Match Report  |  Gresley Rovers vs Dudley Sports

Harry Tizard

Gresley Rovers cruised into the next round of the Buildbase FA Vase as they beat Dudley Sports 7-0 at the Moat Ground.

The home side came into the game after back-to-back victories against Boston Town and Leicester Nirvana and looked certain to extend their unbeaten run to three just 40 minutes into the game.

Ryan Seal, Danny Munday, and Alex Morris all found the net before the break to give Gresley a comfortable advantage, with an impressive defensive display allowing the away side just one shot on target.

The second half followed a similar trend, with the Moatmen coming out of the tunnel looking to bolster their lead. Butler struck first in the second period with an excellent lobbed effort, with a goal from Mason Frizelle and a double from Steve Hart comfortably putting the hosts through to the next round.

Gresley continued their good form into the FA Vase and came close to gaining the lead just 90 seconds into the game. Dudley Sports’ Tom Baker was caught on the ball by an eager Kelvin Kosongo inside his own 18-yard-box, but his shot from close range was blocked well by the covering defender.

Kosongo was causing left-back Mico Ela Mamiga a host of problems on the wing with his charges inside from the right-flank and came close to having an assist to his name in the opening minutes. Coming inside, he squared the ball to Steve Hart, who first struck a shot against a defender before rattling the bar with his follow-up effort.

Hart was physically dominant over the visitor’s defenders, with his strength being key in the games opening goal. Holding the ball up just outside the box, his through ball found the feet of captain Seal, who stabbed the ball under goalkeeper Mckenzie Gould into the bottom corner.

Dudley had few chances in the first-half, but almost equalled the scoring soon after Seal’s goal. A snapshot from Issac Meegoe was tipped round the post by Lewis Fenny to keep his clean sheet intact.

The away side were made to pay for not converting their chance, with Gresley doubling their advantage in the next attacking play of the game. Unmarked on the right-side of the box, Morris nodded the ball across to Munday, who had a simple finish into an open goal.

Dudley struggled to defend balls into the box, almost conceding a third before the half-hour mark. A deep ball into the area found an unmarked Frizelle, nodding the ball just past the near post.

The home side profited from their aerial dominance before the close of the first-half to put the game beyond Dudley, with Morris the third man to get his name on the scoresheet. A corner curled in by Seal evaded Gould and found the defender on the back post, getting above his man and heading the ball into the net.

Despite playing as a focal point for balls forward in the first-half, Hart showed his ability with the ball after the restart. Picking the ball up just past the halfway line, the striker dribbled past two before cutting the ball inside and shooting against an opposition defender from close range.

After a relatively eventless 15 minutes of the second period, back-to-back chances just past the hour mark for the home side helped them find a fourth goal of the game.

It was Kosongo first, who latched onto a ball through from Hart. One-on-one with Gould, the attacker lost his footing at the vital moment after passing the goalkeeper. However, from the defensive clearance, the ball fell to the feet of Butler. Catching Gould off his line, his lobbed effort dipped just under the crossbar, rippling the net without bouncing before it crossed the line.

Substitute Riley Crawley was next to make his mark on the game. Running into the box, Crawley was tripped by the ‘keeper, with the linesman indicating to the referee there was enough contact made to point to the spot. Hart stepped up to take responsibility, driving the ball to the right of Gould, who guessed the right way, but was unable to prevent the goal.

Crawley came close to following his penalty win with a goal but headed his chance past the post.

Opportunities kept coming for the home side, with Frizelle almost joining his centre-back partner on the scoresheet. A low corner from Seal was first missed by Munday before being met by Frizelle. Aimed at the far corner, Gould stuck out a foot to deny Gresley a sixth.

However, the Rovers’ advantage didn’t remain at five for much longer, with Gould unable to stop Frizelle for a second time. The centre-back was unmarked at back post and tapped the ball into the net to become the sixth different scorer of the match.
Hart notched a brace within the final moments to round off a faultless afternoon for the home side. Coming inside from the right side of the box, the striker rolled the ball onto his right foot before tapping the ball past the ‘keeper and into the net.

Gresley will look to continue their run in the Buildbase FA Vase when they head to Winsford United in the second qualifying round.