Millfields vs Gresley Rovers
Wells weaves Rovers magic spell – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Paul Acklam’s late, late winner put the smiles back on Gresley faces – but it will be of Ian Wells’ magnificent equaliser that the Gresley faithful will be talking about for weeks to come.
Just as seemed that the dominant Moatmen were going to be unable to turn their stranglehold on Millfields into goals after conceding a daft 14th minute opener to old boy Reg Priest, the former Hereford man turned the game on its head with a piece of sheer soccer magic.
Set free just inside his own half by Trace Norton’s superb dummy, Well’s poise and control took him through the entire home defence to slip the ball over the line and, at last, put Rovers on the rails.
New coach Steve Dolby summed up his team’s display afterwards when he said: “We started off living on last week’s performance.”
And Gresley looked capable of repeating their 10-0 mauling of Oldswinford seven days before until a double error by Martin Haskins, who first conceded a needless corner then left Priest totally unmarked to head the flag kick decisively past Bob Aston.
“We were the better side but we gave away that silly goal and once a team like that gets in front they’re hard to break down,” said Dolby. “It was a very bad goal. We shouldn’t have given away a corner and then there was some slack marking. But in the second half we played very well. There was more commitment, we got wider and we put better crosses in. Then it was just a matter of time before we wrapped it up.”
Nonetheless, things didn’t seem to be going Gresley’s way when first Acklam’s looping header came back off the bar then the same player, set up by Richard Denby, hit an 18-yarder just wide.
Worse was to come after Paul Hollingsworth was, perhaps harshly, judged to have handled in the area. Andy Moore thought he’d been handed the equaliser on a plate as he lined up the penalty but home skipper Kevin Williams capped an inspired performance between the sticks by diving to his left to push the ball away.
Said Moore afterwards: He’s moved very early, but that’s still no excuse for missing a penalty.”
Two minutes later, though, Gresley’s agony turned to sheer bliss when Wells delivered his wonder goal. After that, as Dolby was later to point out, it was just a mater of time.
Williams tipped over a 40-yard cross-cum-shot from Martin Dick then dived in to intercept a superbly worked cross from Wells. Then, when Denby worked the ball into the area Acklam hit the bar again in an unbelievable goalmouth melee.
The former Shepshed man was to have the last laugh, though. Denby set up Kieron Smith, Williams saved yet again at the expense of a corner and when Denby’s kick from the left sailed across the area Acklam was perfectly positioned to deliver the final coup de grace. But, at the end of the day, it was a close thing!
Millfields (1) 1
Gresley Rovers (0) 2
Scorers: Priest 14 (Millfields); Wells 62, Acklam 82 (Gresley Rovers).
Millfields: Williams, Turner, Shortland, Harding (Sweeney 4), Hollingsworth, G Smith, Haynes, Thomas, Priest, Bowen (East 79), Hadley.
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Dick, Perry, Denby, Haskins, Page, Moore (Astley 71), Norton, Acklam, Wells, Smith.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Ian Wells.
Referee: A Hackett (Great Wyrley).
Attendance: 160
