Gresley FC 1
Spalding Utd 0
Pat Rayment was sent off as Spalding United’s hopes of winning the Evo-Stik League First Division South title took a big hit on Tuesday night.
A 22nd minute strike from Gresley skipper Jamie Barrett was enough to sink the lacklustre Tulips at Moat Street – and it could have been worse, with Alex Steadman sending a late penalty wide.
The defeat, only Spalding’s seventh in 30 league outings this season, leaves them 13 points behind runaway leaders Mickleover Sports, albeit with a game in hand.
Rayment, who admits to being dismissed for calling referee Edward Smart “useless”, accepts that his side got exactly what they deserved in Derbyshire.
Although not too downbeat, he wasn’t impressed with what he saw from his promotion-chasing Tulips – and admits that their form must improve ahead of the season-defining final 12 matches.
“It was a poor performance,” admitted the ex-Peterborough United professional. “We offered absolutely nothing in the second half.
“We’re just not playing well at the moment and are a pale shadow of the side that we were earlier in the season.
“About half of the team may as well have been sat on the bench with me, they really didn’t turn up. I’ve got good players here, but sadly they didn’t perform tonight.
“Their back four won’t have had an easier game all season. The problem is that we just don’t look dangerous going forward any more – I didn’t think we attacked well at all.
“Obviously we’re still in a very strong position, but the tough games will just keep on coming from now until the end of the season.
“It’s very much squeaky bum time and we need to get back to playing the kind of football we were at the end of last year.
“To be honest, all of the officials were poor tonight. I wasn’t alone in thinking that, either.
“It didn’t affect the result, but I thought the officials were useless and I told the referee what I was thinking. That’s why he sent me off. Everyone else was thinking the same.
“All in all it was a very disappointing night for the club.”
Most of Spalding’s better moments on Tuesday came in the first period. They started the better of the two sides and did have the ball in the net on 13 minutes, only for Jamie Thurlbourne’s effort to be disallowed for offside.
Striker Tom Waumsley also fired a decent chance over, before Jack Langston forced a stunning save from the returning Alex Pycock.
The Spalding keeper was beaten soon after, though, as Barrett poked home on 22 minutes following a series of corners.
Jamie Stevens was then lucky to get away with a trip on Kieran O’Connell in the box, while Waumsley nodded a header on target just before the break.
It was pretty much all Gresley in the second period, but Gregg Smith – who was booked again – did go close 15 minutes from time when keeper Liam Roberts kept out his strike from Mitch Griffiths’ cross from the left.
Rayment then got his marching orders, before seeing Stevens bring down Steadman in the box in added time. The striker’s spot-kick was off-target, but it mattered little as the Moatmen held on for a win that moves them to within one point of the Tulips.
Spalding must now pick themselves up for another crunch clash with a fellow promotion rival on Saturday, in the shape of a trip to fifth-placed Stafford Rangers (3pm).
Rayment quipped that he may be forced to play a 4-6-0 formation at Marston Road, with banned strikers Gregg Smith and Matt Nolan joining the injured Jordan Hempenstall on the sideline. Key defender Nathan Stainfield is also doubtful with an injury, while Jordan Nuttell is rated doubtful too.
Spalding and Stafford will go into the game locked together on 61 points, but the Tulips have played three games less than their rivals.
Tulips: Pycock, Leary (Hodge 79), Jackson, Stevens, Stainfield, Webb, Griffiths, Hall, Smith (McGovern 79), Waumsley, J Thurlbourne.
- Attendance: 187
