Match Report  |  Walsall Wood vs Gresley FC

Gresley had a rude awakening to life in the Midland Football League when they came up against one of the pre-season favourites Walsall Wood.

The game had everything goals, sending offs, the first sin bin and some obvious time wasting, penalties given and not given.

Gresley manager Gavin Hurren was without the holidaying Albert Lansdowne so Gresley legend Jamie Barrett was called upon to take the central defender’s role. He also added a new signing to his starting line-up, Daniel Glover.

The visitors started brightly enough but went behind on 15 minutes. A free kick was swung into the area by Chris Taylor which was only half headed clear by the Gresley defence to Chris Acott who struck an unstoppable volley into the far top corner giving Gresley keeper Dan Crane no chance.

Wood were starting to get on top heading wide from a corner and having a goal bound shot blocked.

On 24 minutes referee Joseph Larkin awarded a dubious penalty when the ball struck the prone figure of a Gresley defender who was facing his own goal when the ball hit him from behind. Justice was done, however, when Mitch Tolley struck the left post from the spot and the ball flying away from goal.

Gresley went close on the half hour with Mason Rowley heading over a corner but three minutes later Wood had increased their lead and unfortunately it was more poor defending by the visitors when they failed to cut out a low ball into the area by Chad Degville-Cross which was slid into the net by Tolley.

Worse was to come when Wood was gifted another goal just a minute later. A shot from Acott took a massive deflection off Jacob Sturgess wrong footing Crane.

Gresley faced the final minutes of the half under some pressure as Wood forced four corners and a free kick and it was from the free kick that Crane made a very good save to deny Alcott another goal.

The half ended with Paul Sullivan making a good mazy run through the middle before hitting a well struck shot which home keeper Reiss Wagstaff managed to grab at the second attempt.

Gresley were caught flatfooted at the beginning of the second half as they conceded a fourth goal with hardly a minute on the clock. The visiting defence allowed Joey Butlin far too much space and his ball to Tolley was turned home easily.

Gresley began to find their form for arguably the first time in the game. A good move down the right saw Kane Lee bring the ball down well before laying it on for Sullivan who hit a shot across Wagstaff and into the far corner. Sullivan went close again moments later with a looping shot which landed on the roof of the net.

Sullivan was involved again on 61 minutes. This time he turned provider after making a good run down the left and putting the ball across for Glover to smash home from the edge of the area.

Wood sadly began to lose their composure with Degville-Cross, who had been warned several times, receiving 10 minutes in the sin bin for dissent.

Gresley saw their chance of reducing the deficit even more and piled on more pressure which brought out the inevitable time wasting and agricultural tacking and from one of those tackles Wood’s Butlin saw red as did Tolley for presumably something he’d said.

Gresley had two chances to grab an unlikely point only to be denied firstly by the referee and then by the keeper.

The penalty shout was similar to the one awarded to Wood in the first half but this time the referee ignored the appeals.

Sullivan brought a smart save at the near post off Wagstaff followed by another as the striker curled a shot towards the top far corner which Wagstaff superbly turned away for a corner.

Gresley’s second half performance gave glimpses of what they can achieve they’ve just got to play for the whole 90 minutes in that way and prevent handing the opposition soft goals.