Hinckley Athletic vs Gresley Rovers
Hoodoo you do it, Rovers – Rex Page, Burton Mail
Gresley Rovers buried their Hinckley hoodoo beneath an avalanche of goals at Middlefield Lane last night to continue their sprint start to the Banks’s League Premier Division campaign.
Back on the ground where their record-breaking unbeaten run of 34 games was blown apart nine months ago, Frank Northwood’s marauding Moatmen kept their heads in a typically furious derby confrontation to plunder four goals in a dazzling last half-hour.
Hinckley snatched the lead after only three minutes, but their evening swiftly went into decline as a constant buffeting from the Gresley attack brought their tempers to boiling point.
Striker Kelly Ferrar – one of six bookings after smashing his elbow into Mark Bromley’s mouth in the 37th minute – was sent off, not before time, with the score at 1-1 in the 67th minute.
The provocative Ferrar had been a constant thorn in the side of the referee, whose leniency and erratic decisions brought an angry reaction from Gresley followers throughout the game.
Once order was restored, Rovers simply overran their hosts to sweep to victory by a decisive and thoroughly deserved margin.
For a long while though, it seemed that Middlefield Lane would again prove an unhappy hunting ground for Gresley.
They were instantly in trouble when a dithering defence allowed Nick Lewis to head Kelly Congrove’s cross into the path of Dave Whalley who duly dispatched a right foot shot past Karl Austin from eight yards.
But Austin spent the remainder of the first half spectating from the edge of his area as Gresley swarmed forward impressively.
Roy Burton brilliantly pushed a swerving left foot shot from Martin Devaney round a post and Hinckley’s good fortune at staying in front was emphasised when an effort by John Laws was deflected onto a post and subsequently into Burton’s arms by Ken Adams.
Gresley’s sense of injustice at being in arrears spilled over after the interval as they drove forward relentlessly.
They were finally rewarded in the 60th minute when Neil Lovell climbed superbly to meet Devaney’s left wing cross and send a firm header into the far corner.
Hinckley, probably sensing the game was slipping from their grasp, brought pandemonium to proceeding with another demonstration of bad temper.
Kelly Congrove was booked for dissent and Whalley suffered a similar fate when he charged into Austin. Then Ferrar decided it was time to renew his verbal battle with the referee and a heated exchange ended with him being given his marching orders.
Gresley never looked back in the 75th minute a fortuitous goal from John Bottomley nosed them in front.
Burton made a awful mess of clutching a centre from Clive Arthur and when Bottomley rushed in to challenge for the loose ball it looped up off the keeper’s body and into an unprotected net.
Rovers needed no such good fortune when they struck again in the 85th minute, Martin Dick, expertly exchanging passes with Arthur, left the hapless Burton grasping at thin air with a superb left shot from all of 25 yards.
Burton’s misery was turned to utter despair in the last minute, substitute Paul Acklam beating him again with a beautifully judged lob from the same distance.
Hinckley Athletic(1) 1
Gresley Rovers (0) 4
Scorers: Whalley 3 (Hinckley Athletic); Lovell 60, Bottomley 75, Dick 85, Acklam 90.
Hinckley Athletic: Burton, Willis, London, Osman, Adams, Bailey (Scott 79), Lewis, Lambert, Whalley, Ferrar, Congrove.
Gresley Rovers: Austin, Dick, Williams, Bottomley, Dolby, Lovell, Arthur, Laws, Hill (Acklam 60), Devaney, Bromley.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Keith Williams.
Referee: L L Watson (Coventry).
Attendance: 220
