2004/05 - Match No. 27
Derbyshire Senior Cup , 2nd round
Tuesday, November 30th, 2004
Alfreton Town 3, AFC Buxton 1
Report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD)
ALFRETON made the expected Derbyshire Senior Cup progress against the sleeping giant that is Buxton on Tuesday night, but not before the Bucks had asked some tough questions of them.
The Reds’ class told in the end and was emphasised by a couple of late goals, from Mick Goddard and Chris Bettney.
But neutral fans may have struggled in the first half to distinguish which side was top of the Conference North and which was stuck in mid-table in the NCEL.
Only a 38th-minute own goal parted the two sides at the break, but the Reds stepped up a gear in the second half and began to impose themselves, so that when Buxton found a 67th-minute equalise it was, by then, against the run of play.
While Buxton were without former Reds Darren Brookes and Danny Anson, Town boss Dave Lloyd also took the chance to give some of his squad players a run, including giving the celebrated ‘God-squad’ a first joint start of the season.
Among those left out and watching from the sidelines was skipper Grant Brown, who said: “It’s given a chance for the lads who need a game to get 90 minutes under their belts, so it’s been worth while.
“The win keeps our run going, and it’s important to the club to do well in the Senior Cup.
“Buxton had a good go at us in the first half - these are always hard games - but we had a bit too much quality for them in the second half and came through it.”
The win sets up an intriguing tie at Glapwell, who prevented Chris Wilder’s Alfreton side from breaking the club record of successive wins last time they were at Hall Corner, back in their own NCEL days.
But any watching representatives from Glapwell will have been heartened by how their league rivals were able to carry the game to the Reds in the first half.
Buxton showed by far the greater purpose in the opening stages.
But for all their hard work they never really managed to open up a home defence in which Ben Chapman again starred, and which had David Holmes in an unfamiliar central position alongside the again impressive Mark Blount.
Alfreton, for their part, seemed content to play a patient game, sounding the occasional warning on the counter-attack, with Blount and Mick Godber both going close, and Goddard shooting wildly off target from inside the six-yard box after bringing down Bettney’s cross.
The Reds did have a scare, though, in the 32nd minute. Paul Clements’ delightful crossfield ball found Gareth Collinson on the left. He evaded Holmes and squared to Matt Roney who looked set to score until Chapman dashed across to concede a corner.
Still the danger was not over, for from the flag kick Sean Hutchinson saw his shot cleared off the line by Stephen Woolley at the near post.
Three minutes later Goodard twice, Godber and acting skipper Matt Fisher all had shots charged down in a melee, before Alfreton took a somewhat fortunate lead in the 38th minute.
Bettney crossed from the right to the far post, and Clements must have thought that Godber was closer to him than in fact he was, as he was harried into heading into his own goal while trying to turn the ball behind.
Goddard almost got a second three minutes before the break, after Bettney’s deep corner from the right was hooked back into the danger zone by Woolley.
An effective half time talk had the Reds coming out in more determined mood for the second half.
And six minutes in Woolley dispossessed Richard Bevan in a central position just outside the area, and slipped the ball out left from where Goddard’s curling shot beat keeper Richard Siddall but came back off the bar.
However, Buxton pulled themselves level in the 63rd minute. With Holmes on a forward run Fisher tried to take it over but knocked the ball into the path of Roney who got away to win a corner, which was steered into the net by Mark Calvin.
Manager Lloyd sent on Chris Dolby and Peter Duffield, and when Dolby and Goddard worked a neat interchange on the left, Dolby’s cross should have been put away by Bettney, who swung at it in front of goal but completely missed his kick.
The Reds finally and, by this time deservedly, got their noses back in front in the 79th minute. A corner was half-cleared to Chapman who pushed the ball wide left to Dolby, he swung in a cross, and Goddard rose highest to plant a header inside the back post.
And any hopes the Bucks may have had of a comeback were finally extinguished with a minute to go.
Duffield picked out Dolby with a pinpoint crossfield ball to the left, and Bettney took it up on the overlap to curl a dream of a shot just inside the far post.
ALFRETON: Butler, Robinson, Blount, Chapman, Holmes, Knapper, Bettney, Fisher, Godber (Duffield 68), Goddard, Woolley (Dolby 64). Sub not used: Ward.
BUXTON: Siddall, Clements, Hutchinson (Mainwaring h/t), Bevan, Wood, Kotylo, Calvin, Sutcliffe, Roney, Collinson, Doxey. Subs not used: Ford, Trucker.
REFEREE: Andy Page of Ilkeston.
ATTENDANCE: 191.
SCORERS: Alfreton - Clements og 38; Goddard 79; Bettney 89. Buxton - Calvin 63.
CAUTIONS: Alfreton - Robinson 36 (unsporting conduct); Holmes 77 (foul on Doxey). Buxton - Collinson 36 (unsporting conduct).
MAN OF THE MATCH: Ben Chapman.