Gresley Rovers vs Immingham Town
Golly Roger – Rex Page – Burton Mail
Leicester referee Roger Holmes was at the centre of major controversy as Gresley Rovers sensationally kept alive their FA Vase dream at the Moat Ground on Saturday.
Gresley staring defeat in the face with only 20 minutes of normal time remaining staged a brilliant recovery to snatch victory deep into extra time.
The record books will show that it was a sizzling Dave Butler hat trick that turned this remarkable first-round tie on its head.
What they will not reveal, however, is that in all probability it was the contribution of referee Holmes that proved most influential.
Immingham were 3–1 ahead and sailing towards a shock win when they had full back Steve Truman sent off in the 57th minute.
And the Humbersiders were left a broken team of just nine men when Trumans’s full back partner outrageously received his marching orders two minutes into extra time.
Add to that the six bookings the referee collected on the way, including the Gresley trio of Tommy Thompson, Steve Dolby and Brian Beresford, and needs no further description to explain why the terraces were left dripping with fury.
Such an eruption of activity seemed a remote possibility in an highly-entertaining first half that should have yielded more goals.
Immingham’s slick attack twice embarrassed Gresley but Martin Pursey rammed a low shot against the base of a post and Martin McNamara produced a wonderful save to deprive Neil Pask.
In the event, Gresley failed to heed the warning and went behind – not unexpectedly – in the 35th minute.
Pask’s free kick from the right found Mike Davidson on the far side of the area and the big defender sidestepped a challenge from Dolby before crashing in a left foot shot.
Gresley were provoked into a furious response and the first hint that the referee might emerge as a significant factor came shortly before the interval when Clive Arthur was sent tumbling off the ball by Truman.
Once the referee had established that a crime had been committed it had to be a penalty – but to the astonishment of Gresley’s fans he awarded a free kick on the edge of the area.
Suspicions that the game was about to explode were confirmed a minute after the restart when the much troubled Truman was cautioned for slicing down Beresford as the Gresley striker sprinted clear.
Immingham did not escape, however, for Nigel Steele crashed home a stunning free kick that deviated wickedly in mid-flight to level the scores.
If Gresley now sensed that the tide had turned in their favour, they were in for a rude awakening.
They recklessly threw players into attacking positions and they paid the severest of penalties.
With Gresley in total disarray Pursey prodded in Tim Graham’s cross in the 54th minute, and Gresley seemed dead and buried when Glen Naylor made it 3–1 two minutes later.
The next twist was only two minutes away. Truman chopped down Arthur and was promptly dismissed.
Rovers had been tossed an unexpected lifeline and they did not squander the opportunity to bring the game to a nerve-jangling climax.
Butler soared above a tiring defence to meet Brian Attley’s cross and power home a far post header in the 70th minute and with seven minutes of normal time remaining he turned in Dolby’s centre to level the scores.
Unbelievable drama was to follow in extra time when in the second minute Paul Thompson fouled his Gresley namesake Tommy and became the second Immingham player to receive his marching orders.
It was an incredibly harsh decision. The challenge barely seemed worthy of a booking and the Immingham contingent believed that in the confusion the referee wrongly assumed that he had previously booked the player.
In fact it was Gresley’s Thompson who had been cautioned earlier. Immingham manager Steve Lawler persuaded a linesman to bring the game to a halt, but the referee had no option but to stand by his action.
Nonetheless, it was a bizarre moment that left an unusually volatile Gresley crowd exuding sympathy.
The Humbersiders fought grimly in an attempt to force a replay, but their hopes were dashed in the 22nd minute of extra time.
Beresford cleverly outwitted Immingham’s makeshift defence and when he produced a cross from the left, Butler thundered in his second goal to complete his hat trick.
The floodgates could have opened in the opening minutes, but Paul Leroy produced a stunning double save to deny substitute John Laws, leapt superbly to keep out a shot from Arthur and looked on helplessly as Butler thrashed a ferocious left foot shot against the underside of the bar.
Gresley Rovers (0) 4
Immingham Town (1) 3
After extra time.
Scorers: Steele 46, Butler 70, 83, 112 (Gresley); Davidson 35, Pursey 54, Naylor 56 (Immingham)
Gresley Rovers: McNamara, Attley, Pegg (Laws 56), Bromley, Dolby, Thompson, Arthur, Earley, Butler, Beresford, Steele.
Immingham Town: Leroy, Thompson (P), Truman, Pask, Davidson, Goodhead, Walker, Woollam, Pursey, Naylor (Steele 68), Graham.
Referee: R J Holmes (Leicester).
Attendance: 302
