Gresley Rovers vs Tamworth
The bubble bursts – David Lawrence – Burton Mail
Champagne flowed at the Moat Ground last night – but sadly it was not to celebrate Gresley taking a top three place and a share of the sponsor’s pay out.
Instead Tamworth clinched the Premier Division title in front of more than 1,600 fans, Rovers’ biggest crowd since joining the league.
The vast majority of supporters had followed Tamworth hoping to see them clinch the championship and thus pave the way for a place in the Southern League.
And they were never going to be disappointed as the Lambs dominated the game throughout, so much so that keeper Mark Kendall didn’t have to make a save all night.
Indeed, Rovers looked at their most dangerous when defenders Nigel Simms and Dean Page pushed forward, though sadly their foraging runs were far too seldom.
For Tamworth, Mark Stanton was the instigator for many of the Lambs’ attacks.
His delicate header gave Bob Atkins a chance after 24 minutes, but the lanky midfielder pushed his shot wide.
Five minutes later Stanton was there again to reach a finely judged through ball ahead of Moatmen’s skipper, Steve Dolby. The Tamworth supporters, crammed behind the goal held their breath as his shot trickled past the keeper and the wrong side of the post.
With the sides getting drawn into a midfield brawl, the footballing action died down apart from a dazzling run from Page that seemed to catch Tamworth as much unaware as the supporters.
But just when it seemed the second half battle would start with the sides looking for a breakthrough, the Lambs won a corner in the final moments of the half.
Neil Lovell cleared another Atkins header off the line but from the clearance, Russell Gordon wrong footed his defender and crossed for Perry Blewitt to nip in at the near post to stab the ball home.
In the end, close to a thousand fans swarmed onto the pitch when referee Arthur Smith blew to signify that the championship was Tamworth’s.
The Moatmen quietly left the pitch looking to next year for that top three placing.
But who knows who’ll be doing the celebrating next year?
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Tamworth (1) 1
Scorer: Blewitt 45.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Simms, Bromley, Dolby, Skeemer, Page, Jackson, Laws, Branch, Smith, Lovell (Oldershaw 55).
Tamworth: Kendall, Lockett, Brown, Atkins, Foote, Cartwright, Wyers, Stanton, Blewitt, Gordon, McCormack. Sub: Rathbone.
Rovers man-of-the-match: Nigel Simms.
Referee: Arthur Smith (Bromsgrove).
Attendance: 1
