Evo-Stik NPL League East Division
The Moat Ground, Church Gresley
Saturday, 8th December 2018, 3.00pm
Pontefract Win In Style
To many who braved the elements to drop in to the Moat Ground would arguably have seen the best passing football team to have visited for quite a few seasons.
Even after a monsoon downpour just before the break and the pitch hardly playable they continued to play an attractive game and fully deserved their thumping win.
Gresley manager Gary Norton welcomed back Dexter Morris-Clarke and Albert Lansdowne and included in the line-up recent signings James Jepson and Jordan Nadat.
Gresley were under pressure from the start on a very soft surface and on 6 minutes the referee Ben Cooke saw a slight push in the area, missed by nearly everyone in the ground to give the visitors the chance to take an early lead which they did as Vaughan Redford dispatched the spot kick.
The Colls went so close to doubling their advantage when Redford jinked his way into the area but his final shot flew just past the far post. More pressure came with Redford running in on goal but again his final effort went wide.
The Colls did extend their lead on 25 minutes when Glyn Cotton’s long-range low shot beat keeper Oliver Fairbrother as the ball flew into the bottom corner of his net.
Gresley just couldn’t get to grips with the fast movement and passing from the visitors and it was not until the 31st minute that they had an attempt on goal.
Awarded a free kick just outside the area, Martin Smyth’s shot made visiting keeper Ryan Musslewhite tip a dipping shot over the bar. From the resulting corner a scramble a yard out of goal saw Gresley poke the ball goalwards only for the ball to be cleared off the line with half of it in the goal.
On 39 minutes Callum Riddell hit a powerful shot which had Musslewhite scrambling across his goal but the ball went fractionally wide.
Just as the rain began to fall in bucket loads Jack Greenhough free kick from 22 yards was pushed away by Fairbrother.
During the break the rain fell in torrents and soon there were puddles of standing water all over the pitch but the referee decided to let the game continue and it was farcical with the ball stopping and players slipping and sliding but full credit must be given to the visitors as they continued to play the attractive passing game they’d played in the first half somehow adapting to the atrocious conditions.
Jordan Nadat was introduced on 54 minutes replacing Riddell and he was soon causing problems for the Colls firing a shot just over the bar, but the visitors with their impressive front line were once more pressing Gresley back with a shot crashing back off the base of the post and the rebound blocked.
The pressure told on 60 minutes when the impressive Eli Hey beat the ailing Gresley backline and raced towards goal but with only Fairbrother to beat unselfishly put the ball across to teammate Michael Dunn who side footed the ball into the empty net. Pontefract continued to press forward with Faorbrother having to punch away a well struck low shot.
For only the second time In the game Gresley went close when Kane Lee beat visiting keeper Musslewhite to the ball but despite getting a boot to the ball his effort went agonisingly wide of the far post.
On 80 minutes Jake McIntosh, who had replaced Mark Branch saw red. Hey was put through in on goal and the young defender trying his hardest to get back clipped the heels of the league’s top scorer denying a goal scoring chance. With him being the last man a red card was inevitable.
The sending off made no difference to the game to be honest as Pontefract were well worth their score and they added one more goal to top off a very good performance and again it involved Hey but this time the striker set up substitute Nick Guest to fire home.
Gresley had a glimmer of a chance on 89 minutes but Jepson’s free kick flew just wide of the upright.
Whether the game should have continued after the break is highly debatable, but everyone must have the deepest sympathies with the Gresley volunteer groundsmen who now, somehow, have to repair the pitch into some kind of playable condition before the next game. Had the score been level at halftime it’s almost certain that the game would have been abandoned!
