GARY Norton hopes Gresley can put a nightmare weekend behind them when they return to league action tonight.
The Moatmen crashed out of the FA Vase with a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of St Ives Town in the last 16 on Saturday.
And to make matters worse, central midfield duo Danny Holmes and James Jepson both received needless straight red cards and star player Marc Goodfellow upset the fans by making a gesture at them following some heckling for his supposed laziness.
Norton has his fingers crossed that a win tonight at home to Kirby Muxloe, kick-off 7.45pm, will consign Saturday’s debacle to the dustbin of history.
“From the moment we kicked off to the end it was a disaster,” he said of Saturday’s disappointment in Cambridgeshire.
“What a game not to turn up in! “A number of players who have been brilliant since October were off it.
“We were way off them and wellbeaten.” To make matters worse, Holmes and Jepson now face three-match bans which will leave them on the sidelines at a key time in the club’s push to win the Midland Alliance and get promoted back to the Evo-Stik League.
Holmes has recently got in a lot of bother for dissent and Norton expects better from a player who won the Conference title in his time with Burton Albion — while Jepson has paid for a moment of frustration which resulted in a bad tackle.
“Most of these yellow cards have been for using his mouth,” said the Moat boss.
“He’s a silly boy and has apologised.
“We’ve been telling him it’d catch up with him — the whole ground went quiet and there it was.
“James has been absolutely outstanding and the frustrating thing was he got sent off after the game was lost.”
To complete Norton’s horror day, Goodfellow upset the visiting fans with his onefingered gesture — but has since had the backbone to apologise for his actions on the club website forum.
“I’m hoping people will take it for what it was,” said Norton. “It was a heat of the moment thing from him and he’s apologised.
“His work rate is something people will question when you’re down to 10 men.
“All the supporters and the bench were asking him to do was track back.”
Norton is now looking to concentrate on the Midland Alliance — with Gresley set to go top if they win all their games in hand.
A similar side to Saturday will be named tonight, giving the players chance to redeem themselves.
GRESLEY FROM: Hateley, Langford, Barrett, Nottingham, Gough, Lyons, Jepson, Holmes, Goodfellow, Oliver, Turville, Strzyzewski, Gardner, Hanslow, Spencer, A Betteridge, Bryant, Barrow, Dillon, Gutteridge.
