Pinchbeck United 1 Gresley Rovers 5
Boss Lewis Thorogood admitted that his Pinchbeck United side were beaten by “the best team in the UCL” after going down 5-1 to Gresley Rovers on Saturday.
Gresley, who sit second in Uhlsport UCL Premier Division North, put in an impressive performance at the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field to keep the Knights 16th in the standings.
The high-fliers went ahead on 20 minutes when Kane Lee skipped past a few challenges and crossed for Steve Hart to slot home.
It was 2-0 on 57 minutes when Ryan Seal played a one-two with Hart before stabbing past Alex Smith, then Seal made it three from the penalty spot four minutes later.
The game was very much over on 65 minutes when Hart hammered a free-kick into the roof of the net, but Gresley weren’t done there as sub Corey Bucalossi made it five ten minutes from time with a curling finish.
Pinchbeck did grab a consolation in the final minute thanks to a deflected Krisztian Gagyi strike, but they stay two points clear of the drop zone and deep in the relegation mire.
Despite the severity of the scoreline, Knights boss Thorogood wasn’t too downbeat on the performance of his side.
He said: “Gresley are the best side in the UCL, let’s be honest. They’d also beat half of the teams in step four.
“They are powerful, strong and direct – and it feels like all of their players are six-foot plus. But, they were the ones frustrated at half time. We more than held our own and kept them at bay.
“The best teams know when to put their foot on the pedal, though, and the goals came in the second half.
“That being said, both the penalty and free-kick were dubiously awarded. I don’t think we deserved anything from the game, but I do think the scoreline was harsh on us.
“I have no complaints on that front, I was actually pretty pleased with our performance.”
Knights: Smith, Worthington, Fixter, Spafford, Robson, Moyses, Peasgood, Johnson, Williams, Viera, Kacirek. Subs used: Gagyi, Melson, Onyon. Not used: Hollingsworth, Wilkinson.
Attendance: 62.
