Evo-Stik NPL League East Division
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 17th November 2018, 3.00pm
Owls Fly Off With The Points
Don’t be deceived by Cleethorpes’ lowly league position they are a much better club than that and it showed with some of the football they produced in the first half.
However, a severely depleted Gresley side gave them a battle in the second half and fully deserved a share of the points but were denied by a last-gasp goal.
Gresley manager was struggling to field a side with 9 members of what would be first team squad members absent.
Missing were the suspended Albert Lansdowne, Dexter Morris-Clarke and Dom Allen alongside Callum Riddell who was suffering from illness. Kane Jellyman was still on holiday and young defender Jake McIntosh was away celebrating his 18th birthday along with some reserve team players who may have made today’s squad.
Jamie Barrett came back into the squad after missing recent games due to a family illness and Matt Roome was brought into the starting eleven after missing the last 16 competitive games.
Town started well with Danny North firing a lame shot at Gresley keeper Oliver Fairbrother. They went even close a couple of minutes later with Fairbrother making a fine save to tip over a shot from Lewis Collins.
Gresley were struggling to get out of their own half with pressure from the visitors mounting and that pressure paid off on 21 minutes when a good passing move including both North and Collins who combined well ending with North firing home.
Five minutes later they were two up. However, there was a huge suspicion of an offside as Josh Batty’s looped header went over the head of Fairbrother and into the net. Three games on the trot Gresley have not had the run of the green with the assistant referees failing to put their flag up for a certain offside ï¿1/2" surely that has got to swing in our favour soon!
The only shot anywhere near the target from Gresley and right at the end of the first half but Alex Steadman’s shot flew well wide of the post.
Whatever was said in the home dressing room at the break seemed to have had the desired effect with Gresley looking far more determined on the second half and Kieran O’Connell going so close with a shot which just cleared the bar within the first couple of minutes of the re-start.
Martin Smyth was replaced by Kane Lee on 60 minutes to give some fresh legs and to relieve Smyth of any more knocks on his sore ankle.
On 62 minutes Mark Branch, after receiving a quickly taken free kick, firing a shot which had to be tipped over the bar by visiting keeper Dylan Parkin.
From the resultant corner from the left taken by Branch, Barrett powered a header past Parkin to get his side back into the game.
Gresley were level just five minutes later after some good work from Lee who held off the close attention of two defenders before firing past Parkin from the edge of the area.
It was no more than Gresley deserved for their second half performance. Indeed with a little more luck Gresley could or possibly should have taken the lead on 74 minutes when Eric Graves got on the end of a flick but somehow Parking managed to block Graves’ from two yards out.
Despite Gresley’s dominance in the second half Cleethorpes still presented a danger frim the swift breaks with Scott Vernon bringing out a fine save from Fairbrother and Alex Flatt having a header from close in blocked.
Cleethorpes were close to regaining the lead on 80 minutes as Gresley were themselves pressing for a winner. A long ball split the Gresley defence and substitute Jonathan Oglesby ran through but Fairbrother stood his ground to make a fine block resulting in a bit of a scramble but somehow Gresley managed to get the ball away from danger.
A howler from visiting keeper Parkin was a couple of inches from handing Gresley a goal. A back pass to Parkin was completely missed by the keeper and the huge relief on his face as the ball rolled just the wrong side of his near post was clearly evident.
Gresley were pressing forward hard looking for that elusive goal to give them the points but were undone by a hopeful long ball which substitute Brody Robertson ran on to and despite Barrett almost getting his toe to the ball Brody managed to poke the ball past the advancing Fairbrother and take all three points from the battling Moatmen.
