Match Report  |  Gresley Rovers vs Sutton Coldfield Town

There was nothing between the two sides for the whole game except for one exceptional moment in the second half when The Royals managed to take a slender lead.

Playing with a stiff breeze which didn’t do either side any favours it was Rovers who had the chances in the first half with both Richard Hanslow and Kieran O’Connell going close but as been seen regularly the luck isn’t with the home side.

A good move in the area saw O’Connell force himself into a good position before sliding the ball through to Hanslow who managed to poke the ball goalwards bringing out a fine diving save low to his right from Lewis Landers. Minutes later another half chance for Rovers saw O’Connell head a good cross from the right over the bar.

The rest of the first half saw both sides cancel each other out aided by the wind with no chances of note to report.

The Royals made a change for the start of the second half with Kyle Burn replacing Charlie Dowd but it was still the home side shading the possession. On 53 minutes Rovers were awarded a freekick 22 yards out. Connor Pace took the kick which was inches over the bar with Landers beaten.

On the hour mark the game became tetchy with yellow cards being show to both sides. More changes for the visitors five minutes later with one of them having a huge impact on the outcome of the match.

Sutton were awarded a freekick 25 yards out and Ryan Edmunds, who had replaced former Moatman James Tague seconds earlier took the kick with his first touch finding the inside of Turner’s right and left post before hitting the back of the net. It was Sutton’s first and only shot on target.

To Rovers’ credit they hit back almost immediately with Hanslow firing a low shot just wide of the far post. Rovers continued to press for a share of the points their play had deserved but still that final ball eluded them.

Rovers had one last chance to rescue a point when on 83 minutes corner from the left was headed straight into the arms of Landers.

With games now running out Rovers need points and they have another chance for a positive result on Tuesday when Sporting Khalsa are their visitors.