Match Report  |  Stapenhill vs Gresley Rovers

Gresley claimed their second pre-season success with a comfortable win over near neighbours Stapenhill.

After a dominating first half the multiple changes for the second meant for a bitty game but two goals added to the comprehensive victory at Edge Hill.

Gresley were quick off the mark and with less than a minute on the clock they went close to opening the scoring. A good cross into the box from Haydn Brown after a good run down the right saw Kane Lee’s scissor kick going straight at the Stapenhill keeper.

However, Gresley didn’t have to wait long to open the scoresheet. Lee was played in after a good move through the middle and he coolly slipped the ball past the keeper.

James Tague almost added to the score two minutes later but saw two shots from distance flying the wrong side of the post.

It was that man Lee who was again on target when on 17 minutes a pass split the home backline and Lee made no mistake by beating the keeper again.

The play had been largely in the home side’s half, but their only clear chance came on 25 minutes and their no 11 headed the ball past Charlie Leeke to half the deficit.

Gresley responded almost straight away with a good goal from Brown. His run down the right ended with his well struck shot flying across the home keeper and into the bottom far corner of the net.

Just after the half hour mark, Gresley went inches away from adding a fourth goal. Zac Guinan’s ball from the left into the are was met by Dexter Dudley-Toole but his header went wide of the far post.

Guinan then went close himself moments later when he fastened onto a fine pass from Dylan Hunniford only to be denied by the diving keeper who smothered the ball at his feet.

On the stroke of halftime, Gresley did claim their fourth of the game when the referee spotted a hand ball in the area and pointed to the spot. James Spruce took the kick sending the keeper the wrong way.

The second half saw multiple player changes for Gresley, and it seemed for a while to disrupt the flowing football seen in the first and giving Stapenhill more of the ball in the attacking half and they were soon putting pressure on the visiting defence. Unfortunately for the home crowd they failed to carve out many goalscoring chances bar one which somehow managed to evade the back of the net.

Gresley were finding it difficult to get their flowing football going that they played in the first half, and it was not helped by the gusting and at times very stiff wind blowing into their backs.

Two of the halftime changes brought some cheer to the travelling Gresley supporters late into the game. Firstly, Ste Hart provided Jamie Sleigh with an inviting ball and after shrugging off the attention of a defender took a couple of strides before curling a superb shot around the keeper and into the net.

With two minutes of the match remaining, Hart got his goal. A ball through the middle seemed to catch the defence napping and Hart, hardly believing his luck as the assistant referee indicated the he was onside put the ball past the keeper to conclude what had been a good and well contested game for both sides.