Evo-Stik NPL League East
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 8th September 2018, 3.00pm
Millers Grind Out The Points
This was a game that will not live long in the memory of any of the spectators as both sides served up a drab game on a drab afternoon.
Just one goal separated the two sides, but a good one at that, but neither could carve out any chances of note with passes going astray.
It was a sign of how poor the game was when the most talked about moment came when Riece Bertram appeared to have swung a punch at Kieran O’Connor in the second half. The referee nor his assistant indicated that they’d seen it but after speaking to his assistant the referee bizarrely showed both players a yellow card. Surely, it either warranted a red card for Bertram for the apparent punch or neither player receiving a card.
Carlton went close on 2 minutes when a slip by Jamie Barrett allowed a shot which Gresley keeper Jack Livesey had to tip over. Livesey needed to be on his toes minutes later this time turning away an effort from Aaron Okopu.
The game became very scrappy until the 32nd minute when Carlton broke the deadlock. Receiving the ball with his back to the goal and in the area the bog forward turned his marker and curled his shot around Livesey and into the far corner.
If that moment promised that the game would get better unfortunately it didn’t happen with Gresley’s best chance of the first half coming when Alex Steadman headed Lucas Harrison’s cross from the left straight at visiting keeper Jack Steggles.
The second half unfortunately showed no improvement and the game was now being littered with lots of niggly fouls from both sides.
After that talking point which came on 75 minutes things between the players threatened to escalate with the referee making some ‘interesting’ decisions for both sides but thankfully it didn't.
The game was dead on its feet and was ebbing aimlessly away until Gresley went agonisingly close to getting a deserved share of the points on 85 minutes but a tremendously struck shot from distance by Harrison fizzed the wrong side of the near post with Steggles rooted to the spot.
The referee must have felt like all the other spectators as he appeared to end the game well short of the full allotment of time added on after all the stoppages, substitutions and obvious time wasting.
