UniBond League Division One
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 3rd February 2007, 3.00pm
Edwards' brace not enough
Gresley Rovers' stuttering start to the New Year continued with a defeat at the Moat Ground against Kidsgrove Athletic.
Although Paul Edwards managed two goals the game as a contest was well and truly over by the time he slotted home his second.
Kidsgrove went ahead on 7 minutes when Richard Ayre's free kick was headed out of defence only as far as Ian Dawes who fired in a 30 yard volley that left Rovers keeper Tommy Whittle a mere spectator.
Whittle almost gifted the visitors a second four minutes later when his poor clearance, from Colin Hoyle's back pass, hit Kidsgrove striker Matt Rhead and very fortunately bounced back into the keeper's arms.
Rovers' best chance of the opening period came on 13 minutes when Shaun Ridgway picked out Liam Hebberd making a run towards the area. Kidsgrove's keeper Matt Conkie came rushing out to deny the Rovers man but Hebberd skipped around him. Hebberd was forced wide and when he tried to pick out Edwards in the area the ball went to Conkie who had managed to get back to his goal.
Tom Groves went close for Rovers when he picked up on a poor clearance from his initial shot but this time his shot was blocked by Conkie and out for a corner. The corner was taken by Groves who found Barry Woolley at the far post but the header went wide.
Kidsgrove then went close when Rhead flicked on a throw to Ashley Wooliscroft who then hit a low shot that Whittle did well to stop at the base of the post.
On 20 minutes a corner from the right by Groves was flicked on by Ridgway who was standing on the edge of the area. The ball found Woolley who's powerful header was cleared off the line by Stephen Jones.
The action immediately switched to the other end where Dawes robbed Nicky Carter deep in the Rovers half. Dawes floated over a high cross and Wooliscroft hit a sweet dipping volley that Whittle needed to tip over the bar.
Right on the half time whistle the visitors almost doubled their advantage when a long punt up field by Conkie landed nicely for Michael Lennon. The prolific striker got the better of Carter before laying up the ball for Dawes who's shot was deflected for a corner.
Rovers manager Gary Norton decided to switch things at half time bringing on Karl Brown for Tom Groves and the change almost brought an immediate response when Brown put a header just wide of the post after just three minutes of the second half.
On 54 minutes Rovers almost grabbed the equaliser they were looking for when Conkie parried a stinging goal bound shot from Ridgway away for a corner.
A minute later Kidsgrove's Dawes made a great run into the box but his shot hit the side netting.
The visitors didn't have to wait too long for their second, however, because on 57 minutes the goal arrived. Another long kick from Conkie found Rhead who in turn slipped the ball through to Lennon looking suspiciously offside. Whittle came tearing out of his area and the striker showed why he is the league top scorer by coolly stroking the ball past the keeper and into the empty net from 25 yards out.
Five minutes later Rovers got themselves back into the game when Hebberd did well to win the ball wide on the left from Anthony Kielthy who landed awkwardly and as a result collected a suspected fractured collarbone. With the referee waving play to continue Edwards collected the ball on the left, looked up and smashed a superb shot from 30 yards out past Conkie and into the far corner of the net.
Any thought of at least a share of the points were dashed on 71 minutes when Kidsgrove got their third. A Ayres free kick found Lennon lurking on the edge of the area. The shot was blocked by Whittle but the rebound fell very nicely for Rhead who slotted the ball home.
On 84 minutes Edwards had a shot blocked by Conkie at the near post but the visitors could feel harshly dealt with when they were denied what looked a certain penalty when Carter upended Lennon in the box.
Rovers got their second on 90 minutes when a good run from Carl Slater ended with a pass to substitute Ravi Sangha. Conkie blocked the shot but Edwards was on hand to put the rebound into the net.
Sadly it was too little too later for Rovers who slumped to their second home defeat of the New Year.
Manager's View
"It was a disappointing home performance. To lose at home in the manner that we did is frustrating especially on the back of the proceeding two performances. We were as poor in the first half as we've been since the really bad spell we had at the start of the season.
"It brought back some really bad memories of poor performances at the start of the season and there were several of them. Our first forty-five minutes were indicative of that today.
"There weren't any positives at all out of the first half. We were disjointed, there was no fluidity and there was no real shape. Kidsgrove were first to first, second and third balls all over the park and the only positive maybe to come out of that half was that we were only one down at half time.
"They didn't create too much but they had the lion's share of possession and were winning the battles all over the park.
"Second half, ironically I thought we came out of the traps a little bit better. We looked in the first few minutes a little more purposeful and we showed more in the first few moments of the second half than we had in the previous forty-five.
"Naivety has cost us the second goal. We gave the ball away cheaply in the middle of the park, there's a shout for offside I don't know whether he was or not but regardless of that it was a cheap goal to give away.
"We got back into the game with a cracking strike from Eddie (Paul Edwards) and naively again we've given away a sloppy free kick again similar to the first goal. We've given sloppy free kicks in wide areas and they've tossed the ball in and two seconds later it's in the back of your net. The frustrating thing is that that was the warning we gave to the lads before the game.
"The first goal in particular we said anything from a set play even in general play they'll look for the big lad Rhead. The first goal it come off Rhead and come to the guy, number 6, at the edge of the box and although it was a great strike we were yards off him and we knew that was a strength of theirs so we've been punished.
"Weirdly, I thought we played better in the second half but got punished for naivety. As a ninety minutes, defensively, I thought we were doing the sorts of things we were doing in that poor run and we've got to pull together and get back to basics and get back to doing things that got us on that really good run.
"Two defeats in fifteen doesn't sound as though it's desperate but if you look at it the context of recent performances and recent amount of points we've picked up in league games then we are in a bit of a hole and we are struggling somewhat.
"We still have problems in the final third and it doesn't help if the quality isn't there in terms of balls coming in from midfield, balls coming in from wide areas. The energy and the effort is there for all to see and I'm not questioning that from the majority of the players but the quality isn't the quality we saw earlier in the season. Even basic things like clearing our lines, balls are going forty, fifty meters in the air instead of clearing them down the pitch and squeezing out.
"Our passing was poor today all over the place. Our first touch and control, everything was poor and obviously that's concentrated when you're looking to try and score goals. If you're not going to have quality from other areas and quality into forwards then we are not going to score too many goals.
"Paul (Edwards) worked hard today and scored a couple of good goals but apart from that there were few positives offensively today.
"We are still looking for that right person (a striker). I was having a chat with supporters before the game and to go and find a striker with all the attributes we need with the budget constraints that we've got - good strikers or good players are probably contracted to clubs and if they are any good the clubs are not going to let them go and the other thing is if they are half decent and not on contract they are on ridiculous money which unfortunately we haven't got so yes, it's going to be a long hard battle in terms of bringing people in but we continue to look.
"Although again the work rate was there. Paul's got another two goals - he's in a bit of form at the minute but we just need to find the right partner for him or one of the lads we've got here hit a bit of form.
"I thought Karl Brown came on at half time and had a positive impact and he's yet to start. Andy Simpson came on and did okay as well and obviously Matt Millns who hasn't made the fourteen today and there's a possibility that all three could be involved from the start against Matlock on Tuesday because we are in a little bit of an hole and maybe we need that fresh impetus to give us that little bit of a kick start."
