Gresley 4
Spalding United 1
BY RAY TUCKER
Outplayed, outgunned and out of the FA Buildbase Trophy competition at the first hurdle – it was a really bad day at the office for Spalding United at Gresley’s Moat Ground on Saturday.
On a day when so much was expected from the current Evo-Stik NPL Division One South pace-setters, the Tulips had no real answer to a fast moving and skilful Gresley side who had good reason to celebrate their £2,500 pay day prize.
They dominated the game virtually throughout and never looked like conceding their early goal advantage given them by their hat-trick hero, former Holbeach United striker, Courtney Meade.
Gresley’s penalty king Pearson Mwanyongo completed the scoring (from the spot) for his 13th goal of the season so far.
Tulips boss Dave Frecklington was full of remorse for his side’s performance.
He said: “It’s so disappointing. We are all disappointed and we apologise to you all.
“We got proper dealt with, Gresley were different class.
“It’ll be a long week for us.”
Things looked bad for the Tulips before the game started with key central defender Neal Spafford arriving with the aid of crutches, following a training ground injury on Thursday evening.
He is likely to be sidelined for up to six weeks after suffering a ruptured calf tendon.
To make matters worse for the team, Matt Varley limped off after just four minutes (replaced by Jonny Lockie) with the recurrence of a thigh injury and Andrew Wright (also with a thigh strain) was replaced in the second half by Rees Longville-Daley.
These problems were no excuse for the team’s overall performance, but it does mean that Frecklington will have to work hard during the week to bolster his wafer-thin squad before Saturday’s home game against Leek Town (3pm) and Monday’s journey to Romulus (7.45pm).
Gresley, using the notorious Moat Ground slope to good effect, began Saturday’s game at a blistering pace, particularly down the wings, and with some slick passing movements, immediately put the visiting defence under extreme pressure.
Goalkeeper Michael Duggan was at his best to turn a third minute dipping effort from Mwanyongo over a top angle of the woodwork.
However, he was given no chance two minutes later when Meade arrived at the far post to turn in Tendai Chitiza’s neat pass.
Meade’s second came on 38 minutes following a fine movement involving Leandro Browne.
In the closing minutes of the first half the Tulips did manage to string some passes together and free kicks were won by skipper Nathan Stainfield and Cenk Acar.
But these were comfortably dealt with by the home defence – and when a chance did arrive, Bradley Wells just failed to make headed contact with a Lockie cross.
To their credit the Tulips did lift themselves for the early stages of the second half but a disputed penalty call for hand ball in a packed goal area on 58 minutes, and the conversion by Mwanyongo, left them with an even bigger mountain to climb.
The chances did come, though, as Longville-Daley and Lockie combined down the right side – but the final shot was into the side netting.
Nathan Whitehead also had an overhead shot comfortably saved and Stainfield headed just wide from a deep throw into the area
The deficit was reduced in the 79th minute when Longville-Daley was tripped in the area and Acar confidently despatched the resulting penalty past the diving Max Atkin.
But the home margin was restored on 87 minutes with Meade completing an impressive hat-trick with arguably the goal of the game.
Tulips: Duggan, Lemon, Cullingworth, Varley (Lockie 4, Field 69), Stainfield, Walker, Acar, Whitehead, Wells, Downey, Wright (Longville-Daley).
Attendance: 243
