Burton Albion vs Gresley Rovers
Gresley's spot prize! - Rex Page - Burton Mail
The Johnson Cup, dusted down and polished up for the first time in three years, was promptly despatched back to South Derbyshire after a longer-than-expected airing at Eton Park on Saturday.
Holders Gresley Rovers kept their nerve to win a penalty shoot-out, thus clinching the victory they just about deserved for their endeavours in 90 minutes of normal play.
Rovers' boss Frank Northwood, as busy as ever shuffling his pack during the close season, had every reason to wear the self-satisfied smile of a man who knows that his team are capable of mounting another challenge for the Banks's League title.
For all but the last 20 minutes, Rovers dictated the pace and the pattern of a game in which their desire for victory was apparently stronger than that of Albion.
"I thought we had Burton in our pockets for most of the game. They came back well near the end, but that was only after I'd made a series of substitutions," said Northwood afterwards. "My view is that we would have sewn it up in normal time if we hadn't made so many changes in the second half."
Albion's late flurry of pressure twice brought them desperately close to the winning goal, but Bobby Hope needs more time to weld his assembly of talented individuals - now bolstered by former Kettering midfielder Steve Ward - into an effective unit.
Albion treated the match more in the way of a pre-season friendly than a cup tie, but with the start of the Beazer Homes campaign only a week away there is a lobby of opinion that by now the Brewers ought to be showing more encouraging form.
That could all change, of course, once the serious stuff begins. Alan Kurila, a steadying influence on the defence was missing on Saturday, along with the honeymooning Steve Cotterill, whose pace and goalscoring instincts should offer variation in attack.
There is a feeling too, that Ward will bring his influence to bear in midfield, though in view of his late arrival on the Eton Park scene he, too, will need to be given time to settle.
It was a pity that his first appearance in front of the jaundiced eye of the Burton public should end with him making the crucial miss from the penalty spot.
As for Gresley, they appeared to have a well-balanced squad, though Northwood would probably like a proven goalscorer at the end of their cultured approach work.
They consistently had the edge in midfield, where Richard Denby and, after half time, Graham Fearn caught the eye.
Denby gave Rovers a magnificent start after eight minutes. Andy Moore's corner was headed away by Nigel Simms, but Denby was lurking on the edge of the area, beat Nick Goodwin with a sweetly struck shot.
But for Goodwin's anticipation it might soon have been 2-0, the Brewers keeper producing a sprawling save to deny Keith Hill after an intricate exchange of passes with Denby.
Albion's main threat was provided by the power of John Gayle, the big striker being denied the equaliser in the 26th minute when an eagle eyed linesman spotted the ball had gone out of play before Mark Whitehouse delivered a tempting cross to the far post.
If anything, with Fearn now putting his extravagant skill to good use, Gresley's control was even more obvious after the interval.
They were deprived of a two-goal lead by a linesman's flag in the 57th minute.
Fearn was involved in a smooth build-up on the right, but Keiron Smith was ruled offside when he met Dave Beattie's cross with a far post header.
It was not until the 73rd minute that Gresley's authority was questioned. Then Steve Essex caught Gresley dozing with a centre that Gayle, unattended, did well to reach to score with a diving header.
Northwood thought the big striker was offside, but it was not an opinion which gained much sympathy after the game.
Albion were suddenly a side transformed and in the next ten minutes they had Gresley rocking and reeling like a boxer suddenly hit by a bolt out of the blue.
The increasingly dangerous Craig Weston at last provided Whitehouse with the kind of service he thrives on - and the much-acclaimed import from Worcester was unfortunate when his left foot volley thumped against the underside of the bar and stayed in play.
Gayle got on the end of the rebound, but was denied by Dean Page's vigilance on the line and, in a final fling, former Chesterfield goalkeeper Simon Harrison hurriedly recruited for the game, brilliantly turned Ian Straw's stinging left foot shot onto a post.
Burton Albion (0) 1
Gresley Rovers (1) 1
(Gresley won 5-3 on penalties)
Scorers: Gayle 73 (Burton Albion); Denby 8 (Gresley Rovers).
Burton Albion: Goodwin, Skedling, Collins, Straw, Essex, Simms, Weston, Gayle, Whitehouse, Ede (Redfern 59), Ward. Subs: Wynn, Moore, Rigg.
Gresley Rovers: Harrison, Beattie, Dick, Denby, Perry, Page, Moore, Hill, Wells, Astley, Smith. Subs all used in second half, Oldershaw, Lovell, Fearn, Dolby.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Richard Denby.
Referee: H Tomson (Tamworth).
Attendance: 540
