Hinckley Athletic vs Gresley Rovers
Rovers on the rack – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
At miserable, muddy, windswept Hinckley, Gresley Rovers’ incredible run of 34 unbeaten league games came to a soggy end last night.
Depleted Gresley, robbed by injury to five key performers, finally bowed to the inevitable as high-riding Hinckley turned on the power to master the most atrocious conditions.
But Gresley can take heart in the fact that, despite the scoreline, they were never mastered. But for a bit of luck and the run of the ball, they could have even stretched their run to 35 games.
In the end the telling factors were the speed of Hinckley centre forward Dave Whalley against a one-paced Rovers’ defence and, despite manager Frank Northwood’s denials, some disputable officiating.
Whalley’s sharpness had already brought a booking for Saturday’s hero Mark Bromley, who scythed the striker down early on before Rovers were exposed after 11 minutes.
Whalley’s right side burst left Gresley’s defence for dead, and colleague Dave Tedd’s finishing from 16 yards as the striker squared across the box was clinical. Debutant Lee Harrison – standing in for injured Karl Austin – stood no chance, as was the case with all Hinckley’s goals.
For ten minutes Hinckley continued to dictate, but with Devaney and new signing Colin Taylor always prominent Gresley began to threaten their host’s lead, keeper Lee Whitehouse producing a lucky save from a prone position when Taylor’s close-range shot was deflected, Jon Laws seeing a pile-driver headed away and Devaney hitting the side netting – all after Clive Arthur has shot straight into the net from 20 yards – from an indirect free kick.
Taylor saw two more chances go begging during Gresley’s period of domination before Hinckley took a crucial two-goal lead right on half time.
Whalley took advantage of a quick break and Dave Smith had been too easily dispossessed in the home side’s half, stopper Steve Dolby being left hopeless in the mud by the striker’s quick turn and low shot.
Then there was more anguish as Taylor shot inches over after breaking down the centre and Arthur had another effort disallowed – this time for no apparent reason, after dispossessing the errant home goalkeeper well outside the box and shooting into the empty net.
The decision looked a bad one, but was nothing compared with that which allowed the blatantly offside Whalley to race away and sew up the points for Hinckley on 69 minutes. Gresley were in tatters.
Ian Pearsall replaced the injured Taylor but there was no way back now and Tedds simply rubbed further salt into the wounds when he tapped home Hinckley’s fourth on 73 minutes.
Hinckley Athletic(2) 4
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Scorers: Tedd 11, 73, Whalley 45, 69.
Gresley Rovers: Harrison, Bottomley, Bromley, West, Dolby, Laws, Arthur, Philpott, Smith), Devaney, Taylor (Pearsall 72).
