Loughborough FC vs Gresley Rovers
The Reserves battled back from 2-0 down to earn a creditable draw against Midland Combination Div 1 side Loughbrough Utd.
Gresley dominated the early stages with some neat passing but lacked the finishing touches to often promising moves. Loughbrough took the lead against the run of play on 20 minutes when Leon Spencer beat Ian Roberts in the Rovers goal with an 18yard drive that crept inside the near post.
Jon Jenkinson almost produced an equaliser on 31 minutes but his shot from close range produced a fine one handed save from Black. Rovers thought they had levelled on 38 minutes when a Danny Tyres corner was headed back by Gary Norton for Mickey Sandar to finish but the linesman ruled that the ball had gone out of play. HT 1-0
Loughbrough extended their lead on 55 minutes when Paul O Callaghan, looking ominously offside, broke free and a last ditch tackle by Norton resulted in a spot kick being awarded. Brad Clarke pulled off a fine save from OCalaghans penalty but the striker followed up the rebound to score.
Rovers pulled a goal back on 58 minutes when a fine ball from full back Nathan Tate found Gary Norton in space to fire a first time volley into the bottom corner from 25 yards. Gresley pressure finally paid off in the 87th minute when a 25yard free kick by John Smith found its way into the top corner of the Loughbrough goal for a deserved equaliser.
Final Score: 2-2
