Alfreton Town Football Club
Match reports
2004/05

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Pre-season match no. 5
Thursday, July 29th, 2004
Eastwood Town 3, Alfreton Town 1
Report by Kev Miles
ALFRETON Town manager Dave Lloyd now has just two pre-season games left in which to get his side motivated and playing to their capabilities.
He won't have learned much about his squad from this game after they came off second best to a far more eager home team determined to show they are on the up.
Eastwood won the game because they wanted to win it and did particularly well considering they were without four certain first teamers in Paul Gould, Matt Fisher, Peter Knox and Paul Mitchell.
The Reds only came to life in the latter stages of a goalless first half and registered their sole reply goal in the last minute of the second half. In between the visitors huffed and puffed against a host side stronger in the tackle with the exception of Nwadike.
Lee Butler was still away but Ian Robinson returned from holiday and was given a run in place of Carl Bradshaw. Mark Ward was omitted while Peter Duffield sat it out due to the after effects of a sore knee sustained against Hull City the previous week.
Saxby was by far the busier of the three ‘keepers - Eastwood substituted Smith for Bryant at the break and the visiting custodian did well to claim a dangerous Nazha cross.
In reply Mick Goddard’s glancing header from an Ian Robinson cross drifted just wide. Shortly after Bryant clung onto another Robinson cross with Fisher and Goddard homing in.
Nazha spoiled two chances in a minute for the Badgers before Whitehead’s angled drive flew wide after a good run.
The home side broke quickly after a Dolby free-kick was comfortably held and it took a superb point blank save by Saxby to prevent Whitehead putting Eastwood ahead.
Saxby kept his side alive again on 39 minutes with a one-handed save low down to keep Nestor’s effort out.
The Reds enjoyed their best spell of the first half in the last few minutes. A mazy Dolby run ended with him feeding Goddard who in turn laid the ball back for Fisher but the busy Whitehead conceded a fruitless corner.
From a second flag-kick in added time at the end of the first half Hume’s goalbound firm header from Dolby’s flag-kick was headed off the line by Shaw and the sides went in level.
The hosts went in front on 50 minutes when a defensive mix-up let in RICHARD LIBURD to bury a shot into Saxby’s bottom left corner.
Four minutes later with the Reds defence backing off MATT MILLNS netted a speculative right flank cross-cum shot into the far corner from beyond the right-hand angle of the penalty area.
Still the Reds didn’t really respond to what had become a very competitive game and the defence clung on behind a disjointed midfield.
Manager Lloyd rang the changes for the Reds with triallist Matt Hill, Woolley, Godber, Bettney, Cam and Tyler thrown on to seek a spark which looked like having to come from either Bettney or Woolley down the flanks.
Bettney’s left flank corner on 73 minutes saw Godber’s glancing header cleared off the line by Whitehead but just as the Reds were getting back into the game they were hit by a third goal as MICHAEL REYNOLDS netted at the end of a solo run on 82 minutes.
Woolley produced the run of the night down the left when he cut inbetween two defenders and fed the ball into Bettney but his finish lacked power and ran tamely to Smith.
The cheers from the travelling fans when HUME headed in a Bettney cross seconds before the final whistle mirrored the muted display from the team.
Eastwood Town: Bryant (Smith h/t), Fletcher (Mushambi 64), Shaw, Soar, Millns, Sucharewycz, Whitehead, Nestor (Reynolds 55), Meikle, Nazha, Liburd.
Alfreton Town: Saxby, Robinson (Hill 58), Blount, Hume, Brown, Knapper (Bettney 53), Nwadike, Fisher (Tyler 66), Sale (Godber 53), Goddard (Cam 65), Dolby (Woolley 58).
Goals: Eastwood Town: Richard Liburd (50), Matt Millns (54), Michael Reynolds (82). Alfreton Town: Mark Hume (90).
Referee: Steve Cooke (Mansfield).
Attendance: 151.