckford-Qualiey must have driven home after the game trying to count how many black cats he’d driven over on the way to the Moat Ground.
This was another game where is side fully deserved at least a point but they were outdone by an offside goal and one that took the biggest of deflections before falling at the feet of a Bedworth player in space on the edge of the box.
That sort of luck has deserted Gresley at the moment and they are going close to winning games but controversial refereeing decisions are hampering them none more so than today. Fouls going unpunished including a blatant elbow on Matt Melbourne and iffy offside decisions.
Beckford-Quailey included recently signed young striker Quirino Bahati De-Ataide Dias who gave his last club as Watford. Jamie Barrett was back in the heart of defence and before the game collected an award and certificate for the all-time appearance made in a Gresley shirt but Alvin Jarvis was missing recovering from a hamstring injury.
Gresley started the brighter of the two sides on a heavy surface made worse after the couple of hours or so heavy rain during the night.
Diaz powered a shot from the left which keeper Danny Crane managed to parry away but just away from Jon Stevenson on the far post.
On 23 minutes Diaz went close again with two shots the first of which was blocked on the line and his follow up into the side netting.
Bedworth went close but through the efforts of Gresley’s Josh Egginton who in trying to clear the ball pushed it goalwards but keeper Callum Hawkins was alert enough to prevent the goal.
Stevenson tried his hand with a shot from distance which went over the bar but a few minutes later Bedworth took the lead in controversial manner against the run of play.
A wrongly awarded free kick on the left was played into the centre of the ground just outside the area. The ball was then played to Iyseden Christie who was at least 2 yards off side over on the left. He then played the ball into the area for Luke Keen to slot home.
The second half started with a free kick from Luke Rowe being headed wide of the mark but on the hour mark Bedworth doubled their advantage again in a somewhat fortunate manner. Joe Pegg’s cross from the right hit the backside of a Gresley player. The ball looped over to Keen in acres of space and he was able to side foot home at the near post.
Bedworth had a golden chance to add to their tally but a cross from Richard Blythe was hooked over the bar by Khaellen Bailey-Nichols who was only a couple of yards away from an empty goal.
Gresley got back into the game on 78 minutes when Jason Law threaded a ball through to Matt Melbourne who ran forward before putting his shot past Crane.
They could or possibly should have levelled a minute or so later. Reece Morris cut into the area but his looping shot came back off the bar with Crane beaten. Tom Manship was first to the ball but with the goal gaping could only fire over the bar. Manship squandered another good chance by firing Morris’s cross from the right again over the bar.
Stevenson was unlucky to see his well struck shot whistle the wrong side of the post as Gresley kept pressing.
A free kick by Rowe was superbly pushed away from the top corner by Hawkins as it headed into goal. A rare piece of action for the young keeper.
Gresley substitute Keenan King had the last shot of the game which went straight at Crane as the referee Mr Cook blew for time a full two minutes before at least the five he’d indicated earlier.
