Gresley Rovers vs RSSC Ransomes
Words of warning as Rovers march on in Vase - Richard Whitehouse - Burton Mail
RSSC Ransomes boss Terry Lees watched Gresley Rovers demolish his side's FA Vase dreams - then offered a few tips to help them along the Wembley way.
Lees identified the anxieties felt by everyone at the Moat Ground as Rovers go into the New Year with a championship challenge to re-launch and a place in the last 16 of the Vase beckoning.
"Frankly I think Gresley don't look solid enough at the back to win the competition," he said. "The difference between the way they performed last week and today also leads me to think that they're probably not quite good enough away from home either.
But Lees tempered his assessment of Rovers' Wembley potential with a glowing testament to their attacking prowess.
"The difference between the two sides was obvious today - they really showed us the sort of football they are capable of."
The words of the man who had led his club further into the FA Vase than any side from their level has gone before summed up the events of the 90 minutes perfectly.
Gresley show their quality going forward, but the satisfaction of the afternoon's work was marred in the final minute when they allowed Ransomes to pull a goal back with their only on-target shot of the game.
That also took some of the gloss off the achievement of reaching the fourth round for the second successive year for manager Frank Northwood.
"It was very disappointing to let a goal in like that after being so much on top throughout," he admitted.
Rovers' control over the proceedings was so firm that the only real surprise was that they managed to score only two goals instead of the five or six which would have been more appropriate.
In midfield Joe Jackson had his best game for weeks and, Jon Laws and Guy Hall knitting together well, the trio always had too many ideas for Ransomes.
The inclusion of Clive Arthur also gave Rovers more attacking variety that they have had for a while, although in the second half he tended to be a little too keen to cut inside and shoot rather than provide the crosses which had been so damaging in the first period.
It was one such dipping cross to the far post which provided Keith Hill with the chance to volley home his ninth goal of the season and give Rovers their all-important early goal.
The second killer goal though didn't arrive until eight minutes into the second half when full back Jerry Poole carelessly scythed down Hill and Laws slammed home his second Moat Ground penalty in a week.
After that Laws hit the post with a long range shot and hesitated fatally when presented with the ball in the six yard area, Arthur saw a spectacular volley fly wide and Martin Devaney was robbed after rounding the keeper.
But Ransomes, who enjoyed their FA Vase adventure with heart warming gusto, had the last word when Poole exchanged passes with Andrew Callaghan on the edge of the box and saw his shot balloon into the net.
Gresley Rovers (1) 2
RSSC Ransomes (0) 1
Scorers: Hill 11, Laws (pen) 53 Gresley Rovers; Poole 90 (RSSC Ransomes).
Gresley Rovers: Austin, Bottomley, Dick, Hall, Dolby, Bromley, Jackson, Laws, Hill, Devaney, Arthur. Subs. Beresford, Lovell.
RSSC Ransomes: Hamblin, Poole, Cracknall, Chapman, Roper, Hodge, Wilding, Callaghan, Robinson, Hurd (Reid 59), Ellis (Brewin 59).
Gresley man-of-the-match: Joe Jackson.
Referee: K Dunn (Atherstone).
Attendance: 497
