Match Report  |  Gresley Rovers vs AFC Rushden & Diamonds

After the disappointment of two away defeats, Rovers were at home against struggling AFC Rushden & Diamonds and claimed their first win.

Diamonds are yet to find their feet suffering three league defeats and scoring no goals before today’s game and goals from Ste Hart and Brad Maslen-Jones without reply added to their misery at the Moat Ground.

Played in front of a decent crowd and in between very heavy showers both sides made the game an entertaining one for those supporters of both teams who had made the trip.

Rovers were handed the best of starts when they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area on 8 minutes. The position was perfect for Hart and he did what Hart usually does and smashed an unstoppable low shot past the defensive wall and keeper and into the bottom near corner of the net.

The Moatmen were forced into an early change when Kane Lee hobble off the pitch, suffering from a dead leg, was replaced by James Spruce on 27 minutes.

Minutes later the visitors went close to levelling the scores when a corner taken by John Dean was headed narrowly wide by William Glennon at the far post.

Both sides had now settled into the game with James Tague hitting the upright with his shot and Rovers’ keeper Lewis Fenney doing well to parry a low shot as Diamonds threatened before the break. However, Rovers went closest almost on the whistle with George Clark firing a shot across the face of George Rose’s goal after a quick break down the right.

Rovers started the second half where they’d ended the first half on the front foot. Spruce made a great run down the left ending with him curling a shot which just flew the wrong side of the far post with Rose beaten.

Tague was having a good afternoon but was unlucky to have several on goal strikes blocked by a combination of solid defending and bad luck. His first chance came on 52 minutes when he was picked out by Hart who slid the ball into his path, and he struck it well but denied by a defender who didn’t know too much about his block which sent the ball over the bar. Three minutes later another good block also prevented his name getting on the scoresheet as the visitors threw their bodies at everything coming into their area.

In a rare attack Diamonds Ethan Johnston went close firing his shot into the side netting. A minute later Fenney, who had so far had a quiet afternoon, was called into action and he made a superb save to deny Pharell Anderson getting his side level.

Diamonds forced two corners in succession and from one of them Rovers broke quickly with Dexter Dudley-Toole flying down the left before finding Maslen-Jones with a pinpoint pass and the midfielder hit a first time shot which flew just wide of the far post.

The visitors were not done yet and the broke quickly and ended with Johnston putting his well struck shot across Fenney’s goal.

The action was flowing from end to end, and it was Rovers’ turn to go close with Spruce’s stinging shot being tipped away by Rose.

Rovers doubled their advantage with ten minutes to go and it was the result of a good move. A long ball out of defence began a quick break and found Tague inside the Diamonds’ area he slipped the ball inside to Maslen-Jones who drilled his shot home past Rose.

The visitors went close to chalking a goal off, but an outstanding fingertip save from Fenney onto the bar denied Luke Massingham’s long-range effort from finding the back of the net. Tague had the last say of the game hitting a low shot from 20 yards which Rose did well to hold onto to.

It was a hard earned but fully deserved three points to get Rovers’ fist win under their belts.