Match Photos
Belper Town vs Gresley Rovers
Crawford's cracker!
Perhaps this was not the match it could have been being a local derby and a FA Cup match but it was not without a few incidents to brighten up what, to be honest, was a dour affair.
Neither side looked has if they were going to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and the goal that the game needed came very late much to the relief of the travelling Gresley fans.
The game was only two minutes old disaster struck when defender Ian Bluck received what looked like an elbow in the face from Leroy Chambers. Play was allowed to carry on by the referee until the ball went out of play much to the annoyance of Jon Newsome, the players and Gresley fans.
When, at last, Bluck was allowed treatment it was found he'd broken his nose and was led to the touchline.
The Nailers had by this time been awarded a corner and much to the anger of Newsome Bluck was not allowed back on to the field until the corner had been taken.
On 12 minutes the unlucky Bluck appeared to have suffered the same fate but again the referee chose to take no action to the amazement of the visiting fans.
On 20 minutes Gresley had their first chance on goal when Neil Kitching flicked on a Gary Moran cross but Gary Smith was flagged offside as he ran through on goal.
There was not much action at either end as each side played the game in midfield without the final penetrating ball.
On 42 minutes Belper's keeper Gary Ingram had to be alert as Kitching headed down a free kick by James Lindley.
The second half started the way most of the first half had been played mostly in the middle third.
On 53 minutes Michael Crawford broke forward but his shot was well over the bar.
Six minutes later Kitching had another opportunity to add to his tally but he put his header from a Richard Wardle cross straight into the arms of the grateful Ingram.
The nearest the home side got in the second period was from a 64-minute corner but Dean Jones put his header well wide of the post.
On 70 minutes Lindley had to be on his toes when Niall McNamara hit a ferocious low shot that the keeper could not hold but managed to the second time before Chambers could capitalise.
On 72 minutes Newsome made a couple of changes bringing on Owen James for Gary White and Jamie Barrett for Chris Gray.
The home side went close when McNamara laid the ball back to former Gresley man Liam Walshe but his 20-yard shot went wide of the post.
It didn't seem to make any difference to the inevitable stalemate as the clock ticked on to what looked an almost certain replay.
That was until Crawford was given the chance of a free kick on the left side of the penalty area in the 91st minute.
The referee had insisted that Belper moved the wall back a couple of feet and while they were still unsettled the Gresley midfielder curled in a superb shot over the wall and into the bottom corner of the Nailers net leaving Ingram stranded and the Belper faithful heartbroken.
The referee then found another 6 minutes of time added on with every Gresley fan holding their breath as Belper had one last effort, which went out for a corner and thankfully Gresley managed to scramble away.
The manager's view
"Today's result was important but equally important was the performance you put in.
"That was never a game where we were could have got the ball down and played the kind of football we do in the Dr Martens or when we play at home. We did, in tiny patches, try to do what we're good at but it wasn't the kind of game to allow us to do that today.
"I've just said to the lads in the dressing room that they've seen a different side of a game of football. That was a very, very tough, hard working, battling performance that to perfectly honest when I looked at my watch at the time left when it was 0 0, I thought that we would have done ever so well, really, really well, and I was proud of them. Then to go and stick a goal like that in well! We've worked on it in training and we've done it but obviously it's the execution of the free kick during a match.
"From my point of view, and I would imagine Belper will see it differently, I think we got what we deserved because we stuck to our game plan and we played in a way that's different to how we normally play.
"I knew that Belper were physical. I don't think they've got many players under 6ft; they're a big team. They get the ball forward early; they're a big threat on set pieces, that's what we were told from the reports we got from having them watched and it's true.
"The pitch was hard and bobbly and the ball they use bounces all over the place so it was never going to be a game were we could get the ball down and start stroking it around and that was apparent after the first two or three minutes.
"I thought we matched them and I though we did very, very well in all the areas we needed to match them in. Yes, at times we could have played better in terms of getting the ball down but when you play teams like that you sometimes get sucked in to playing the way they do.
"We were getting the ball back in the middle and defending third and trying to get it forward as early as possible where really we could have stuck it peoples feet and play our game a bit more. But it's easy to stand on the touchline and say that.
"I've just said to them in the dressing room that I'm as proud of them than I've ever been because, to me, that was fantastic. You can't single one person out because there were so many heroes out there who dug in.
"Andy Cheetham had a brilliant game and really took the fight to them. Ian Bluck broke his nose after just two minutes and was coughing blood up all of the game but he goes on and plays 90 minutes when people of lesser character would have come off. I'm sure that would have happened. Not everyone would have continued to play the game he did.
"I thought Michael Crawford had a good game. He battled and helped the ball on when he could because you can't get it down and play at times. It's too scrappy; it's too physical and it's possible you'll get caught out and you'll be the one.
"I thought they did great and I'm chuffed to bits not just because we've won but in the manner in the way we've won.
"We've played a game that's alien to what we normally play but everyone plays the game differently and we've won."
Belper Town (0) 0
Gresley Rovers (0) 1
Scorer: Crawford 91.
Belper Town: Ingram, Smithurst, Stafford (Allsopp 90), Walshe, Kennedy, Jones, Hilton (Morgan 76), Wilson, Chambers, McNamara, Lewis. Subs not used: Eaton, Reece, Lawson (gk).
Gresley Rovers: Lindley, G White (James 72), G Moran, Gray (Barrett 72), Kitching, Crawford, Wardle, Bluck, Cheetham, Smith (Parkins 90), Hobby. Subs not used: Bourne, Roberts (gk).
Rovers Star Man: Ian Bluck gave his all and played with a broken nose for 94 minutes.
Referee: B Coward (Chesterfield).
Attendance: 319
