Match Report  |  Gresley Rovers vs Sleaford Town

New manager James Jepson first line-up included two new faces Massiah McDonald and Oscar McClure both recently signed and there was a welcome addition in Jack Andrews returning after a lengthy injury.

To be honest, the first half was forgettable with hardly any goal mouth action with the only moment coming on the 24th minute and out of the blue. Both sides were struggling to take some sort of control of the game but a mistake in the Rovers’ midfield allowed Ben Robinson to control the ball before racing forward and putting Harry Gibbons in on goal with a fine pass. Gibbons continued forward before firing a low shot which disappointingly went under the body of the diving Louie Turner and into the net.

The game returned to being a scrappy showing but as the first half was drawing to a conclusion Rovers had a golden chance to go in all square when McDonald played the perfect through ball for Jenson Cooper to run onto bisecting the visitors’ defence btu with only the keeper to beat he hit his shot narrowly wide.

Nathan Banton, who had a couple of knocks during the first half, was replaced by Isaac Shaw at the start of the second half which was much better from Rovers as the dominated most of the play pressing their opposition back into their own half for large periods.
Rovers were looking for a goal and they had chances in the early stages. McDonald picked out Jamie Sleigh who turned his marker inside out as he made his way into the area, but he smashed his final shot over the bar.

Minutes later Sleigh went even closer but was denied by the outstretched leg of Leech. The block came out to Dylan Hunniford on the edge of the box, and he too had his shot blocked as the visitors’ goal led a charmed life. Sleigh had another half chance when he received a pass from Cooper but scuffed his shot making it easy for Leech to deal with.
Just after the hour mark Sleigh must have been thinking it wasn’t his day as he went close again with a volley that flew wide of the post.

Again the Sleaford goal was under attack this time with Jack Bostock firing his shot wide from a corner. And still Rovers poured forward with Hunniford sending Sleigh on a run but frustratingly Leech was on top form blocking the final shot.

An unsavoury episode on 76 minutes saw Rovers down to ten men. Andy Whalen made an atrocious tackle on Andrews stamping on his foot which the defender to exception to but unfortunately his retribution cost his red card. Amazingly Whalen got just a yellow card and jogged away laughing.

Ten men Rovers did get some payback by drawing level on 85 minutes. A corner from right was kicked out of play giving Alby Lansdowne the chance of a long throw into the area which he did and from inside of the crowded box somehow debutant McClure smashed the ball into the net much to the relief of his teammates and supporters around the ground. It was nothing more than they deserved on their second half showing and perhaps deserving all three points in the end.

The final ten minutes was largely filled by delaying tactics from the visitors as they knew there could only be one winner who were finishing well on top despite having just ten men if they were not stopped by any way possible.