2004/05 - Match No. 57
Nationwide North
Saturday, April 23rd, 2005
Alfreton Town 1, Ashton United 1
Report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD). QUOTES FROM FINAL HOME GAME here

ALFRETON TOWN’S departing management team of Dave Lloyd and Charlie Williamson did not quite get their wish to go out on a winning note from their final match in charge.
Already relegated Ashton United took a 35th-minute lead against the run of play, and it was not until 10 minutes from time that the Reds made their overall superiority count when Matt Fisher notched the equaliser.
Observing the management duo at the dugout for the last time, there were few indications that this was their swan song. For they remained as committed and as highly charged as they ever were.
And the team did their best to turn it on for them, but despite creating several chances they managed to take only the one.
It was Ashton who made the early running though, with Paul Garvey putting an early chance straight at Lee Butler, from whose quick release the Reds attacked, and Mark Sale drove wide from Peter Duffield’s tee-up.
Carl Bradshaw’s ball-winning and distribution were features as Alfreton played some attractive football, and Robins keeper Ashley Connor did well to spread himself to block from Duffield in the 21st minute – the Reds’ best chance of the first half.
But it was Ashton who grabbed an unlikely lead 10 minutes before the break. Luke Foster’s sliced clearance from the six yard box fell kindly for Garvey, and although Luke Heinemann got in the way of the striker’s first attempt, Garvey’s follow-up somehow crept over the line in the manner of a slow motion action replay.
Only a minute later Duffield’s flying header onto Ian Robinson’s cross flew over the bar, but Ashton held on to the lead to half time.
Martin Allison and Phil Eastwood both went close for the visitors in the early minutes of the second half, before Alfreton again began to call the tune with Robinson having been pushed forward to make it a three-pronged attack.
Robinson was unlucky to see one well-struck shot from Heinemann’s through ball bounce off Connor’s chest for a corner.
But Foster was guilty of one of the misses of the season on 54. Great work on the right by Bradshaw enabled him to put over a cross, but Foster, in a central position inside the six-yard box, contrived to head beyond the far post.
Duffield’s luck deserted him again just after the hour when a neat build up involving Fisher and Sale ended with Duffield’s shot again rebounding off Connor and onto the post before Luke Williams conceded the corner.
Then, midway through the half, Butler stole the man of the match award from Bradshaw. First the keeper snatched the ball off the toe of Garvey as the two raced for a long through pass.
A minute later Garvey fed Allison in one on one with the keeper, who made a great point blank save. The rebound fell for Eastwood, and somehow Butler recovered to pull off a terrific one-handed stop in mid-air, and when Eastwood had his second bite of the cherry he could only fire wide with the keeper grounded.
Alfreton recovered from that purple patch for the visitors, and created a succession of chances.
Richard Cooper saw one shot well saved by Connor, and Robinson twice went close, before Connor again half-parried a Sale low shot for a corner.
Then, on 80 minutes, Connor again parried from Sale, and this time Robinson beat the keeper to the rebound and headed against the upright, but the inrunning Fisher was first to the free ball to lash it into the roof of the net.
Connor denied Alfreton the three points and Lloyd and Williamson their winning farewell as the game entered stoppage time. The keeper stretched upwards and to his right to push away Bradshaw’s cross-cum-shot from distance, and recovered to save superbly one-handed from Cooper’s follow-up.

ALFRETON: Butler, Bradshaw, Heinemann, Foster, Brown, Fisher, Robinson, Cooper (Teather 90), Sale, Duffield, Featherstone (Ward 56). Subs not used: Woolley, Chapman, Bettney.
ASHTON: Connor, Williams, Dawson, Allison (Lyons 74), White, Johnson, Bowman, Cooney, Garvey, Eastwood, Clee. Subs not used: Henry, Noble, Kirk.
REFEREE: Craig Pawson of Sheffield.
ATTENDANCE: 231.
SCORERS: Alfreton – Fisher 80. Ashton – Garvey 35.
CAUTION: Alfreton – Brown 82 (dissent).
REDS MAN OF THE MATCH: Lee Butler.