Gresley Rovers vs Oadby Town
Wednesday night saw both teams greatly influenced by first team players. Gresley had five and there is no doubt it unsettled the rhythm of things that had been built up during the past weeks.
However, it is part and parcel of the role played by a reserve side so no excuses can be made. It is difficult though to give feedback to your team on it's overall performance, after the game.
Oadby started bright and took the lead after some smart play down the right saw a low cross driven in. This hit Gresley's Andy Harrison as he ran towards his own goal and inevitably ended up in the back of the net. Shortly after, though, Gresley were level when Chris White spun on a sixpence and struck home from just inside the box. Oadby responded and took the lead again when Pemberton made a very are error to let a timid shot slip through his fingers and into the goal.
Gresley had started the game off pretty much as expected, their passing was poor, there were many mis-understandings and players looked very unsure of each other. After about twenty minutes had gone Gresley seemed to really get things together. Liam Hebberd caused numerous problems down the right as he ran at players. Ashley Dodds took complete control of the centre of the pitch along with Suka Heer even though Oadby played with three in the centre.
For twenty five minutes it was a pleasure to watch. Soon Chris Freestone had equalised, then Dodds had given Gresley the lead with a superb effort and then Freestone made it four just before the break.
At four - two up the game looked well and truly over. Credit to Oadby who came at Gresley again in the second half. The blow came when Chris Mawbey had to go off after his knee problems flared up again. Chris had really impressed again at centre half; it's a shame about this on going injury problem. Andy Marlowe who had just moved into the centre of midfield from right back then had to drop into the back four.
We struggled for a while and Oadby pulled one back from a quick free-kick that really should not have found it's way home. The visitors then equalised and began to look as though they would take the game. Danny Cox dropped into defence as Andy Dunn was introduced onto the left, Rich Draycott came on into the centre of midfield and we steadied things up. Patrick Rowell came on for Chris White towards the end and Gresley looked a lot stronger. Maybe we should even have won the game at the end.
It's difficult to make too much of the game. The positives have to be performances of some of the reserve lads and the fact that first team players got a good run out. The negatives for me have to be defensively. I can never accept one of my teams conceding four goals especially when so many of our games have been won on solid defensive displays. If we score four we should win the game end of story, but I hope and feel it is an error that won't happen very often, if at all again.
Gresley Rovers 4 - 4 Oadby Town
Team: Pemberton, Harrison, Marlowe, Grosse, Mawbey, Hebberd, Heer, Dodds, Cox, Freestone, White, Dunn, Draycott, Rowell.
