Buldbase FA Trophy Preliminary Round
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 8th October 2016, 3.00pm
Gresley In Stunning Mood
According to Gresley manager Damion Beckford-Quailey, some derogatory comments made by some Spalding players about his side was all that was needed for his pre-match team talk.
The performance of his players on the field, outplaying the league leaders comfortably, answered those comments convincingly.
Courtney Meade's hat-trick was central in the thumping win with his final goal of the game justifying the entrance cost alone. It was Meade's second hat-trick of the season, his first being against Deeping Rangers away in the 6-2 FA Cup thrashing.
Beckford-Quailey had indicated that he would make changes for this game with those players unlucky to get games recently given match time.
In came keeper Max Atkin for the injured Rob Peet, Jake Carlisle, Tom Manship returning from injury and Leandro Browne given his first start since signing for the club.
Gresley began in blistering form with Pearson Mwanyongo having his vicious shot tipped over the bar by keeper Michael Duggan with just three minutes on the clock.
However, two minutes later they took the lead. Tendai Chitiza threaded a perfect ball through for Meade to run onto and the striker comfortably slotted home.
The Moatmen were in red hot form with the Moat Ground crowd showing their appreciation and they went close again. This time it was Browne who curled his free kick just wide of the near post.
A corner by Mwanyongo was played back to him and his curling, looping shot needed the fingertips of Duggan to tip the ball over the bar.
A stunning second goal from Meade gave his side a two goal margin at the break. Browne started the move sliding the ball down the left to Ben Harris who then burst into the area and just when it was thought he would try his luck with a shot, saw Meade on his right in a much better position and unselfishly pushed the ball to his team mate who blasted the ball home from the middle of the area.
Within ten minutes of the start of the second half Gresley had extended their lead. A ball into the Spalding box was adjudged by referee Abbas Khan to have been handled by a defender and a penalty was awarded. The normally reliable penalty taker Mwanyongo, had his last spot kick saved by the exemplary Market Drayton keeper last Saturday, but was back on track sending Duggan the wrong way.
Despite Spalding trying to get close to the Gresley goal, the quick closing down and defending by the whole of the home side was snuffing out any chances.
Indeed, it was Spalding's solitary shot of the game on target that got them on the scoreboard and that was also from the spot. A ball hit into the area was about to clatter Jamie Barrett in the face but instinct made him protect himself by raising a hand. If United's penalty had looked a little harsh at the other end this one certainly was. Cenk Acar took the kick and beat Atkins.
The Gresley faithful needn't have worried that perhaps there was to be a nail biting end to the game as Meade wrapped the game up two minutes for the end of normal time with arguably the goal of the game.
Meade collected the ball up just inside the opposition half and made a lung bursting run down the right before hitting a thunderbolt of a shot which Duggan got a hand to but could not stop the ball rocketing into the top near corner of the net.
In the dying minutes, United should have perhaps scored again but Sam Downey could only head the cross from the right wide of the far post when it looked easier to score!
It would have made the score a little flattering for the visitors as they had been totally outplayed in a fairly one-sided encounter and Gresley thoroughly deserved to move into the next round where they will travel to play the winners of Lincoln Utd and Romulus who made a 2-2 draw.
