Northern Premier League Midlands
The Moat Ground
Saturday, 12th November 2022, 3.00pm
Corby Show Their Steel
By Kieran Leary
A dominant second half performance from Corby Town proved too much for the Moatmen as the away side go back home with all three points.
The first was a very end to end affair with both sides having a few half chances early on but nothing really dangerous.
The steelmen took the lead through Hilton Arthur on the 27th minute as Gresley failed to clear their area after a long ball floated in from Kalern Thomas.
Gresley had a few chances towards the end of the second half but nothing to really trouble the goalkeeper.
The Corby scored a second goal through a great turn and tidy finish from Rio Molyneaux which proved too much for Lewis Fenney in the Gresley goal.
Tristan Matthews put the game to bed in the 74th minute with a great finish in the bottom left after skipping past a few Gresley defenders.
A lively start from both sides early on at the Moat Ground but neither side was able to test the keepers.
The first chance of the game came from a Jordan Gough header inside the box but went just past the post.
The Visitors started to gain a bit of dominance on the ball 10 minutes into the first half but didn’t really create anything to trouble Gresley in the early stages.
Gresley managed to cut open Corby shortly after with a swift counter attack from Spruce but was dealt with in the end by the away side.
Corby struck first, in the 27th minute, with a tidy finish from Hilton Arthur inside the box after Gresley failed to deal with a long ball into the box.
Gresley looked to reply instantly with a few successive corners but were not able to take any of their chances.
Levi Reid struck a speculative effort from around 25 yards that went just wide in the minutes leading up to half time.
Gresley really started to ramp up the pressure before half time as James Spruce had a delicious chance as he turned the defender but the ball brushed past the post.
A very end to end start to the second half just like the first but neither side able to create any clear cut chances.
A darting run from Rio Molyneaux into the Gresley box causes the defence a few issue but Mason Frizelle was able to clear for Gresley.
Another chance in the game came for Corby as Daniel Collins looked to slot the ball in at the near post but Fenney was able to produce a comfortable save in the end.
Corby doubled their advantage in the 67th minute as Rio Molyneaux did well to hold off the defenders and blast into the top right corner.
A great goal saving challenge from Tyler Donaldson stopped a certain goal from Corby and kept Gresley in the game at this late stage.
Corby Town got their third goal of the game as Tristan Matthews cut in from the right hand side with a good finish into the bottom left corner to beat Fenney in the Gresley goal.
Gresley tried everything to get past this resilient Corby Town defence but could not find their golden chance in the second half to stage any sort of comeback.
Manager's View
Carl Abbot revealed his frustration following a disappointing defeat to Corby Town.
Despite a strong first half from Gresley Rovers, a dominant final 45 minutes from the visitors proved too much for Abbot’s side.
Leaving the Moatmen with a feeling of failure to benefit from a strong opening half.
Abbot said: “I’m just disappointed really.
“Not as disappointed as a couple of weeks ago when we played Bedworth.
“That we were poor but we let this game get away from us, we could’ve got something out of it, against one of the sides who are expected to challenge for promotion.
“I thought in the first half we were the better side, we conceded a bad goal, and then just switched off.
“We controlled the game, we looked the better side, which got me thinking maybe we’re closer to these sides than we thought we were.
“At half-time we told the lads, they’ve done well, keep applying themselves and we can get back into the game and for whatever reason they’ve [Corby Town] come out harder and truer to a what a decent side they are.
“Disappointing but still things to build on, some lads have come in and done well and there was a lot of players unavailable, a lot missing out of the side, it’s frustrating from that point of view.
“But they [Corby Town] deserved the win in the end and we’ll keep on building forwards.”
Gresley Rovers assistant manager, Paul Tomlinson, had a similar point of view to Abbot and was impressed with Kane Lee’s performance.
After the winger used his pace and elusiveness a number of times against the away side’s defence, giving Gresley vital scoring opportunities.
Tomlinson said: “We had a lot of chances in and around the eight-yard box.
“We got Kane [Lee] going at the left back and he looked a real threat the first half.
“There was a lot of positives, in terms of the way we looked after the ball and got [James] Spruce involved.
“But it’s a 90-minute game and they [Corby Town] were very good in the second half.
“We got beaten by the better side today.”
A huge positive to take from the defeat was the return of talisman, Danny Munday.
Munday played a vital role in Gresley’s promotion campaign last season, but off-the-pitch circumstances saw the fan-favourite take a break from football for several months.
Munday made his return after he was substituted on at half-time, replacing Dylan Hunniford.
Abbot said: “We’re pleased to have Danny [Munday] back.
“It was a blow when we lost him in the summer, it wasn’t something that we expected to happen so it came out of the blue really.
“He hasn’t played a lot of football so he’s going to be a little rusty and just needs to work on his sharpness.
“But you heard the appreciation for him when he came on at half-time. It’s good for the club”
Words by Luke Nurden
