2004/05 - Match No. 53
Nationwide North
Saturday, April 2nd, 2005
Bradford Park Avenue 0, Alfreton Town 4
Report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD).
ALFRETON completed their second league double inside a week with Saturday’s comprehensive rout of UniBond League bound Bradford at the Horsfall Stadium.
After turning round one up from Mark Sale’s ninth minute strike, the Reds switched on the power, and a Peter Duffield five minute double early in the second half was followed on the hour by a Mark Sale goal which, in build-up and execution, was a candidate for goal of the season.
Unsurprisingly after Easter Monday’s confidence-boosting victory over in-form Stalybridge, manager Dave Lloyd sent out the same starting 11 against the bottom club.
And despite a somewhat lack lustre first 45 minutes, Lloyd was happy with the second half showing and the result.
“I thought too many of the side were content to enjoy a summer stroll in the sunshine in the first half,” he said.
“But I said a few things to a few people at half time, we stepped it up and got a couple of early goals, then Mark Sale scored an excellent fourth goal.
“We dominated the second half, made lots more chances and could have had more goals.”
For the second match in a row Duffield claimed and was rightly credited with one which some might have put down as an own goal.
“It was as much his presence in putting the keeper off as his touch on the ball,” said Lloyd. “As a striker I would certainly have claimed it.”
Bradford had only three home league wins to their credit, but one of these last month was against league leaders Southport, so they were not to be a pushover.
With relegation a certainty in all but mathematical terms they were under no pressure – and it showed in the first few minutes as they pushed forward, won a couple of corners, and Sean McClare had two 20-yard strikes go not far off target.
But Alfreton had the boost of a ninth-minute goal from their first real sortie upfield.
Sale’s header onto Ian Robinson’s free kick was spilled by keeper Andy Britton under pressure from Duffield, Jason Wray half-cleared to the Alfreton right, and Bettney slipped the ball back inside the area for Sale to drill home on the turn inside the far post.
That apart, the first half had little goalmouth incident, although Britton went some way to redeeming himself, taking Bettney’s dangerous centre at the feet of Duffield and plucking Grant Brown’s long free kick off the head of the ever busy Robinson.
But Avenue also had a couple of moments, Wray chopping a shot wide after latching onto a half-clearance by Mark Blount, and Danny Ryan escaping along the left to force Butler to parry at his near post, the grounded Brown managing to head behind for a corner before the winger could have a second bite at the cherry.
The second half was less than a minute old before the Reds sounded a warning of what was to come.
Duffield fed Robinson with a slide rule pass, and the midfielder cleverly turned inside two defenders before firing too high from 23 yards.
Mick Godber had the ball in the net after beginning the move and then running in to meet Bettney’s return pass in the 48th minute, but the striker had strayed offside and that one was ruled out.
However, two minutes later the Reds did get their second, thanks to Duffield’s presence and persistence. Bettney delivered a low cross from the right, the striker managed just a touch and the ball struck harassed keeper Britton before crossing the line.
Bradford tried to respond along the left through Ryan, but Brown was again on hand to concede a fruitless corner, and instead it was Alfreton who scored again in the 55th minute.
This time there was no question of any own goal. Nicky Heinemann played the ball forward to Godber, whose delightful flick out to the right found Duffield. And, with his confidence now surging, Duffield cut in and executed a clinical low drive inside the far post to end the game as a contest.
The best was still to come, though. The inspirational Robinson launched the move on the hour with a visionary pass to Bettney out on the right, the winger crossed first time, and Sale towered above the rest as he leaped to bury a rocket header under the angle – a marvellous ‘one-two-three’.
Thereafter Alfreton went looking for more goals, and Robinson had a great shot on the turn well saved, Godber sent in a tremendous volley inches over the bar, and twice Duffield might have completed his hat-trick – the first of those from an unselfish squared pass by Godber – but both attempts went wide.
Butler, meanwhile, had just one save to make in the second half, in the 70th minute when he was out quickly to save at the feet of Steve Oleksewycz.
BRADFORD PA: Britton, Quinn, Crossley, Lennon, Jones, Wray, Calcutt (Walsh 39), McClare, Greaves, Oleksewycz, Ryan (Coubrough 65). Subs not used: Curle, Clayton, Shutt.
ALFRETON: Butler, Blount, Heinemann, Foster, Brown, Fisher (Nwadike 71), Bettney (Featherstone 77), Robinson (Cooper 85), Godber, Duffield, Sale.
REFEREE: Gary Wallace of Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham.
ATTENDANCE: 305.
SCORERS: Alfreton – Sale 9, 60; Duffield 50, 55.
CAUTIONS: Bradford – Calcutt 31 (foul on Heinemann); Lennon 72 (foul on Robinson). Alfreton – Godber 36 (dissent).
MAN OF THE MATCH: Ian Robinson.