Malvern Town vs Gresley Rovers
Rovers miss the point - Richard Whitehead - Burton Mail
Gresley Rovers' charitable reluctance to twist the knife into a gaping wound looks like costing them dear.
For until they add a touch of cold ruthlessness to their undoubted class points that matter will continue to remain elusive.
Saturday was a perfect case in point. With the likes of Halesowen Atherstone and Tamworth on FA Vase duty and Harrison's crashing at GKN Sankey, Gresley really needed two points.
Instead they had to settle for one despite 90 minutes of almost total fluid domination.
And indeed that point was only scratchingly salvaged by a John Laws goal 17 minutes from time.
It must have been a frustrating afternoon for Frank Northwood who would surely have liked to have put one over his old club.
Gresley did more than enough to turn Northwood's wishes into reality but were let down by their inability to play a final ball of real quality.
It was not so much a procession of missed chances - although there was enough - more that time and again slick build-ups floundered in and around the penalty area because of a lack of urgency or cool-headedness.
But despite these failings Northwood will be pleased that at last some of his midfield problems are being sorted out.
John Laws - until now one of Northwood's most disappointing signings - at least showed his pedigree with a display full of intelligent exertion in the engine room area and together with the industry of Reg Priest and the usual excellence of Ian Earley they formed a combination which Malvern simply could not match.
It was a typical Laws break down the right which provided one of the best moments of the afternoon early on. Ian Staley got up superbly to meet Laws' fine cross but with everyone shouting goal Malvern keeper Mark Hingley acrobatically finger-tipped the ball over the bar.
Malvern, despite an appalling third minute miss by Mark Bromley, offered little themselves but when they did Northwood's consistent transfer-target Bobby Shenton was at the helm.
And it was Shinton who created and scored the 36th minute goal which put the home side ahead against the run of play. Gresley keeper Nicky Griffiths was adjudged to have fouled the former Wrexham and Manchester City striker as he tried to walk the ball around him and Shinton himself coolly stepped up to roll home the penalty.
Although Gresley stepped up a gear noticeably after the break it began to look as if Shinton's spot-kick might well be the only goal of the game when another chance went begging.
Brian Beresford somehow failed to convert Staley's cross from close range, Clive Arthur miscued a shot inches wide after a typically direct run at the retreating defence and numerous other good positions were spoiled by a poor final ball.
So it was hardly surprising that when Gresley finally scored it should be an unsatisfactory scrambled affair. Beresford started the move with a lovely reverse ball which sent Priest galloping away down the left but when he rolled a cross invitingly into the path of Starkey the striker's feet turned to concrete and it was only Arthur's timely intervention that diverted the ball away from Hingley and into the path of Laws who smashed it home via a defender's outstretched arms.
After that the game should have been there for the taking but Hingley clawed away an immaculate late Brian Attley's studious chip and Arthur had the ball whipped off his feet in front of goal as he hesitated fatally on Laws glorious pass.
Malvern Town (1) 1
Gresley Rovers (0) 1
Scorers: Shinton 36(Malvern Town):Laws 75(Gresley Rovers).
Malvern Town: Hingley, Bailey, Osbourne, Jenkins (Cambell 81), Kerby, Chambers, Langford, Pullen, Round, Shinton, Buckley.
Gresley Rovers: Griffiths, Attley, Bromley, Watkiss, Dolby, Priest, Arthur, Early (Thompson 69), Staley, Beresford, Laws.
Referee: W Whitehouse (West Brom).
Attendance: 85
