2005/06 season match No.2
Nationwide North
Monday, August 15th
Hednesford Town 1, Alfreton Town 0
Match report by Clive Edwards. Pics by Phil Lucic.

“DISAPPOINTED that we came away with a defeat but it was a massive improvement on Saturday’s performance, especially in the first half”.
That was the verdict of Alfreton boss Gary Mills after this defeat by a single goal scored early in the second half by Hednesford striker Andy Bell.
Up to that point, Alfreton had played the better football.
Shaun Smith was an injury absentee having picked up a calf strain two days previous in the opening game of the season. Lee Featherstone, who made eight appearances for the Reds at the back end of last season, was on the bench having rejoined the Reds on non contract terms the morning of the game.
For the first half of the game, the Reds looked well organised, with Matt Fisher linking well in midfield with Ryan Clarke and Chris Bettney, and Mark Turner playing effectively alongside skipper Dave Robinson in the centre of defence. Clarke and Bettney in particular posed frequent threats to the Hednesford defence with some speedy breakaways and clever interpassing. In the forward line, Jon Stevenson again looked impressive on the ball, his pace and close control more than making up for his lack of inches.
He will be a handful for any defence in this league.
However, creating clear-cut scoring opportunities continued to be a problem for Alfreton throughout the evening at Keys Park.
The travelling fans had to wait for 30 minutes before The Reds’ first real attempt on goal, when Clarke fired just wide after meeting a low cross from Bettney. At the other end, despite solid work from Turner and Robinson, keeper Shaun Bodkin’s uncertain handling of high balls posed some problems for the Reds.
The second half was a disappointment for Alfreton. Five minutes after the restart, a rare mistake from Matt Fisher let in Rob Heath who crossed for Andy Bell to head in at the near post for the home team.
Alfreton struggled to recover from this setback and were lucky not to concede further goals.
On 57 minutes, Paul McMahon hit the bar with Reds’ keeper Bodkin stranded, and a few seconds later Bell almost doubled his score after excellent work by McMahon on the left flank
Hednesford’s game improved as the second half progressed; conversely, Alfreton’s diminishing confidence manifested itself in a series of defensive errors, notably by Clarke and Blount, both of whom almost gifted the Pitmen a second goal.
Alfreton’s best attempt came in the 82nd minute, a header by Dave Robinson from a Bettney corner was cleared off the line in a rare moment of panic for the home side. Stevenson swooped onto the poor clearance but snatched at the ball and it skidded horribly wide.
With ten minutes to go, Neil Ross made way for Peter Duffield, and Kevin Donovan was replaced by the left-footed Lee Featherstone. Ross adds height to the front line, and could well form a decent partnership with Stevenson.
A little and large combination may, given time, be fruitful. Duffield, however, has the deft touch of an experienced and gifted professional. In his ten minutes on the field, that much was clear.
For manager Gary Mills, getting the right blend is going to be a difficult task. But despite the disappointment in this game, the signs are that he is getting there.
Hednesford Town:
Tom Whittle, Ross Adams, Mark Branch, Lee Barrow, Richard Teesdale, Lee Williams, Grant Beckett, Rob Heath, Andy Bell, Paul McMahon (Craig Marshall 90), Colin Hunter,
Subs not used: Jamie Barrett, Steve Brannan, Tom Marshall, Jack Rogers

Alfreton Town:
Shaun Bodkin, Ryan Clarke, Mark Turner, Dave Robinson, Mark Blount, Matthew Fisher (Chris White 87), Chris Bettney, Kevin Donovan (Lee Featherstone 80), Neil Ross (Peter Duffield 80), Jon Stevenson, Jason Blunt
Subs not used: Liam Powell, Gregg Smith.
Scorerr: Andy Bell (Hednesford) 50 minutes.
Referee: Mr P J Keane , Coseley.
Attendance 640
Yellow card: Ryan Clarke (Alfreton) foul 86 minutes.
Reds man of the match: Chris Bettney.