Gresley Rovers vs Red Lion Horninglow
Gresley Rovers 0-0 Red Lion Horninglow
Team: Ian Parker, Joe Tomlin, Chris Smith, Rich Foster, Dave Hatfield (c), Danny Gee, Luke Taylor, Sam Worth, Joe Swift, Tom Fletcher, Mark Shorthouse
Subs: Nige Brewin, Dan Woodings, Craig Harrison, Stu Haywood
We hosted Red Lion, who clinched the league title at the weekend, so the test gets no bigger. We were fortunate to be able to play up "The Moat", so thanks to all concerned for this.
We were without Paul Morton (our top goal scorer) through work commitments, and also Josh Gregory was still recovering from injury. However Joe Tomlin had travelled down from Manchester to play, as we know that is typical of Joe. Being a mid week game, I'm sure that Mark had similar problems with his Red Lion squad.
We opted to push Tom Fletcher up front with Mark Shorthouse, although an unfamiliar role, it's one I knew he'd adapt to.
We started off well, something vitally important against opposition of Red Lion's quality, and early exchanges were even. If anything we actually were slightly on top, with our mid field closing down quickly. We had a few chances, however lacked the clinical finish needed to beat their keeper. The back four were relatively untroubled for large parts, but as we know, Red lion have the ability to punish you.
Chris Smith made some great forward runs linking up well with Joe swift, as we went on the attack. Although we probably shaded things, disappointingly we never really tested their keeper. A great through ball found Fletcher, who was brought down when through on goal, just out side the box.
Swift took the free kick, which reflected off their wall and out for a corner on the 30 minute mark. As we still matched them the half ran it's course, with Parker rarely tested.
At half time I was pleased at our performance, however we knew that we needed to keep our focus.
Second half got underway, and thing continued in much the same vein, with both teams cancelling each other out. With 16 minutes gone both teams made their first changes, we replaced Shorthouse (who was nursing a swollen ankle) for Brewin.
Tomlin played a great through ball to Swift, completely splitting their defence, but Swift's shot was easily saved by the keeper. At the other end Parker made a brilliant save, tipping round the post, from a quality Lonergan volley to keep the scores level.
Red Lion had certainly upped things, as they searched for the lead, and hit the post with Parker beaten. At the other end, we had a number of chances ourselves, however our attempts lacked the accuracy to test their keeper. The game had come alive, as both teams tried to vital first goal, with Parker again saving well. With 20 minutes remaining, we swapped Fletcher for Dan Woodings, although Fletcher had been excellent with his work rate matching his undoubted talent.
Foster made a great run from turning defence into attack, but his shot lacked power, after he'd ran the length of the pitch with the ball. With 15 minutes to go, we made our last change, replacing swift (who'd aggravated a knee injury)for Harrison. Red Lion were causing problems down both flanks, but we held firm, as the game ran its course.
The draw means that we've reached another quarter final, which shows how far we've come since last season. This is not down to any one reason, but a combination of things, like how hard we try at training etc.
The test of Red Lion, is a true reflection of this season's improvements, because Mark has a quality squad who have proved that they can beat any team around.
Our consistency continues to improve, with 3 consecutive clean sheets, and considering our average age it's pleasing. However we cannot sit back on our "laurels" as this will be our downfall. We need to work together and finish our season strongly, and I'm sure that it will reap the rewards that we deserve.
Certain players have the ability to move up "the ranks", and hopefully they'll get their chance to do so, because I'm sure that it wont just benefit them but will also benefit Gresley Rovers in years to come and that's the least your efforts deserve.
