A Jordan Nadat hat-trick helped Gresley to record back-to-back victories for the first time since the middle of November as they eased past Hucknall on Saturday.
Marc Goodfellow opened the scoring at the Moat Ground, with Royce Turville also on target in a rout that sends Gary Norton’s side up to ninth in the table.
It must be quite a challenge managing Hucknall at the moment as every week they seem to field a different line-up from the week before.
Just one player from the last time the teams met back in November started today’s game, while former Moatman Chris Freestone was playing up front.
Sitting five points adrift at the bottom of the league having conceded 119 goals before this game, it could be thought that this was going to be a formality for Gresley, but a dogged performance from a team battling hard refused to make things easy for the home side.
From the off Hucknall were on the front foot with Liam Garner hitting a crisp strike that Hateley had to turn away at his near post for a corner.
Daniel O’Donnell’s superb blistering shot then deserved more than crashing back off a post.
Gresley began to settle and a looped ball into the box was poked wide by Nadat.
The same player then made a good run down the right before hitting a shot which brought out a good save from Hucknall keeper Michael Yates.
Goodfellow was starting to have a say in the affairs and his well hit free-kick beat Yates and gave Gresley the lead.
Nadat should have made it two a couple of minutes later but somehow managed to put his shot, from Goodfellow’s cross, well over the bar from close in.
However, a minute later Goodfellow provided another inviting cross, and this time Nadat did not miss, slipping the ball into the net.
A minute later Goodfellow provided a carbon copy of his previous cross but this time Turville was on hand to turn the ball home.
Hucknall, to their credit, refused to let their heads drop and Hateley was needed again to prevent Freestone’s free-kick from reducing the arrears as the half drew to a close.
However, the keeper could not stop the visitors from scoring on the stroke of half-time as Mickey Lyon’s attempt to play the ball out from the edge of his area saw the ball go to Warren Hatfield, whose shot gave Hateley no chance.
Gresley restored their three-goal cushion 10 minutes into the second half when yet another good cross from the left by Goodfellow found Nadat, whose header went in via the underside of the crossbar.
Goodfellow was not the only one to supply superb crosses, with Jordi Gough sending over a sizzling centre that Nadat headed powerfully home to complete a fine hat-trick.
Moments later Lyons almost added another but his low shot through a ruck of players in the area was expertly saved by Yates diving full stretch to his right to grab the ball.
Gresley were a little unlucky to concede another goal as a ball from the left struck substitute Kristian Cox, and the referee awarded a penalty for handball that Joe Storer fired home.
Michael Nottingham had a chance to add to Gresley’s tally but his effort flew the wrong side of the far post.
The home side then had a very good shout for a penalty which was ignored by the officials.
Substitute Richard Hanslow then beat the offside trap but finished his run by firing wide of the near post. Lyons then put his shot also wide of the near post.
Hucknall were unlucky not to have added a third when Hatfield managed to get the better of Marc Strzyzewski, but after running through hit his shot against the base of the post.
