Gresley Rovers vs Shifnal Town
Top Gear - Burton Mail
Gresley Rovers profited from the benevolence of struggling Shifnal Town at the Moat Ground on Saturday to issue a timely reminder that their West Midlands League title challenge may not yet have evaporated.
After a miserable spell of seven games without a win - four of them in the league - there was a discernable sigh of relief as Rovers slipped back into top gear.
In all honesty, Rovers did not have to play especially well against a side that clearly faces a long hard struggle to preserve its Premier Division status.
The Shropshire lads contributed greatly to their own downfall by conceding two penalties and having a player sent off.
Nonetheless, Gresley impressively seized the opportunity to reinforce the view that manager Frank Northwood's mid-season overhaul has started to have the desired effect.
Rovers could not have wished for a better start when Clive Arthur rammed in a second minute penalty after his centre had been handled by Kevin Moore.
If Arthur was beginning to think that Christmas had arrived a few days ahead of schedule, then any doubts in his mind were wiped out in the 23rd minute when his cross-shot slithered through the legs of goalkeeper Martin Wright and over the line.
Gresley never really cast a backwards glance after that, although Shifnal probably deserved some reward for a flurry of pressure during which Barry Buck's shot was pushed against a bar by Martin McNamara.
The decisive spell of the game came soon after the interval. With 50 minute gone, Shifnal midfielder Glenn Briers became involved in an untidy tangle with John Laws and was dismissed apparently for aiming a blow at the Gresley player.
Laws, now blossoming into a midfield player of real stature, promptly produced a breathtaking run down the right, getting to the bye-line before delivering a low centre which Brian Beresford swept home for his 16th goal of the season.
The game could follow only one course now, though the industrious Charlie Blakemore surprisingly pulled a goal back for Shifnal in the 65th minute.
That stung Gresley into another frantic burst of pressure that might have yielded more than the two goals they added.
Three minutes after Shifnal's goal, Gresley restored their three-goal advantage in quite brilliant style.
The move began with a typically impudent piece of trickery deep in their own half by Brain Attley. It was continued through midfield by Beresford's perfectly weighted through ball and it was finished off in deadly fashion by Laws.
He utterly outpaced the only defender in his path before rounding the goalkeeper Wright with contemptuous ease to flick the ball into an unguarded net.
Shifnal battled pluckily to avoid any further embarrassment, but with six minutes remaining Beresford was tripped by Trevor Jones as he surged into the area and Arthur duly despatched a ferocious penalty into the roof of the net to complete his second hat trick of the season.
Gresley Rovers (2) 5
Shifnal Town (0) 1
Scorers: Arthur 2 (pen), 23, 84 (pen), Beresford 52, Laws 68, (Gresley Rovers): Blakemore 65 (Shifnal Town).
Gresley Rovers: McNamara, Attley, Bromley, Watkiss, Dolby, Philpott, Arthur, Laws, Staley (Priest 75), Beresford, Earley.
Referee: J T Shaw (Warley).
Attendance: 182
