Match Report  |  Gresley Rovers vs Sporting Khalsa

Rovers snatched a well earned draw deep into time added on to take them into the hat for the draw and a replay on Tuesday at Sporting Khalsa.

The game was in stark contrast to the midweek game where they were handed a heavy defeat by Melton Town as they produced a performance that matched their higher league opponents in an enthralling and fairly contested encounter at the Moat Ground.

Rovers were still missing several players with Dylan Hunniford and Kane Lee away on holiday with Fin Barker and Bekir Halil both injured, add to that recent signing Will Robinson who was ineligible being cup-tied. However, their was a familiar face back at the Moat Ground with Jordi Gough on loan from Quorn.

The home side started brightly forcing two early corners but after a close first twenty minutes with no clear-cut chances for either team it was the visitors who had the first with a shot flying wide on 27 minutes.

A run down the right by Jacob Sturgess ended with Jamie Sleigh heading the cross over the bar. A few minutes later Sporting Khalsa saw them heading Robbie Bunn’s corner over the bar.

On 39 minutes Alby Lansdowne tried a low shot from the edge of the area which was comfortably dealt with by visiting keeper Brandon Ganley. As the first half came to an end Khalsa had a header which went straight into the grateful Charlie Wood’s arms.

Within a minute of the second half starting Khalsa went close to opening the scoring when Todd Ferrier saw Wood off his line and tried a speculative lob from 30 yards which narrowly cleared the bar.

A corner from the right taken by Nathan Banton found Louis Anthony who put his header over the bar. Chances were starting to appear for both sides, but it was a bizarre chance gave Rovers a good one when a ball back into Khalsa’s penalty area was picked up by Ganley and the referee Jamie Howe adjudged it to be a back pass. From a tight angle Rovers fired the ball into the goal mouth, but no-one was able to put a foot to it.

Khalsa made the first of the changes on 65 minutes with Isai Marselia and former Moatman Dom Perkins replacing Dilano Reid and Gurjit Singh respectively. Perkins was soon in the action picking out Kieran Whittaker in the middle just outside the area but his well struck shot was superbly saved by Wood diving to his right.

On 72 minutes there was a sickening clash of heads between Marselia and Anthony which saw both players having to leave the field. Marselia to have his head bandaged and Anthony having to be helped off suffering from a severe concussion and being taken to hospital for treatment. Neither player returned after treatment with Osaze Okuonghae replacing Anthony and Callum Lee replacing Marselia who had only been in the game for eight minutes.

Khalsa began to apply pressure looking the most likely to take the lead and that pressure told on 78 minutes when Bunn found the back of the net with a low shot.

On 83 minutes Rovers made another chance with Banton being replaced by Jonathan Dawkins as they went looking for an equaliser and it almost came immediately for Dawkins who fired his first touch of the ball just over the bar.

At the other end Khalsa went close to extending their lead but were denied by Wood pushing James McGrady’s well struck shot onto the upright. The loose ball was collected a yard or so outside Rovers’ area by Simeon Colbourne who raced forward, and the normally prolific striker put his effort wide of the far post and should have done better.

In time added on Rovers went close again with a good move between Dawkins and Munday ending with a low shot across the goal mouth which almost went in at the far post. Still the referee played on and Munday fired over before Rovers were literally handed a lifeline. Okuonghae made a run down the right and put a cross into the area where it was adjudged to have been handle by Perkins with the referee not hesitating to point to the spot.

That wasn’t the end of the drama as Ganley saved Sleigh’s initial penalty shot but Sleigh reacted quickly to smash the rebound home from close in.

Khalsa pressed for one last chance and Rovers brought on young defender Philip Kowalski for Andrews to help with the defending and it worked as the referee blew his whistle to end the game before Khalsa could find that winning goal.

Rovers now travel to Willenhall on Tuesday for the replay.