Match Report  |  Shirebrook Town vs Gresley Rovers

Shirebrook Town was handed the perfect early Christmas present as a poor performance from visitors Gresley Rovers handed them all three points but, don’t take anything away from the hosts as they deserved the win. They wanted it more and worked the conditions better.

There was a blustery cold wind with the pitch very bumpy and soft which didn’t help either side to play decent football with the ball spending far too much time in the air as passes on the ground were going astray.
Manager James Jepson’s description after the match as terrible was an understatement as Rovers looked a pale shadow of the team that beat Wisbech in their previous game.

Rovers got of to a good start and could or probably should have taken an early lead. With just five minutes on the clock Massiah McDonald make is way into Town’s area but instead of firing a shot at goal sent the ball across the face of the goal to teammate Jamie Sleigh at the far post but the ball just eluded the Rovers front man.

Town went close themselves with a header flying just wide. Minutes later Dylan Hunniford hit a shot wide as both sides struggled against the conditions. The out of the blue, Town took the lead on 29 minutes. Kieron Sykes-Tobin ran forward unchallenged but miss hit his final shot which wrong footed Rovers’ keeper Harvey Adams as it flew into the bottom right corner of his net.
No matter how Rovers tried they just couldn’t get their game together and they finished the half one down.

Jepson made changes at halftime with Nathan Banton and Calrick Dunkley replacing Liam Kavanagh and Jay Lord. A bit of a skirmish in the home box led to McDonald receiving a harsh yellow card.

On 53 minutes found themselves further behind, a goal handed to their hosts. The unlucky Isaac Shaw slipped with the ball at his feet on the wet surface inside his own half and Town took advantage accepting the gift by Oliver Fearon racing down the left before crossing into the box where George Burgess was waiting to slip the ball home at the near post.

Rovers managed to get back into the game on 68 minutes. McDonald, who was giving Town problems, worked his way into the box and his quick feet made him space enough to fire off his shot which beat home keeper Mitchell Lievers.

Unfortunately, the hope of getting something out of a scrappy match for Rovers was dashed seven minutes later and it was a result of another error from the misfiring visitors. Adams’ poor goal kick didn’t go very far and Fearon collected the ball in the middle of Rovers’ half before smashing the ball past the hapless Adams.

That was the end of the “excitement” as the home side successfully saw the rest of the game out for a fully deserved win and Rovers to a dismal defeat.