Rovers are on a role after comeback win
GRESLEY Rovers are at home to Worcester City tomorrow in fine spirits after coming back to beat Highgate United 3-1 in midweek with a three-goal burst in the last 10 minutes.
On paper, it ought to be another three points for the Moatmen, since Worcester, like Highgate, have won only once so far and sit a place above them, having played three games more.
But Tuesday night’s game will have reminded everyone involved at the Moat just how fine the lines are.
Highgate led 1-0 from the eighth minute and, on another night, might have sat successfully on what they had, despite Gresley’s territorial advantage and a string of missed chances.
“It felt like it was going to be one of those nights,” said joint manager Carl Abbott.
“We’d played some really nice football but the end product had been missing.
“We just asked the lads to keep going and trust the process. In the end, when the first one did go in, it seemed inevitable that we would go on and win it.”
Joint boss Gary Norton agreed: “I thought our profligacy in front of goal was going to cost us but some of the build-up play was amongst the best I’ve seen here,” he said.
“It was an excellent advert for the type of football we want to play.”
Rovers had struggled to see off GNP Sports 2-1 in the FA Vase on Saturday and, for the Highgate game, Danny Munday made way for Louis Briscoe up front alongside David Kodolynski.
But Munday came off the bench for Briscoe after 52 minutes and it was he who eventually made the breakthrough.
Visiting goalkeeper Lewis Fenny had tipped over a header from Alby Lansdowne and clawed away a shot from Paul Sullivan to protect his side’s lead but he could do nothing in the 83rd minute when Junior Smikle’s cross from the right reached Munday, who took a touch and smashed the ball in.
A slice of luck followed four minutes later when Munday got his head to another Smikle cross.
Fenny parried Munday’s header but defender Andre Gonzales contrived to put the rebound into his own net.
In stoppage time, Munday raced through and slotted the ball past Fenny for his second goal – and his ninth in seven games.