Match Report  |  Gresley Rovers vs Newark Town

Rovers’ players, supporters and management were left devastated when a well-earned point was snatched out of their hands almost at the final whistle when Newark scored from a corner.

Director and groundsman Stuart Bonsor had worked wonders to get the pitch playable with the last few days of rain with more predicted before and through-out the game, but it went ahead with both sides coming to terms with the conditions producing an entertaining encounter with nothing to choose between the two.

Rovers gave a debut to recent midfield loan signing from Mickleover FC Toby Smith, and it proved to be a man-of-the-match performance. Dylan Hunniford was serving his final suspension for cumulative yellow cards. Also missing was Tarun Rohilla who was also completing his suspension however, the unfortunate young player fractured his ankle while at university and will miss the rest of the season.

In front of a decent crowd of 307 and in a heavy drizzle Rovers began brightly with Sam Moore firing straight at visiting keeper Jake West. Moore went close again minutes later hitting a long distance shot again straight at West. Still more pressure from Rovers resulted in Nathan Banton’s well struck effort flying just wide of the far post.

Newark’s first effort of any note came on 34 minutes. The visitors forced three consecutive corners and from the third Matthew Perkins rose unchallenged in the centre of Rovers’ box to head home.

It could have been a lot worse for the home side, but Ryan Rushen was denied by home keeper Karamo Ceesay who made an outstanding block at his near post.

Jack Thatcher went so close to levelling almost on the stroke of halftime hitting a thunderous shot from the right which West somehow managed to block at his near post conceding a corner.

The heavy drizzle was having an effect on the pitch, but it didn’t prevent Rovers from getting back into the game within three minutes of the start of the second half. A corner from the right was deftly headed into the net by Moore for his first goal for the club. The noise from the home supporters showed how much that goal meant to everyone.

At times lit looked as if Rovers were going to go on and win the game as they were having the better of the play. A free kick from the left found Alby Lansdowne in the centre of Newark’s box but he could only head the ball over the bar. Another chance came on 84 minutes when Oscar McClure made a great run before hitting a shot from 20 yards which just cleared the bar.

With the match clock now into time added on Rovers were dealt a devastating blow denying them what would have surely been a well-deserved share of the points against a side pushing for a play-off place. A corner was headed home by Alex Hales from close in producing rapturous celebrations from the visitors who knew they’d snatched an unlikely victory at the Moat Ground at the death.