Gilfy Strike Seals Win

Gorleston made it two wins on the bounce as they came from behind with an improved second half show in the Greens first home game of the year.

Stewart Larter made just one enforced change to the side that had won at Clacton. With goalkeeper Taurean Molloy having signed for Caister, in his place Larter has signed Scott Foreman, from Anglian Combination Premier Division side Acle. He is also brother of Daniel Foreman.

Despite only taking charge of the club in October, this was Stewart's 100th match as Gorleston manager, taking into account his first spell at the club.

Larter stuck with the formation that has served him quite well recently, with a back 5 and a midfield diamond with one lone striker, Joel Watts.

Ely settled the quicker and had the better of the game in a first half of few opportunites.

New Greens keeper Foreman was soon busy and was forced into his first major action in a Gorleston shirt after just 12 minutes when he was quick off his line to deny Alex Theobald who had got in between defenders.

Gorleston's only chance of note came after 33 minutes from a free kick which Peter Lambert got his head to but the effort was deflected at source by a defender and never troubled the goal.

Ely took the lead from the first corner of the match in the 38th minute. The corner was played into the box, flicked on at the near post, and found Jonathan Brown free in the middle of the box to turn it in.

The formation hadn't worked first half with the wing backs not getting forward enough, the midfield four becoming stretched, looking more cubic zirconia than diamond, and little support found its way to Watts up top.

However, five minutes into the second half, that changed.

George Yusuff bombed forward on the right and got to the byline where he whipped in a cross to the near post and Watts arrived first to flick it into the goal.

On the hour mark, Stewart Larter made a double substitution, sending Ross Gilfedder and Kyle Ingram into the fray, changing to a flat back four, with Watts going wide and, almost immediately, Gorleston looked more creative and inventive with the terrier Ingram looking lively.

Virtually straightaway Ingram got in behind but the keeper, Harry Reynolds, went down bravely to palm the ball away.

Four minutes after the substitutions, the Ely keeper was called on to make his first save from a low Gilfedder shot after he'd shrugged off his marker.

Nick Heap brought a save out of Foreman and the Greens gained their first and only corner of the game in the 70th minute.

It took until the 83rd minute before Gorleston got their noses in front.

Yusuff was heavily involved once more, winning the ball deep in his own half before spotting the forward run of Gilfedder and sending the ball forward into his path.

Gilfedder easily held off the defender and calmly slotted the ball under the advancing keeper into the net.

A minute into injury time, an Ingram free kick from 20 yards bounced away off the top of the bar and the closest Ely came to equalising was a minute later from their second corner of the game which keeper Reynolds went up for. The keeper got to it but the Greens got in a block and scrambled it away.

Five minutes into stoppage time, with Gorleston looking to run the clock down and the ball out for a throw in, Jonathan Brown decided to pick it up and throw it with a basketball type chest pass towards the face of Yusuff, earning a straight red card for his troubles. Ely's bench also found themselves in trouble with the ref after the final whistle as frustration boiled over.

Match sponsor was Gerald Baxter and he awarded the Batemans man of the match to Nathan Russell.

Gorleston: Scott Foreman, George Yusuff, Luke Goreham, Owen French Ross Gilfedder 60), David Shade, Aarron Taylor (c), Elliott Hannant (Kyle Ingram 60), Peter Lambert, Joel Watts (Ismael Fatadjo 79), Mitch McKay, Nathan Russell

Booking: Shade 78

Goals: Watts 50; Gilfedder 83

Ely City: Harry Reynolds, Finley Logan (Martin Grey 67), Alex Brown, Ashley Walter (c), Ollie Brookes, Liam Griffin (Scott Callaghan 80), Matthew Simpson, James Seymour, Jonathan Brown, Alex Theobald, Nick Heap

Bookings: Seymour 85; Reynolds 90+1

Goal: J Brown 38

Ref: Oliver Morris-Sanders
Attendance: 96

	Stat Attack
Gorleston		Ely City
2	Goals	1
1	Other efforts on target	1
2	Other efforts off target	2
1	Other efforts against woodwork	0
0	Shots blocked	1
1	Corners for	2
1	Caught offside	8
9	Free kicks for	18
1	Yellow cards	2
0	Red cards	1