Holwell Sports vs Gresley FC
Gresley Youth began the Leicestershire Midweek Floodlit Youth League campaign with the longest journey of the season to face Holwell Sports. Things couldn't of started much worse for the young Moatmen, as they were two goals behind after only fifteen minutes.
Holwell took the lead when their first corner of the night was headed home from within the six yard box unopposed. The hosts doubled their lead a few minutes later when, a defensive mix-up by the Gresley defence enabled a Holwell striker in behind them he coolly slotted beyond the advancing Jack Mills.
Gresley then regrouped beginning to play some good passing football and putting the home side under more pressure when they had the ball. That pressure higher up the pitch bought Gresley back into the game, when strike pair Riddell and King forced the Holwell keeper to have to come out of his box to head the ball, but instead of heading it away from danger he only headed it up into the air, the ball dropping the Ryan King who volleyed the ball into the unguarded net from nearly thirty yards.
Gresley were now on top in the game and were trying to draw back level with their hosts and created plenty of opportunities to do just so, Dom Hickman headed over from a corner, Albert Lansdowne had a stinging long range shot go over the bar too and Callum Riddell and Ryan King both saw the efforts saved by the home keeper. Just before the break a definite foul on the halfway line on Harry Arckless was not seen by the referee, who seconds later gave a bizarre back-pass decision for a sliced Ryan Clemson clearance, luckily for Gresley the resulting free kick was smashed way over the bar by the home side.
The second half began how the first half ended with Gresley on top and ten eight minutes in, Gresley drew level when King played a nice slotted through ball to Riddell in the right channel, Riddell powered in on goal and smashed the ball into the roof of the net. Within minutes King was sent through in the same position but this time the advancing home stopper made a good save denying the Gresley striker.
On the 70th minute Gresley were made to pay for the missed chances when a long ball was missed by Gee, releasing a Holwell striker who shrugged off the challenge of Hickman to score from close range. Holwell wrapped up the points in the 78th minute when a free kick from the left was swung into the back post and a Holwell player was able to loop a header back across goal into far corner of the net despite the attention of three Gresley defenders.
Gresley: Mills, Taylor, Clemson, Hickman, Gee, Jenkins, Evans, Lansdowne, Riddell, King, Arckless.
Subs: Westwood, Ward, Wright
