Wednesfield Social vs Gresley Rovers
It’s muddy marvellous – Andy Parker – Burton Mail
Super-slick Gresley turned a Brazilian samba into a merry mudlark as they buried poor Wednesfield Social on Saturday.
Displaying skills more suited to the Copacabana beach than Social’s sodden mudheap, Rovers’ class helped them sail over the mire that soon sucked in their lowly hosts.
Three goals in a 10-minute first half blitz put the Banks’s League leaders in total control. Then Frank Northwood’s elegant outfit completed the demolition in style.
Wednesfield chased shadows as Ian Wells’ poise and perception, Richard Denby’s power and precision and the willingness and graft of Andy Moore created a perfect platform for the front-running finesse of Tracey Norton, Paul Acklam and Graham Jones.
Jones grabbed the opener on ten minutes after an exchange of headers with Norton neatly opened a left-sided path to goal, shooting home unstoppably.
“I knew no keeper was going to stop that one,” said Jones, delighted to have opened his account, afterwards.
Then Wells’ instant control and slide rule pass freed Martin Dick for an overlap and cross and former Moatman Stuart Watkiss inadvertently teed up Norton for a smart turn and close-range finish.
Acklam got into the act when he pounced on the rebound after Jones’ header from Wells’ towering cross had come back off the bar.
With Rovers knocking the ball about with arrogant ease it was a question of how many by now. Sure enough, Wells and Acklam got the calculators clicking again when they set up Moore’s stooping header before the break, then Acklam’s confident run deep into Wednesfield’s nerve centre ended with the perfect pass for Norton to thump home his second.
Jones headed number six five minutes later before Gresley inevitably turned down the heat, although Wells and Jones both went close to rubbing more salt into Social’s painful wounds.
Even when the home side began to throw all caution to the wind in an effort to grab the merest crumb of consolation, Rovers elegantly kept the ship on course with some briskly confident defending.
It all added up to a gleeful return to his old stomping ground for Moore, who said as he celebrated his second goal in consecutive Saturday’s: “While we were knocking the first half stuff about we were getting right behind them and getting a lot of crosses in. With the three big lads up front now we’ve got more options from midfield: either playing to feet or looking for Jonesey’s head.
“It worked well today and we put the goals away to prove it.”
Now Rovers are looking for another goal spree in their next game – a home league cup tie tomorrow with….Wednesfield Social.
Wednesfield Social (0) 0
Gresley Rovers (4) 6
Scorers: Jones 10, 54; Norton 12, 49; Acklam 15; Moore 32.
Wednesfield Social: Brewer, M Smith, Lowe, Walker, Banks, Watkiss, Bridges, Bradford (Platt 75), Roberts, Rowley, O’Brian (Rowe 56).
Gresley Rovers: Aston, Beattie, Dick, Denby, Haskins (Astley 56), Page, Moore, Norton, Acklam (Smith 60), Wells, Jones.
Gresley man-of-the-match: Tracey Norton.
Referee: W T Ellis (Wednesfield).
Attendance: 90
