Gresley Rovers vs Northampton Spencer
King of the Moat – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Gresley Rovers roamed through the Moat Ground gloaming to an epoch-making FA Vase win over Northampton Spencer – then doffed their caps to a man whose incredible return to goal scoring form had made it all possible.
Even Brian Beresford whose six goals in three games had given Gresley a hat trick of cup wins in the space of a week, had to admit afterwards: “It’s like a fairy tale.”
Beresford, who had hitherto maintained a “diplomatic silence” over rumours of his impending move to Stapenhill after a glorious Moat Ground career of over 80 goals, said: “I’ve always wanted to stay a Gresley player but the circumstances were that I was fit but not in the side and I couldn’t really believe it. Then I got my chance. But if you’d told me I was going to go out and score twice in three successive games and put us into two semi-finals and the fifth round of the Vase I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Inevitably, though, it was Beresford – whose goals have disposed of Heanor from the Derbyshire Senior Cup and Oldbury United from the Banks’s League Cup – who came to the rescue just as Rovers dreams of a run to Wembley were beginning to founder.
Battle as they might, nothing would go right for Gresley after the visitors’ Paul Ruff had risen unchallenged to head his team into a shock lead from a fifth minute corner.
For all their pressure Gresley could not find a way past a resolute and, at times, cynical Northampton defence while the visitors did enough on the break to give newcomer Roy Sullivan ample opportunity to show that here was no mug between the sticks.
The hastily-recruited custodian got down well to hold a header from Tony Calvert at the foot of the post then raced from his area to clear as Spencer’s tactics of bombing crosses out of the fog threatened to pay dividends.
That was a ploy they were given little opportunity to adopt as the game went on, though, Gresley mounting repeated assaults on the United Counties Leaguers that brought goal-line clearances from shots by Martin Devaney and Steve Dolby, a cruelly-denied penalty appeal from Beresford and a host of barely-visible near-misses.
Then, with half time looming, Jon Laws was felled in the box as he moved onto Devaney’s pass and Beresford, grasping his opportunity, buried a firm shot past Steve Johnson from the penalty spot.
Manager Northwood who had been reluctant to change the side that performed so well at Oldbury, finally introduced the skills of Joe Jackson to midfield after 53 minutes and, with extra space opening up before them as a result, Rovers went in search of the winner.
It came, joyously, on 64 minutes. Laws progressed down the right, his cross reached the far post and Beresford converted from six yards.
Both Beresford and Devaney were within an ace of settling the tie within a minute only to be denied by Johnson’s heroics and so the drama continued right up to a final whistle that was as welcome as any blown at the Moat.
Said a visibly euphoric Northwood at the close: “Of course I’m pleased with the result but we were always the better side. In fact, I thought they were a poor outfit but they raised their game as anyone does at this stage of the competition. I just hope we can avoid any of our near neighbours in the next round and get a home draw.”
And Brian Beresford? Said the Rovers chief: “As far as I’m concerned he’s going nowhere but Gresley.”
Gresley Rovers (1) 2
Northampton Spencer (1) 1
Scorers: Beresford 45 (pen), 64 (Gresley Rovers): Ruff 5 (Northampton Spencer).
Gresley Rovers: Sullivan, Bottomley, Dick, Hall (Jackson 53), Dolby, Bromley, Laws, Lovell, K Hill, Beresford, Devaney. Sub not used: Arthur.
Northampton Spencer: Jennings, Tansley, York, Ruff, Clark, Wagstaffe, Calvert, Green (Lambert 70), Bowen, Prior (Brown 73), S Hill.
Rovers man-of-the-match: Brian Beresford.
Referee: P Stubbs (Nottingham).
Attendance: 815
