With constant rain having fallen during the week, Greshams found themselves in their ‘second home’ of Gainsborough Sports Centre once again for the fixture against Bradford Cock. Manager Cashen had returned from the Land of Smiles, keen to arrange a team visit next January. Still apparently distracted, he was unable correctly to remember the team, leaving Greshams in the strange position of the full backs deciding among themselves which side to play on. In rough terms, the team was Rob in goals; a back four (in no particular order) of Danny, Steve, Rich and Froudy; in midfield Matt, Sam, Heady and Nathan; with Norfolk and Rob Minns up front and Cashen waving the flag.
With Branford failing to emerge from the changing rooms until 10.28, and electing to start with 10, Greshams were maybe suffering from a lack of focus early on as they started the game really poorly. Within 5 minutes they fell behind. A needlessly conceded corner was drifted in, it dropped over Rob’s head, nobody from Greshams reacted and there was the Cock striker waiting to smash the ball home from point blank range.
Within a few minutes it got worse for Greshams. Another ...er....cock up saw them concede possession on the half way line with everybody out of position. Branford broke quickly and switched the play from right to left where the winger was in acres of space and placed a low shot beyond Rob’s reach.
This turn of events finally woke Greshams from their torpor, and with Rich Minns urging them on from the back they finally began to look like a football team. They were having particular success down the left where Nathan began to look very dangerous, linking up well with Danny and taking on his man at every opportunity. However the goal that got them back in the game started down the right, and what a goal it was. There seemed little danger as Matt dinked the ball over the full back into Rob Minns’ path, as Rob was barely in the opposition half. However, Rob got his head down and started running at the defence. He beat one man, and got to the edge of the area where he was confronted by more defenders. However he cut inside, made his way in to the box, and finished emphatically with his left foot giving the keeper no chance.
Greshams were now playing far better, as Sam and Heady started to exert much more control in midfield. They had raised the tempo and were pressing Cock hard, not allowing them to settle on the ball. Greshams’ only frustration at this time was the over zealous Cock linesman, who seemed determined to disrupt the game’s flow, raising his flag at every opportunity whether justified or not. However, the momentum was all in Greshams favour and it was no surprise when they drew level, and it was another great goal. Some good passing down the right saw the ball worked to Matt. Matt had time and space to measure the cross and swung in a perfect left footed ball to Rob Minns who stooped and placed a glancing header in the back of the net.
Half time Greshams 2 Branford 2
Greshams started the second half brightly enough but were dealt a blow when Matt appeared to twist his knee and was forced to leave the field. This meant a reshuffle for Greshams as Cashen came on at left back, Danny went to right back, and Froudy moved further forward to right midfield.
The wind and low sun into which Greshams were playing was making the game difficult and the game was for a period quite level. However Rob in the Greshams goal was finding himself with very little to do as Cock were unable to break through the Greshams rearguard. On the one occasion they did create a chance Cashen was able to make a saving tackle. For their own part, Greshams were not playing a lot of football but were looking dangerous on the break and from set pieces. On one occasion Hamblin took charge of a set piece, much to Froudy’s disgust, and swung in an absolute beauty of a delivery that Greshams were just unable to convert.
However, Greshams did finally take the lead, and it was from a set play. Froud delivered a perfect corner into the Cock box. Steve Norfolk appeared to be being shoved in the back by a Cock defender, but as he fell was able to reach the ball and glance a perfect header into the net. It was another really good goal and a lead that on the balance of play, Greshams just about deserved.
With about fifteen minutes left to go, Cock decided to go for broke and changed formation to a front three. However Greshams were coping in relative comfort, their only problem being when the Branford midfielders were running at them with the ball. A succession of fouls led to Cock having a number of free kicks in dangerous positions, but fortunately Rob in the Greshams goals remained untroubled.
With Branford pushing forward, it was inevitable that Greshams would have chances on the break, especially with Branford trying to play too much football at the back. As the game drew to its conclusion, Rob missed a chance far easier than the two he scored; Norfolk got his feet in a muddle when one on one with the keeper; and then Nathan, having shown great pace to beat the defenders and get one on one with the keeper, seemed caught in two minds as to what to do and ended up doing nothing in particular other than to allow the keeper to make a comfortable save.
As ever having failed to put the game to bed Greshams were vulnerable to the sucker punch, and it came with the last kick of the game. Cock swung in a cross, there was a bit of pushing and shoving at the far post as Greshams failed to clear. The ball ran to the Cock winger who pulled it back from the bye line from where it diverted into the net off the shin of the unfortunate Heady, wrong footing Rob and just evading Cashen’s attempt to clear.
There was barely time for Greshams to kick off before the referee blew for the end of the match.
Full time Greshams 3 Branford Cock 3
Man of the Match
This was a very mixed performance by Greshams, a game of a number of halves. Awful for the first fifteen minutes, they improved greatly in the period when they scored two first half goals. In the second half without ever looking convincing they carved out a number of chances. As such there was no outstanding performance but the bubbly this week goes to Rob Minns, for his two goals and selfless running but in particular for his first goal, a contender for the Greshams goal of the season. Well played mate.
