2004/05 - Match No. 50
Nationwide North
Friday, March 18th, 2005
Alfreton Town 0, Gainsborough Trinity 1
Report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD).
ALFRETON Town players must have been wondering just what they have to do to win a home match, after Friday night’s defeat by Paul Mitchell’s Gainsborough Trinity left them still seeking their first leave victory at the Impact Arena in three months.
A fortunate winner by Gainsborough’s Wes Parker, as the match ended stoppage time, condemned the Reds to another defeat, after a great result at Barrow had sparked some hope that the poor run of results was at last over.
Until the closing stages the outcome had goalless draw written all over it.
But Peter Duffield was denied by Jamie Holmshaw’s unbelievable save in the 87th minute, before Parker pounced to force the ball over Lee Butler’s line after Matt Fisher had unluckily miskicked an attempted clearance.
Manager Dave Lloyd reflected afterwards: “We certainly did not deserve to lose, although we didn’t do enough to win.
“The second half was the best we’ve played for a while, and to lose to a scrappy goal in the last minute was unbelievable.
“Some of the lads are saying they must have broken a mirror – we’re not getting any good fortune at all.
“It was a miraculous save that denied Peter Duffield just before they scored, but we lost, and now we’ve got to pick ourselves up for the trip to Hinckley on Good Friday.”
Lloyd’s great friend and former Reds boss Mitchell conceded sympathetically: “I know only too well how it feels to lose in that way.
“We’ve made a habit of giving goals away in the last minute this season, so it’s nice for us to be able to win one late one.
“But I thought we played better overall, especially in the first half.
“Fair play to Alfreton, they worked hard in the second half and stopped our passing game.
“I think Dave Lloyd’s done a great job here, and I know it will come good again for him and for Alfreton.”
Those respective sentiments just about summed up the match. Neither keeper had that much to do until late on, although Butler made a couple of decent saves in the first half, tipping Gareth Grant’s 25-yard rising shot over the bar, and denying the same player with a save at his post after Lee Ellington’s persistent work created the chance.
Loanee Ryan Mallon, who was at Alfreton on a similar basis earlier in the season, had already missed two decent chances in as many minutes with shots off target.
By and large, though, the always impressive Luke Foster kept a tight rein on the livewire Ellington to such an extent that the striker was substituted part way through the second half.
Richard Cooper also impressed at right back, while Ian Robinson was inspirational with his work rate in midfield.
Alfreton’s best effort of the first half was in the 35th minute, following Grant Brown’s long free kick. Duffield and Mick Godber played a delightful interchange before Parker managed to take the ball off Godber’s toe as he was about to shoot and probably score.
The Reds had come more into the picture towards the end of the half, but Gainsborough’s neat passing game, always a trademark of Mitchell’s sides, had left them disappointed that they turned round with a blank scoresheet.
The second half was slow to get going, but gradually it was Alfreton who got on top, stifling the Blues’ passing and working some fluent moves themselves.
Nick Heinemann drilled a great cross in from the right just after the hour but no-one could manage a touch inside the six yard box.
And when Duffield played an astute quick free kick to Chris Bettney, Holmshaw managed to claw the ball off the winger’s toe and Jamie Sherlock completed the clearance.
Substitute Lee Featherstone, on for Emeka Nwadike, then won the ball in the centre circle and embarked on a surging forward run before feeding Duffield, whose shot went past the far post from the left of the area.
It looked increasingly like a potential 0-0, and that feeling was heightened when Duffield’s header onto Bettney’s hanging cross looked a goal all the way until Holmshaw acrobatically tipped it away.
But if the Reds’ luck was out on that occasion, it ebbed still further as the game approached stoppage time and Parker stole the winner.
In a last throw, Lloyd withdrew defender Cooper for striker Mark Sale, but the closest he got was a header onto a Bettney corner, which Holmshaw claimed again.
ALFRETON: Butler, Cooper (Sale 90), Heinemann, Foster, Brown, Fisher, Bettney, Robinson, Godber, Duffield, Nwadike (Featherstone 63). Subs not used: Teather, Blount, Chapman.
GAINSBOROUGH: Holmshaw, Purkiss, Burley, Parker, Pell, Sherlock, Huckett (O'Brien 76), Hurst, Ellington (Staton 76), Mallon, Grant. Subs not used: Allison, Blythen.
REFEREE: J. Waugh of Sheffield.
ATTENDANCE: 387.
SCORER: Gainsborough - Parker 90.
REDS MAN OF THE MATCH: Ian Robinson.