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Rovers set up a cup thriller
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Gresley Rovers last night set up their thrilling climax.
Rovers earned a deserved 1-1 draw at Matlock Town in the opening leg of their third successive Derbyshire Senior Cup final.Now they are hoping for a four-figure crowd at next Wednesday’s Moat Ground return.
Delighted Rovers’ boss Frank Northwood said: “The boys played superbly and I thought on the night we deserved to win. Obviously it’s far from over yet, but we’ve been holders of this cup for so long now that we’re not going to give it up without a fit.”
Northwood sprang a surprise by including former Moat Ground favourite Rob Philpott in the Gresley midfield.
“Rob has been signed all season but has only just become available to us. He did a superb job in midfield.”
Defender Gil Land gave Gresley an eighth minute lead, but John Sheppard snatched an equaliser nine minutes later.
The return leg prefaces the final weekend of the Banks’s League campaign when top-of-the-table Rovers need to win their games at Malvern (May 5) and Wolverhampton Casuals (May 7).
Gresley’s old main stand has been demolished to make way for major improvements designed to bring the ground up to Beazer Homes League standard.
Now Rovers face a race against time to erect their new stand in time for next month’s grading inspection.
