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A little late relief
Story courtesy of Andy Parker - Burton Mail
Richard Wardle
John McGinlay was the most relieved man in South Derbyshire on Saturday after a 91st minute goal from skipper Richard Wardle ended Gresley Rovers' run of 10 Dr Martens Western Division games without a victory.
Wardle headed in a cross from substitute Paul Grant just as another poor game at the Moat Ground looked to be heading for a disappointing draw.McGinlay, though, paid tribute to his team's powers of persistence, saying: "Credit to the lads - they kept going right to the end."
McGinlay hardly needed to express how pleased he was with the win but said: "It's not just because of the goal. I'm happy because we deserved to win. We played the better football. It looked like a 0-0 because we hadn't taken the chances that came our way. But then Paul Grant has crossed the ball in and Richard's headed in from the tightest of angles. It was a good three points and it goes without saying that I'm relieved. With our last two games being called off we were desperate to play after a decent performance against Redditch. But the lads have taken that next step today."
Rovers now face a hectic last month of the campaign, with 10 games left to play, with fears that defender Ian Bluck and striker Kevin Allsop will not feature again.
Bluck has been unable to shake off a leg injury while Allsop has a shoulder injury picked up at work.
However, McGinlay is hopeful defender Matt Warren could be available for a recall after turning out for the reserves while striker Ravi Sangha made a late appearance as substitute on Saturday after missing four games with an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, McGinlay made a late decision to snap up England Under-19 universities goalkeeper Mark Sheils from Redditch United before Saturday's transfer deadline.
