THREE goals inside the first 16 minutes ensured Gresley avoided a potential FA Vase banana skin as they eased into today’s fourth round draw with a 4-2 win over giant-killers Gornal Athletic.
The Peacocks had dispatched several higher-league opposition on their way to this meeting at the Moat Ground, but were blown away in the opening spell as goals Dean Oliver, Richard Hanslow and Gareth Langford left them reeling.
Matt Martin pulled one back in the 25th minute, but Oliver doubled his tally to restore the three-goal cushion to make it five goals in the opening half an hour.
Martin scored again in the second half, but Gresley held on to claim the £1,500 prize money.
The home side started brightly, with Jamie Barrett forcing an early save from former Moatman James Pemberton, who held the defender’s header low down near the foot of the near post.
But the stopper could do nothing to prevent Gresley from taking the lead on 10 minutes when Mickey Lyons fed the ball through to Oliver, who took a couple of touches before unleashing an unstoppable thunderbolt from just inside the area that beat Pemberton and flew into the roof of the net.
Two minutes later, Gresley had doubled their advantage.
A deflection off a Gornal defender put Hanslow in the clear behind the back line, and the young striker did well to beat his marker before cleverly chipping the ball over the head of the advancing Pemberton.
However, there was baited breath all around the Moat Ground as the ball hit the base of the far post and then audible relief and celebrations as it nestled into the back of the net.
Things got even better for the hosts on 16 minutes as they added goal number three.
Rob Spencer, who had passed a fitness test on a hamstring injury before the game, made a terrific run down the right flank before picking out Langford, who was charging through the middle.
The utility man appeared to have had only one thing in mind and that was to shoot, and his powerful strike took a deflection which wrong footed Pemberton and ended in the net.
Gornal had barely made any effort on target up until that point but were almost handed a goal when a cross from Marvin Nisbett was almost chested into his own net by Tom Betteridge, but thankfully the ball went inches past the near post with Gresley keeper Gary Hateley a spectator.
However, the visitors did get on the scoresheet on 25 minutes when Martin hit a speculative shot-cross from the right which looped over the head of Hateley and into the net.
Four minutes later Gresley had regained their advantage as Oliver put Mark Willetts under pressure a few yards outside the penalty area and the Peacocks’ defender’s slip allowed the Gresley front man to gain control of the ball, and after rounding the keeper coolly slipped the ball home.
The second half was slightly disappointing from a home supporter’s point of view, as they would been expecting a few more goals for their side, but it seemed that Gresley collectively took their foot off the gas, allowing Gornal much of the possession but without causing the defence many problems to deal with.
Gornal did add to their tally on 59 minutes when a long punt upfield was expertly controlled by Nisbett before chipping a perfect ball over the head of Hateley and into the back of the net.
Minutes later, Gresley thought they had added to their score when a good move ended with Oliver crossing to Hanslow, who hit a terrific shot that crashed back off the bar and then the ball was poked back by a Gresley player and appeared to have crossed the goal line, but the assistant referee decided that it had not and the play was allowed to continue.
The visitors then had what was possibly their best spell of the game and went within a whisker of making the remainder of half a very nervous one for the Moatmen.
Just after they had scored, Gornal went inches close to adding their third of the game when Martin cut in from the right before hitting a shot wide of the near post, and minutes later Nisbett fired a shot that also flashed by an upright.
Despite the pressure from the visitors it was Gresley who should have scored when a fine cut back from Oliver picked out Hanslow, who hit a low shot that Pemberton did well to block.
The loose ball went back out to Oliver who this time found Marc Goodfellow with his pass, but again Pemberton was up to the task pushing the ball away.
Goodfellow then turned provider as he set substitute Royce Turville racing down the left. The final shot flew across the box and past the far post with Oliver a couple of inches from having the decisive touch.
Kristian Green went close to scoring for the visitors flashing a volley just over Hateley’s bar but the final chance of the game fell to Turville who, after being set up by substitute Adam Betteridge, hit a low shot that Pemberton did well to hold on to down near his far post.
