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Saturday 21st January 2005
Gresley Rovers 2 Bridlington Town 1
A long and fruitless trip to the Midlands for the Seasiders, who lost
precious ground in the race for promotion against one of their rivals for
a
berth in the top six. The pace and skill of home striker Aaron O’Connor
proved Town’s undoing, and it was easy to see on this evidence why he
tops
the division’s goalscoring charts. With other results going Town’s
way, they
are still very much in the hunt, but they simply must find a way to overcome
the fatal second-half slump which has cost them the last 2 games.
Kicking up the slope on a crisp and bright winter’s day, Town had the
better
of the opening exchanges. Martin Thacker doing his best to unlock the home
defence with a series of trademark lofted passes, and Wayne Wallace getting
into his stride early on with a couple of muscular surges down the right
flank. O’Connor served notice of his ability however in the 10th minute,
showing great vision to play a quick one-two with Gary White to sprint
clear, only for the ball to bobble at the crucial moment as he was lining
up
a shot on goal.
Town’s own frontman Ben Eastwood was then denied in a similar situation
at
the other end on 19 minutes. Another fine Thacker ball seemed to have put
him through, but the ball would not sit down, and centre-back Chris Brindley
was able to bundle the Town striker away from danger. The seasiders
continued to test the home defence, and gained deserved reward on 29
minutes. Eastwood also enjoyed a measure of revenge, as he was instrumental
in the strike, holding up a Thacker free-kick and laying the Ball to
Wallace, who despatched a cracking low shot past a helpless Gavin Saxby in
the Gresley goal.
Town went hunting for the second goal to give them vital breathing space
against a side that possibly had not got into their stride. Winger Paul
Wilson appeared to have lost the ball in a 50-50 challenge in the centre of
the park, but tenaciously won the ball back, and set off on a powerful run
down the flank that took him past three challenges, only for the final ball
to drift over Saxby’s bar. Eastwood then tried his luck from 25 yards
and
was unlucky to his effort also clear the woodwork.
With half-time approaching, Town looked to have done the job against the
gradient, as Wallace earned them a corner on the right-hand side on 42
minutes. Brindley was first to the ball, and bulleted his header into
space, where Mick Lyons turned defence into attack with frightening speed,
unleashing O’Connor with a brilliant crossfield pass. With Carl Slater
making a clever diagonal decoy run, the striker rocketed clear of the Town
defence and notched his 22nd goal of the season with a fierce shot across
‘keeper Nck Baxter into the far corner.
A now rampant O’Connor should have put the game out of reach in injury
time.
An almost identical ball from put the jet-heeled frontman clear again, but
with a second goal looking odds-on, Town centre-back Carl Giblin appeared
from seemingly nowhere to whip the ball clear. Again, with the referee
poised to blow for half-time, Lyons released O’Connor, with Baxter this
time
racing from his goal to produce a brilliant block.
With the second period only moments old, Gresley were again cursing their
luck. A long ball into the Town area was only half-cleared, and skipper
Andy Simpson, lurking at the back post, had time and space to bury his shot,
but somehow sent his drive back across the face of goal and past Baxter’s
upright to safety.
Wallace was looking to kick-start Town’s attack again, and showed the
way
with a typically powerful run through the midfield on 51 minutes, taking him
past two challenges to crack a rising shot over Saxby’s bar from 20 yards.
Back came Gresley, and O’Connor again was at the hub, this time turning
provider with his clever pass finding Slater in space, who perhaps should
have done better, scuffing his shot wide of the Town goal. The O’Connor
show continued unabated however, as he combined well with his burly strike
partner Dave Holmes on 73 minutes to again sprint clear. Baxter won the
duel again with another superb block, and the Rovers man could only put the
loose ball into the side netting from an impossible angle.
With Town manager Billy Heath having introduced Matt Fyvie for a tiring
Eastwood, and also sending on fresh legs into the midfield in the form of
Steve Underwood and James Tomlinson, his charges looked to have done enough
to come away with a point. They had an opportunity to take all three on 82
minutes as Paul Palmer, who had up until then appeared for once strangely
subdued, sprang into life with 2 half-chances in quick succession that Saxby
was grateful to keep out.
Rovers had other ideas, and sent the 225 crowd into delirium with the winner
on 87 minutes to break Town hearts. A long ball was hoisted to the edge of
the Town box, and for once, Holmes took the starring role. Brindley muscled
in to win the header, and from the knock-down, the striker lashed a
first-time shot through the bodies that Baxter saw late, and could only
parry into the net.
Another setback for Heath’s troops, who must now make home advantage
count
this Saturday at Queensgate when Eastwood Town are the visitors. Yet again
the opposition were able to field a class of player that surely should
have been plying his trade at a far higher level, and Town should not be too
downhearted by an otherwise battling display.
Teams:
Gresley Rovers:
Saxby, Davies, White, Brindley, Simpson, Slater, Moran, Lyons, Holmes,
O’Connor, Tate.
Subs: Barrett, Edwards, Cheetham
Bridlington Town:
Baxter, Hyam, Ramsay, Baker, Giblin, Heath, Wallace, Thacker, Eastwood,
palmer, Wilson.
Subs: Tomlinson, Underwood, Fyvie