Match Report  |  Wisbech Town vs Gresley Rovers

The only word to describe this Rovers performance is embarrassing. Wisbech were hardly tested as they handed out a thrashing to their visitors and the ease at which they sliced open the Rovers’ defence was at times unbelievable.

The first half was one that was easily forgotten from both sides and became very scrappy as neither side made any clear-cut chances. A corner by Ryan King was headed over by Will Robinson but a minute later the home side went closest, but the shot was cleared off the line.

King had a low shot saved and Dylan Hunniford tried his luck from distance, but the ball whistled over the bar. Rovers went close again with Jamie Sleigh feeding Ste Hart in the middle of the area, but his low shot was easily delt with by home keeper William Lakin.

Just as the referee was about to blow for halftime Rovers managed to score but it was a scrambled effort. Alby Lansdowne put a ball into the area and Hart struck his shot which seemed to be going past the far post until the unfortunate Josh Balding steered it into his own net.

However, that lead only lasted until the third minute of the second half. Amir Ward was allowed so much time and space unchallenged to make a run down the left finishing with a sweetly struck shot across the keeper and into the far bottom corner.

From then on there was only one team who was going to score and unfortunately it wasn’t the visitors as Wisbech began to slice through Rovers with ease. A couple of minutes after drawing level they were close to taking the lead. This time it was Toby Allen who was handed the chance but with only the keeper to beat Louie Turner stuck out a boot to divert the ball away.

The home side were well on top playing much better than their lowly place in the table shows and the more they pressed the more they looked like adding to their tally and so it proved when on 54 minutes they took the lead after Allen and Elliott Foster combined well before Foster finished the move firing into far bottom corner.

The closest Rovers came was when Hunniford hit a goal bound shot which took a deflection for a corner.

Rovers made changes with Jacob Sturgess and Nathan Banton replacing Jake Meakin and Will Robinson but still the pressure was mounting, and the third goal came on 76 minutes. A corner from the right taken by Kristers Zaluzinskis went deep to the far side of the area. The ball was headed back across to the far post where Sam Murphy unmarked was able to head the ball home.

At this point Rovers looked a beaten side and despite some moments of good play there was not enough to turn this game around. One bright moment was when Fin Barker was given the final 15 minutes or so as he replaced Ryan King, but the change was not able to prevent goal number four.

A through ball and Rovers’ back line was sliced open again with the impressive Ward one-on-one with Turner who was left helpless as the ball was slotted past him. Wisbech rubbed more salt in Rovers’ open wound as they hit five. A cross from the right found substitute Sam Harris who completed the rout.

To add to Rovers’ misery Sturgess was shown a yellow card in time added on followed by another a minute or so later meaning a walk to the dressing room as the referee showed the red card. Thankfully, the referee ended the game soon afterwards.

A dreadful afternoon made for a really miserable long journey home made all the more miserable by the absolute monsoon of a downpour as we traveled back to South Derbyshire.