Gresley Rovers vs Blakenall
Muddy marvellous – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
If entertainment and excitement won leagues, then Gresley Rovers’ advantage at the top of the Banks’s Premier Division would today be even greater than the six points that separates them from second-placed Oldbury United.
Blakenall, too, would be far from struggling in the bottom four after a brave attempt to rescue a lost cause in the Moat Ground mud last night.
For Rovers, it seemed at one stage that an action replay of the previous week’s torrid struggle against lowly Tipton was on the cards and it wasn’t until Jon Laws struck his second goal of the evening in the 94th minute that ten-man Blakenall were finally buried.
That the game would continue as a contest for as long seemed highly unlikely after another blistering start by the Moatmen.
Manager Frank Northwood had taken the unlikely measure of dropping both goalscorers from Saturday’s 2-0 win at Harrisons, but by moving the burly Guy Hall into the front line he appeared to have pulled off a masterstroke.
After just six minutes Hall picked up Joe Jackson’s sweeping crossfield pass held off a defender in the penalty area long enough for Neil Lovell to cut inside and despatch his short pass crisply and decisively into the top of the net.
Five minutes later the same combination unlocked the visitor’s stuttering defence again, Hall meeting Lovell’s cross with a majestic header that, after rebounding from the crossbar, fell perfectly for the former Burton Albion man set up Laws for a clinical close-range finish 2-0.
Once again, a goal rush seemed on the cards but after Hall had missed a great chance to make it three – shooting into the side netting after moving onto Jackson’s headed pass and taking the ball sweetly round keeper Mark Civil – Gresley seemed to lose their cohesion up front.
Indeed, the lively Tyrone Williams could have halved Rovers’ advantage shortly after Laws’ goal when, after Martin Dick’s sliced clearance put him in a 50-50 situation with Bob Aston, he beat the keeper only for the ball to rebound off a post.
The impressive Steve Daley missed a close-range chance to put Rovers further ahead then hit a suicidal backpass to give much-travelled Les Tonks an opening but Dick was quick to block his shot, diverting the ball against the bar.
John Bottomley’s heavy tackle on winger Mark Davies reduced Blakenall, who had already used their substitute, to ten men within minutes of the re-start but Gresley struggled to make their advantage count, especially after Daley had suffered a heavy blow which left him a virtual passenger for the duration.
Nonetheless, Jackson seemed to have settled the issue with a brilliant individual goal, sweeping a shot home from the left of the area after a devastating one-two with Keith Hill on 68 minutes. But the drama had hardly begun.
Within two minutes defender Mal Hatshorne had headed home Williams’ deft cross following a poor clearances by Nick Sales and a minute later it was 3-2, Tonks soaring at the far post to convert Pryce’s cross after a breakaway on the left.
Proceedings were held up by an injury to referee Whitehouse but afte a five-minute delay Rovers committee man Reg Shorthouse, to resounding cheers, took up the linesman’s flag and the show continued.
Daley hobbled off to be replaced by Paul Acklam and the Rovers sub, no doubt disappointed at not having started the game, had the satisfaction of providing the pass that released Laws down the centre to complete the evening’s entertainment with a tight-angled shot.
Gresley Rovers (2) 4
Blakenall (0) 2
Scorers: Lovell 6, Laws 11, 94, Jackson 66 (Gresley Rovers); Hartshorne 70, Tonks 71 (Blakenall).
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Bottomley, Dick, Laws, Dolby, Sales, Jackson, Daley (Acklam 85), Hall, K Hill, Lovell.
Blakenall: Civil, Hopkins (Wood 45), Cooper, Hartshorne, Silvester, Burgess, Davies, Pryce, Tonks, Williams, Bland.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Martin Dick.
Referee: W Whithouse (West Bromwich).
Attendance: 282
