Match Photos
Gresley Rovers vs Stockport County
Newsome happy with first match
It was a night to shake off the excesses of a “long hot summer” (I wish!) and get back to the real business of football.
Carlton Palmer, a former team-mate of Jon Newsome at Sheffield Wednesday, brought to the Moat Ground a strong Stockport County line-up.
Palmer himself took a midfield role and played for the whole of the first half when all of the goals were scored.
Newsome’s team saw several new faces alongside players who ended last season with the Moatmen. One of the new faces being recent new signing from Leek Town Danny Hobby. Another ‘new’ face at the Moat was former Gresley striker Neil Kitching who has recently left Sutton Coldfield Town.
Triallists left back Gary White, brother of striker Chris, former Kings Lynn midfielder Craig Hopkins and Jamie Barrett, a former Burton Albion Youth player recently released by Sheffield Wednesday all played a part in the game.
Two of Gresley’s own youngsters Nathan Tate and Carl Tims and reserve team player Danny Tyres also played with Newsome saying about their performance as “surprising a few people.”
The game had only being going two minutes when County went one up. Alan Wilbraham received the ball on the left edge of the box and did well to hold the ball up while being harassed by the Gresley defence. His cross was met by Keith Briggs who made no mistake in drilling the ball past James Lindley.
On 5 minutes the visitors increased their lead when the unfortunate Tyres got caught in possession in the middle of the park. Peter Wild sent in a cross deep into the danger area and this time it was Kevin Ellison who gave Lindley no chance as he crashed his shot into Gresley’s net.
After a nervous and somewhat disjointed few minutes Gresley began to settle and had a half chance when Chris Parkins smashed a shot has he turned which was blocked by Mark Prudoe.
Prudoe, the former Wolves and Sunderland keeper, was almost embarrassed on 33 minutes. Andrew Thomas, the County skipper, sent a high back pass to the keeper who had wandered out of his area barking orders to the his back line. Much to the keepers and his skipper’s relief the ball clipped the far post and out for a corner after it had ballooned over Purdoe’s head.
With just 2 minutes of the half left Wilbraham scored the goal of the game. He collected the ball and from all of 30 yards cracked an unstoppable shot past Lindley and into the net.
Both sides made substitutions for the second half and Gresley were very unlucky not to have pulled a goal back within the first minute.
Chris Gray sent over a superb cross which Kitching met with a downward header that Prudoe somehow saved on the line with an outstretched leg.
With the play largely contained in midfield for much of the second half chances were few and far between from both teams.
However, towards the end of the match Andy Bourne saw his header skim the bar and on 83 minutes one of the young Gresley substitutes Carl Timms warmed the hands of Purdoe with a bullet of a shot that the keeper did well to get a hand to.
Despite the scoreline Newsome and his first team colleagues and players could feel quite pleased with their first showing of the pre-season games.
The manager’s view
"I thought it was a good run out. Just a couple of small individual errors but other than that I was pleased with how we played.
We tried to pass it around and we had some new lads who had to settle in.
I was delighted that Carlton brought a side down. It was excellent, really good of them. It gave us a good work out and it was a good evening for everybody. Hopefully they got something out of it as well. I know we have got to work on our fitness, but we did all right. We need to remember that our lads only train a couple of nights a week and we were playing against full time lads so they are going to have a better fitness level than us, but we did okay. I was quite pleased.
The young lads that came on did excellently and surprised a few people. Also the triallists did all right.
We may have a few more triallists. At this time, before a new season, you always have players who say they are coming and then they are not, we’ll have to wait and see.
We’ve lost a couple of lads but if you’d have listened to what some people were saying at the end of last season we wouldn’t have had a team by now.
We are looking to replace those that have gone and when we find the right people we will include them in this football club and move forward."
Gresley Rovers (0) 0
Stockport County (3) 3
Scorers: Briggs 2, Ellison 5, Wilbraham 44
Gresley Rovers: Lindley (Roberts 75), Wardle, G White, Callan (Cheetham 45), James, Evans (Tate 45), Hopkins (Timms 72), Hobby (Barrett 45), Kitching (Hobby 63), Parkins (Bourne 45), Tyers (Gray 24, Moran 66).
Stockport County: Prudoe, Hardiker, Scragg, Kielthy (Holt 62), Thomas, Wild (Walshe 62), Palmer (Warrender 45), Briggs (Eames 45), Ellison (Elderton 45), Ross (Ogden 62), Wilbraham (Byrne 45).
Referee: R Gould (Newhall).
Attendance: 280
