Gresley FC 2 v Goole AFC 1 - EvoStik NPL Division One South

Saturday 22nd February 2014
at the Moat Ground, Church Gresley
EvoStik Northern Premier League - First Division South
Gresley FC (1) 2
Jack Langston 36
Kieran O'Connell 49
Goole AFC (0) 1
John Guy 67 OG
Admission £7, Programme £1.50, Attendance 237
Left click blurred i-phone quality photos (below) to enlarge.
Click LINK for even more pictures of a similar ilk.

Gresley FC
Mats Morch, Mitch Hanson, John Guy, Marc Strzyzewski, Jamie Barrett (c), Eric Graves, Mickey Lyons (Paolo Piliero 79), Jack Langston (Sam Grice 71), Alex Steadman, Rob Spencer (Lucas Harrison 89), Kieran O'Connell
Unused Subs - Royce Turville, Liam Guest

Goole AFC

Liam Flynn, Derry Robson (Sam Colbear 86), Ashley Jackson, Tyrone Thompson, Muhammed Sabo. Richard Adams (c), James Cottingham (Rory Coleman 66), Anton Foster, Mitch Husbands, Shaq McKenzie, Tyler Williams (Andrew Jackson 72)

Unused Subs - Christopher Adams, David Taylor

A 17th v 14th encounter, between two clubs who were reborn out of the ashes of what used to be Gresley Rovers and Goole Town.
Goole AFC began life 1997 after Goole Town had folded due to financial difficulties and Gresley FC came about after Gresley Rovers went into liquidation at the end of the 2008-09 season.
It's a long and uninteresting story, that tells how I came to be in sun drenched south Derbyshire on this pleasant Saturday afternoon, instead of on duty in Bircotes, where Harworth Colliery played out a creditable 1-1 draw with NCEL Premier Division pace setters Barton Town Old Boys, so ... moving swiftly on.

The last time I visited the Moat Ground, was to watch Gresley Rovers ... and I'm happy to report, that save for having a few thick layers of red paint and whitewash splashed about the place, its hasn't lost any of its original aesthetic appeal, or rough arsed charm, whatsoever.
It's a real football ground, not one of those ten a penny, arrive on the back of a lorry and bolt together flat pack grandstand type nouveau grounds. And whatever anybody says about Gresley FC's locality, apparently intimidating supporters and 'not conventionally beautiful' ground, tucked away in a corner on the narrowest one way system in the known universe, I've always enjoyed visiting the place.
Anybody that thinks Gresley is a rough and scary enclave, must have had a very sad and sheltered upbringing.

Anyway, match details and some observational stuff to follow ASAP ... I'm off out now to watch the Lego Movie with my favourite ten year old and one of us is bouncing off the walls with excitement. 

But, I'm hoping she'll be able calm me down before we get to the cinema.

I ducked and it missed me, but only just!

Sloping pitch, & staggered roofline, aesthetically and architecturally grand.

"That's going over"

"Bugger ... it wasn't!"