Gresley Rovers vs Tividale
Pitch Battle – Rex Page – Burton Mail
The fans rolled up at the Moat Ground expecting to see goals pour from the Gresley scoring machine like Minis off the production line at Longbridge.
After all, Rovers had scored 36 times in their previous nine games and there was no reason to believe that a Tividale side, which had conceded 50 goals in the Banks’s West Midlands League, would be tenacious enough to stem the tide.
Football, like most sports however, has a nasty habit of springing a surprise when it is least expected.
Saturday was one such occasion, even though the result went ultimately went true to form.
In retrospect it is very fair to say that circumstances contrived to make life as difficult as possible for Frank Northwood’s men.
For a start they were not so much brought down to earth as stuck to it by their own gluepot pitch, which provided evidence enough that the effects of the big freeze are still being felt.
Furthermore, John Laws, their most influential midfield player was on duty elsewhere for the British Colleges and further disruption was caused when Glen West limped out of the game with a calf muscle injury in the 18th minute.
All these factors were compounded by a performance of grit and determination from the visitors. They worked hard to match Gresley in a midfield battle that was never really decided and their durable defence rarely gave the prolific Gresley attack time to settle into it’s most threatening stride.
But for two strokes of fortune, in fact, Rovers might have been mourning the loss of a valuable point.
The break they needed in an untidy start came in the 21st minute when Clive Arthur drove in a shot from the left. The ball was turned against the bar by Dale defender Tommy Crooke and rebounded invitingly for Robert Philpott to knock in his first goal for Rovers.
Tividale refused to buckle, though it took a sprawling save from Mark Civil to deprive the impressive Ian Earley of Rovers’ second just before half time.
As it was, the Black Country side were rewarded for their endeavours with a bizarre goal straight from the restart.
There seemed no danger when Steve Homer attempted a speculative shot from all of 40 yards, but Karl Austin, currently being trailed by a posse of league scouts, allowed the ball to squeeze between the angle of post and bar.
Few Gresley supporters could quite believe that their much-vaunted keeper could have made such an elementary error.
Still, an afternoon when goals came grudgingly, but gift-wrapped had, much to Austin’s relief, a bit more to offer.
Ten minutes into the second half Rovers were back in front courtesy of a goal plucked straight from the script of a Whitehall farce.
Arthur’s 25-yard free kick looped up off the hand of an undeserving Stuart Meeson and dropped beneath the bar despite the frantic efforts to make a desperate save by the wrong footed Civil.
Briefly Gresley threatened to overwhelm their opponents and probably would have done had either of two penalties appeals – one for a foul on Beresford and the other when Brian Attley was held back by the shirt tail – been recognised by the referee.
Tividale seemed to take heart from such leniency and ought to have punished Rovers for a sloppy spell in the 75th minute.
Homer’s cross from the right found Ross Hill unattended eight yards out, but he contrived to put his header over the bar with the goal gaping at him.
It was a salutary lesson to which Gresley responded with their decisive third goal four minutes from the end.
The ball for once accompanied Beresford through the mud and his pass paved the way for Arthur to clip in a centre, which Earley headed home from close range.
Gresley Rovers (1) 3
Tividale (0) 1
Scorers: Philpott 21, Arthur 55, Earley 86 (Gresley Rovers): Homer 46 (Tividale).
Gresley Rovers: Austin, Attley, Bromley, West (Banton 18), Dolby, King, Arthur, Earley, Beresford, Priest, Philpott.
Tividale: Civil, Moran, Clarke, Hill, Crooke, Meeson, Plant, Megan, Day, Sparrock, Homer. Sub: McGowan.
Attendance: 345
