Rushall Olympic vs Gresley Rovers
I’m here to stay – goal ace Keith – Richard Whitehead – Burton Mail
Keith Hill has a defiant message for the posse of Gresley Rovers strikers waiting to take his place: “I’m planning on staying in the team.”
Hill fired his sixth goal in four games to clinch two vital points for out-of-sorts Rovers at Dales Lane on Saturday.
And afterwards he underlined his determination to hang on to the first team place he had to wait so patiently for.
“Things are going well for me at the moment, the goals are going in and I obviously want to stay in the side for as long as possible.” he said.
However, with Martin Devaney available again next Saturday, Paul Acklam and Clive Arthur on the sidelines and Brian Beresford continuing his comeback with a goal for the reserves on Saturday, Hill knows there are plenty of people waiting to take over.
“The competition for places certainly puts the pressure on you to keep scoring,” Hill said.
But he underlined the spirit in the current Gresley squad by admitting: “Even if I’m left out I’ll still be at the games every week cheering the lads on.”
Hill’s 70th minute goal put the Moatmen ahead for the third time in a match they never quite looked in control of.
It took them far too long to get into their unusual stride, although when they took the lead it was a goal with all the hallmarks of true championship pedigree.
Neil Lovell fed Jon Laws on the edge of the box and then intelligently sprinted to the bye-line to first accept a return pass and then to roll a cross into the path of Guy Hall for a simple side foot home.
A little more killer instinct might have brought a second goal but when Laws carelessly lost the ball in midfield Richie Bradie took advantage of the resulting defensive confusion and rounded Karl Austin to equalise.
Rovers regained the lead five minutes after the break when Steve Daley’s back-heel gave Jackson the space to float over a cross which Hall headed home from close range.
Even then Gresley failed to take the game by the scruff of the neck and with Olympic running through an ineffectual midfield with disturbing ease it was no surprise when Alan Bourton led a charge of players at the far post to equalise again.
But Gresley showed the truth behind that old adage about good sides winning when not playing well as Hill pounced on a terrible defensive header to drive into the net from eight yards.
Northwood sensibly shifted substitute Arthur to the centre of the attack and withdrew Hall to midfield, although Austin still needed to make a superb injury-time save at the feet of Andy Keeling to guarantee the points.
Rushall Olympic (1) 2
Gresley Rovers (1) 3
Scorers: Bradie 28, Bourton 62 (Rushall Olympic); Hall 21,50, Hill 70.
Rushall Olympic: Hughes, Slater, Page, Seddon, Gocan, Bourton, Wakefield, Keeling, Bradie, Grant, Russon. Sub: Rawlings.
Gresley Rovers: Austin, Bottomley, Bromley, Skeemer, Dolby, Daley, Jackson (Arthur 50), Laws, Hall, Hill, Lovell.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Mark Bromley.
Referee: P Ross (Polesworth).
Attendance: 163
