Alfreton Town Football Club

Match reports
2004/05

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2004/05 - Match No. 16
FA Cup, 3rd Qualifying Round
Saturday, October 16th, 2004
Cammell Laird 2, Alfreton Town 3
Report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD)
MICK Gober’s last gasp strike propelled Alfreton into the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1973 – but not before they had been given the fright of their lives by underdogs Cammell Laird.
The North West Counties Division Two side belied their humble league status as they deservedly took a 2-0 lead with goals either side of half time.
But a triple substitution and a change in shape transformed the course of the match for the last half hour, and Alfreton were spared an embarrassment thanks to a tremendous comeback.
Simultaneously, just two miles away, 8,901 were watching Tranmere beat Bradford City 5-4, but the 270 who attended for this cup tie could hardly have been better entertained had they opted for Prenton Park instead.
Reds boss Dave Lloyd was fulsome in his praise of the ambitious Wirral-based club, who are in only their first season even at NWCL Division Two level and also in the FA Cup.
“All credit to them, they were absolutely excellent,” he said after the match.
“They are a top class side and their manager should be very proud of them. They must be distraught to have lost it right at the end.”
Reflecting on his own side’s performance, Lloyd added: “We gambled and went for it. Mark Sale, Mark Hume and Carl Bradshaw made a big difference when they came on, and Cammell Laird were floored by out two goals in four minutes.
“The quality of some of our passing in the last half hour was tremendous, Sale got hold of the ball and scored us a goal when we needed it, and maybe they were beginning to tire a bit at the same time.
“But it was a fantastic comeback against a very, very good side.”
If Alfreton went into the tie with even a hint of complacency it will have been shaken out of them inside the first minute.
As expected, the hosts went for their visitors from the off, and inside the first minute striker Ronnie Morgan cleverly nutmegged Grant Brown and fed the ball to former Liverpool youngster Carl Clampitt, whose well-struck 23-yard effort brought a fine save out of Lee Butler.
The pattern was set as the home side hit Alfreton with bags of pace down the flanks and a busy front two who never allowed the Reds’ defence to rest, at the same time quickly closing players down and giving Town no time on the ball to play their normal football.
Mitch Ward, well known to the home fans from his time with Everton, did almost conjure up a bizarre opener in the eighth minute when, spotting Leon Bimpson off his line, he tried a lob from all of 45 yards, which had the keeper back-pedalling to parry from under his bar.
While it was still Cammell Laird making the running, Jamie McGuire slicing an effort wide following a great run by Mike Rimmer, Alfreton again might have scored on 18, when Emeka Nwadike broke up a home attack and sent Godber down the left to square for Peter Duffield.
But as he was about to shoot, he had the ball taken off his toe by the quickly closing Anthony Lynch.
On balance of play, though, few were surprised when the Lairds grabbed a 27th-minute lead.
Eddie Jebb fed the ball into the area, where Ian Cooke and Morgan both had shots blocked before the ball fell kindly for Rimmer to drive past the unsighted Butler into the far corner.
Chris Bettney had the chance to equalise five minutes before the break after being released, for once in space, by Godber, but he checked as Bimpson scrambled hurriedly back to his line, giving the defence time to cover, and finished wildly high and wide.
The constant sound of bells from a nearby church seemed to be acclaiming the home side’s lead as they went off for half time, but the Lairds were celebrating again seven minutes into the re-start.
A rare error by Lee Butler saw his poor clearance only reach Cooke, who twisted and turned his way through the middle before slotting past the keeper’s despairing dive.
Alfreton responded with their triple substitution around the hour mark, and from then on the character of the game changed completely.
The Reds switched to 3-4-3, pushing Bradshaw into midfield, with Hume, Brown and Mark Blount at the back, and Sale joining Godber and Duffield in a three-pronged attack.
Sale was clearly fouled on the edge of the area as he ran forward in the 62nd minute, but was told to get up by the referee – and whether that fired the tall striker or not, he was uncontainable after that.
It was Sale’s downward header from the busy Ward’s right wing corner on 67 that was swept against the foot of the near post by Godber.
But a minute later Godber had better luck. Bettney timed his run to perfection to beat the offside along the left, pulled the ball back to the edge of the area, and the striker hit a crisp low drive to Bimpson’s right.
Alfreton had one hand on a lifeline, and took a firmer grasp on it four minutes later as Sale rose high in a crowded area to head Ward’s long free kick in off the underside of the bar.
Still Cammell Laird were not finished, but with Alfreton pushing forward it was the home side who had to relay on counter-attacks, and on one occasion when they had a three on one Hume came up with a magnificent challenge to end the danger.
Bimpson saved a one-on-one with Duffield on 87, but two minutes later the game was won. Once again the towering Sale headed Ward’s corner down, and this time Godber steered it in from close range to break the hearts of the plucky home side and take the mightily relieved Reds through to the final qualifying stage.
CAMMELL LAIRD: Bimpson, D. Ward, Lynch, Clampitt, Reeves (Thompson 78), Pew, McGuire (Couch 74), Jebb (Sheehan 70), Cooke, R. Morgan, Rimmer. Subs not used: Bates, J. Morgan.
ALFRETON: Butler, Robinson (Bradshaw 57), Chapman (Hume 61), Blount, Brown, Ward, Bettney, Fisher, Godber, Duffield, Nwadike (Sale 58). Subs not used: Dolby, Knapper.
REFEREE: David Roberts of Manchester.
ATTENDANCE: 270.
SCORERS: Cammell Laird – Rimmer 27; Cooke 52. Alfreton – Godber 68, 89; Sale 72.
CAUTION: Callell Laird – Clampitt 45 (foul on Duffield).
MAN OF THE MATCH: Mark Sale.