Gresley Rovers vs Mile Oak Rovers
Take me to Wembley – Richard Whitehead – Burton Mail
Steve Daley produced a dazzling virtuoso performance to book Gresley Rovers’ place in the third round of the FA Vase – then revealed his determination to bury the Wembley nightmare which has haunted him for 13 years.
Daley scored one magnificent goal, created another and was the driving force behind the Moatmen’s thrilling second-half demolition of their Beazer Homes League Midland Division neighbours.
And afterwards he spoke of the burning ambition that helps him produce something extra special in Vase games.
“I have never played at Wembley and I desperately want to,” he said. “When Wolves got to the League Cup final in 1974 I played the previous week at Old Trafford, but when it came to the big day manager Bill McGarry took me on one side and said he was leaving me out. He said to me. I’m putting Mike Bailey in because he’s near the end of his career, your time will come again.”
But despite a distinguished career which took him to the threshold of an England cap and included that celebrated £1m plus move to Maine Road, Daley’s chance never came.
Now he’s hoping to exorcise the ghost of ’74 in a Gresley Shirt.
“I really believe we have a side capable of going all the way. The championship is obviously very important as well but I feel we must try and win all four competitions we are in.”
Daley’s performance had manager Frank Northwood purring with pleasure afterwards: “He ran the show and the other lads responded to his example,” he said.
But he was anxious to spread the praise: “We had 11 heroes out there – it was a superb display of football.”
After a first half of nervous equality when the burden of keeping a clean sheet weighed heavily on both sides, it needed something out of the ordinary from Daley to give Rovers the edge.
Guy Hall, cutting across the face of the penalty area, fed the ball into Daley’s path and he controlled it instantly before striking a shot of exquisite precision into the corner of the net.
Even Mile Oak chief Bob Brott had to admit admiringly afterwards: “It was quality strike and it turned the game in Gresley’s favour.”
Oak’s chances of forcing their way back into the match were effectively ended eight minutes later when gifted full-back Ian Ward was sent off for a trip on Daley, even though his first half booking had been ludicrously harsh and the Gresley man pleaded his case with referee Nuttall.
After that Neil Lovell was able to emerge from his shell on the left-hand side of midfield and only a string of notable saves from Oak keeper Gary Taylor stopped Rovers making the final margin more emphatic.
However, 12 minutes from time Daley drifted into space on the left and delivered a tantalising cross which Keith Hill joyfully converted with a close-range header.
Eight minutes later Joe Jackson superbly picked his way through a forest of legs before pushing the ball into the path of Hill, who coolly accepted his fifth goal in three games to underline that even strikers of the quality of Martin Devaney and Brain Beresford have no automatic right to a first team place at the Moat Ground these days.
Gresley Rovers (0) 3
Mile Oak Rovers (0) 0
Scorers: Daley 48, Hill 78,86.
Gresley Rovers: Austin, Bottomley, Dick, Skeemer, Dolby, Laws, Jackson, Daley, Hall, K Hill, Lovell. Subs: Bromley, Beresford.
Mile Oak Rovers: Taylor, Ward, Fallon, Edrop, Bowater, Lippitt, Rhodes, Rossi, Jennings, Bates (Judd 80) , Gayle. Sub: Satchwell.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Steve Daley.
Referee: W A Nuttall (Mansfield Woodhouse).
Attendance: 508
