Match Report  |  Rugby Town vs Gresley Rovers

Gresley Rovers slipped into the relegation places after being beaten by Rugby Town who were sitting two points behind but with games in hand before today’s game.

To be honest, it was a poor bottom of the table game with both sides lacking confidence, determination, and the ability to create any clear-cut chances. Yes, there were two goals, but they were the result of Rovers continuing to hand out gifts over the festive period. They agave Cambridge a goal in the previous game but this time they went a step further handing Rugby two.

The first 20 minutes or so was an unremarkable affair littered with constant free kicks. There was a moment to break the monotony when one of the free kicks taken by Justin Campbell struck the visitors’ bar.

On 21 minutes some football was at last played with a good move involving Josh Egginton, Kieran O’Connell ending with Jack Tyson hitting a fierce shot which was well blocked. A few minutes later a free kick was chested down by O’Connell for Jamie Sleigh, but the shot was easily dealt with.

The first of the two goals came on 35 minutes. A woefully short ball across the Rovers backline was gleefully pounced on by former Moatman David Kolodynski who then raced forwards before smashing the ball past the exposed Harvey Woodward. Rovers responded and four minutes later O’Connell laid the ball to Sleigh who curled his shot past the far post.

Goal number two came on 41 minutes and Rovers were the authors of their own downfall. Another defensive mistake allowed Campell to run in at the near post before slotting the ball home.

There were a couple of substitutions early in the second half with Chris Clements replacing Barry Fitzharris for the home side and Tyler Donaldson replacing the injured Chris Jones for the visitors but still the game failed to ignite.

More substitutions for both sides around the hour mark with Haydn Brown replacing O’Connell for Rovers and Ryan Sahota replacing Cambell for Rugby.

Rovers were playing much better than in the first half but frustratingly creating very little of chances. To try and make those chances badly needed for Rovers if they were to get anything out of a game rapidly disappearing was to replace Smyth with Richard Hanslow and it almost produced results with Hanslow setting up Sleigh was unlucky to see his shot fly agonisingly wide of the near post.

Arguably, the best chance of the game for the visitors came on 80 minutes when a cross from the left into the box was somehow put over the bar from close in by substitute Brown.

The whistle ended the game with Rovers knowing that their task of avoiding the dreaded ‘R’ word made all the more difficult with this result.