UniBond League Division One
Station View, Harrogate
Wednesday, 8th November 2006, 7.45pm
Gresley go off the rails at Harrogate
Gresley Rovers continued to frustrate their supporters with another defeat at Station View.
After taking an early lead and dominating the first half when they should have been out of sight their second half performance was again disappointing allowing Harrogate Railway Athletic to score twice more after the home side had scored an undeserved equaliser late in the first period.
Gresley made a good start and soon had the home side under pressure. On 5 minutes Dan Sleath's corner found BarryWoolley at the far post but his downward header was pushed away by keeper John McLaughlin.
McLaughlin was the centre of the action four minutes later when Gresley took the lead. Sleath had been put through on goal by a pass from Jamie Barrett and with only the keeper to beat was brought him down and McLaughlin was very fortunate to stay on the pitch as the referee dealt kindly with him and showed only a yellow card.
Aaron O'Connor took the spot kick and sent the keeper the wrong way.
Gresley went agonisingly close to doubling their advantage eight minutes late when O'Connor, after superbly controlling the ball, fired a shot that whistled the wrong side of the far post.
Rail had their first chance of any note on 27 minutes when Lyle Hiller beat Colin Hoyle to the ball after it had come off Woolley's head. He got a touch to the ball and pushed it past goalkeeper Tommy Whittle, but past the far post.
Substitute Mark Smith, on for the injured Sleath made a great run toward goal before passing to O'Connor whose shot was blocked by McLaughlin. Smith then had a chance himself after receiving a ball from Barrett but couldn't keep his shot down and it sailed over the bar.
It looked like Gresley would go in for the break a goal to the good but the home side got back on terms with seconds on the clock against the run of play.
A good run down the left by Chris Howarth was not dealt with by the Gresley defence and Liam Gray managed to get off a shot from the edge of the box that flew into the far corner of the net.
With the referee poised to end the first half Gresley almost regained the lead when Dan Douglas fired over a glorious cross that O'Connor at the far post just couldn't get to.
Gresley were just a shadow of their first half performance and Rail began to take control of the game and should have taken the lead on 58 minutes when Carl Slater failed to cut out a pass from Nathan James substitute Danny Spencer.
His cross to the far post was met first time by Gray who put his effort just over the bar.
Gresley were finding it difficult to contain the home side and whatever their manager said to them at the break was now having the desired effect.
On 65 minutes a Howarth corner was dropped by Whittle, who managed to kick the ball away before it was put behind for another corner.
Gresley had to wait until 73 minutes for another chance in the game when Smith got past two defenders on the edge of the box, but McLaughlin managed to get a fingertip to the ball with Barrett at the far post waiting to knock it home.
If any team looked like scoring it was the home side and the goal came on 75 minutes. Gresley's defence failed to close down Ryan Haigh as he made his way to the edge of the area. His shot took a deflection that wrong-footed Whittle to give his side the lead.
Rail almost scored again straight from the kick off when Hillier found himself in on goal, but Whittle did well to block the shot with his legs.
A minute later however, Rail did make it three when Howarth's cross from the left only half cleared by Hoyle allowing James to smash home the ball from just inside the area.
Manager's View
"That was the story of our season in 90 minutes.When you have good spells away from home like we had, you have to take your chances.
"I was really pleased for the first 43 minutes, but then we let them back into the game just before half-time. I was not happy with the goal. We have tried to cushion a header and it has gone wrong.
"We have lost the ball then, if I'm honest, I think the captain (Hoyle) went to ground a bit too soon.
"Second half, from the whistle, they have picked it up and we have not been at the races. The work ethic we had in the first half dropped and it invited them onto us.
"I thought we had weathered the storm and we created a couple of good chances.
"Mark Smith did superbly well to jink past defenders on the edge of the box, but the keeper just got something on the shot and it has just eluded Jamie Barrett at the far post.
"Then Jamie and Aaron messed things up a bit, with Jamie's ball just being behind Aaron and he scooped his shot over.
"I am disappointed because I felt we should have got something out of the game."
