EMCL ~ Gedling 3 Belper Utd 3

Points shared at Plains Road

Gedling..…....3 (Whitehead pen 36, Joe Hopper 63, Jack Hopper 89)
Belper Utd….3 (Robley 20, Stockley 59 Vickers 87)

Miners and United share 6 goals and the the points

A decent game of football but a point apiece being the final outcome. The home side attacked from the word go with Kadeem Brown going close early on with a fine header. For their part, Belper created some fine chance of their own with Sam Vickers and Tim Adcock both testing Lance Walker in the home goal.

The game flowed from end to end with both teams having decent chances but it was the visitors who took the lead in the 20th minute when skipper Adam Robley reacted quicker to a scramble to force the ball home for the lead. On the half hour hone defender Mark Ballard grazed the bar as Gedling powered forward and it was no surprise when the equaliser arrived on 36. Jack Hoppers run into the box was bought to a crashing halt by full back Alfie Holland and Jordan Whitehead scored the resultant penalty.

The Miners were enjoying their best spell towards the break but 1-1 at HT was about right.

Walker had to be at his sharpest 2 minutes in as he thwarted Vickers again with a great save, but again the visitors went ahead near the hour mark. Ben Stockley had been on the pitch as a Sub barely a minute when he lashed the ball home from the inside right channel.

Four minutes later Jack Hopper was fouled some way out. Up stepped his brother to fire home a free kick from some 25 yards out that flew past Bamford for the leveller. It stayed at 2-2 until the last 4 minutes but Gedling’s defence was once again breached as Vickers pounced on a hopeful loose ball to put his side ahead for the third time.

It looked odds on that home side would again end up with nothing from a game they had dominated for long periods. No-one told striker Jack Hopper in the last minute though as he latched onto a fine pass from Kadeem Brown and poked home despite the United protests that the ball had not crossed their goal line.

Assistant Mr Tewson decided otherwise though, helping out the Referee and awarding the goal. An entertaining game all in all in which Gedling did enough to win and the signs are there that the Miners are beginning to show some real form.

Att ~ 55

Referee ~ Antony Wingate
Assistants ~ James Tewson and Nick Lees

Gedling ~ Walker, Ballard, Dwayne Brown, Whitehead, Joe Hopper, Houghton (Wilson 76) Kadeem Brown, Hall, Davis, E. Francis, Jack Hopper.
Subs not used ~ Bircumshaw, Wood, Athorn

Belper Utd ~ Bamford, Matt Adcock, Holland, Foster, Robley,
Dhindsa, Vickers, Liam Oliver, Dunne, Tim Adcock, Dean Oliver.
Subs not used ~ Anthony and Newton