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Moatmen look back on a week well spent
Story courtesy of
It hasn’t been a bad fortnight for Gresley Rovers even by their own lofty standards.
On Tuesday evening they stretched their lead at the top of the West Midlands League to nine points.And that followed hard on the heels of quarter-finals victories in the West Midlands League Cup and the Derbyshire Senior Cup, with the draw proving favourable to Rovers in both competitions.
Gresley were anxious to avoid a potentially difficult tie with Paget Rangers – one of only four teams to beat them in the league this season – in the semi-finals of the league cup and there were no complaints when they were paired with Hereford-based Westfields, even though that does mean a long an tedious Tuesday evening trip for the first leg.
And Rovers’ hopes of lifting the Derbyshire Senior Cup for the record-breaking fifth consecutive season were raised when they avoided both HFS Loans Premier sides left in the competition, Matlock Town and Buxton.
Both have fallen victim to Gresley’s cup success in recent seasons and, while Matlock are currently doing nothing to suggest that the arrival of Ronnie Reid has reversed their recent downturn, Buxton has flowered into one of the top sides in the HFS this season and must, on paper at least, be favourites for the trophy.
Without being disrespectful to Stapenhill – as indeed it would be foolish to do after their terrific 3-0 win over Borrowash Victoria on Saturday – Rovers will be far happier, thank you, to be making the trip to Edge Hill for the semi-final.
Clearly, the path is open for a momentous treble to mark Frank Northwood’s final season as manager at the Moat Ground.
Gresley face a tricky run-in in league matches but, with their noses well in front – especially after Blakenall’s three consecutive defeats and Chasetown’s surprise 3-2 defeat at Halesowen Harriers on Saturday – their destiny is in their own hands and as coach Steve Dolby quipped this week: “If we win all our remaining games I’ll fancy us for the title.”