Report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD)
ALFRETON swept aside the brave challenge of Central Midlands visitors Holbrook MW to surge into the quarter-final of the Derbyshire Senior Cup, and a home tie against Gresley Rovers, with six unanswered goals at the Impact Arena on Wednesday night.
In terms of status difference the match was akin to the weekend’s coming FA Cup tie which sends Blue Square South Havant and Waterlooville to Liverpool.
And the fact that Holbrook play their football five divisions below the Reds was manifestly obvious, with the Blue Square North hosts simply having too much in their armoury, as Matt Glass bagged a hat-trick, while other goals came from Peter Knox, Massiah McDonald and Matt Wilson.
However, it would be apt to say that the Brookies made a fight of it, for they were nothing if not uncompromising. That was true specially in the early stages, when they sought to unsettle the Reds with some tasty challenges that had the home bench furious at referee Ian Smedley’s failure to offer sufficient protection.
That said, Mr Smedley did produce his first yellow card with the game less than five minutes old after Sam Kellogg’s rash challenge on Chris Walton on the half way line, but thereafter he was content to keep his cards in his pocket until just before half time.
Home manager Nicky Law rang the changes with matches against full-timers Kettering and Blue Square Premier Farsley to come in the next seven days.
Phil Senior was given another chance in goal while Mark Barnard, who skippered the side, formed a central defensive partnership with Matt Wilson. Laurie Wilson filled the right back berth, and Brian Cusworth returned from suspension to form a three-pronged strike force with Knox and Glass.
There was also a debut starting shirt for U19 midfielder Joe Forster, and fellow U19 players McDonald and Dereck Dooley subsequently emerged from the bench for their first tastes of senior action.
The match was played in a dreadful swirling wind, which made conditions difficult for both sides, and kept the crowd down to a disappointing 114 despite the reduced admission charge.
Holbrook made a lively, attacking start, but it was Alfreton who had the first chance when, on a quick counter-attack, Knox sent Josh Law through to go one on one with keeper Damien Clark who was out smartly to block the finish.
Vaughn Hallsworth threatened for the visitors in the seventh minute with a gutsy run through to go eyeball to eyeball with Senior, but ultimately over-ran the ball out as Anton Brown dashed in to challenge.
Senior needed prolonged attention when Joe Kellogg clattered into him as the keeper claimed Chris Sadler’s free kick into the box, and the home bench were prompted into more fury in the 23rd minute when Rob Harrison caught Glass late in a central position some 25 yards out.
The cards again stayed in the official’s pocket, but justice was done when Laurie Wilson’s free kick was only half cleared and the busy Chris Walton teed up Knox to hit home the opening goal on the turn from 15 yards.
Law was next to require the services of the shorts and t-shirt clad home physio Doug Kyle after taking a knock in a packed Holbrook area in the 29th minute. But he recovered sufficiently to put in a dangerous cross three minutes later, which Shaun Roulston appeared to handle in the area, although penalty claims were rejected.
One more minute on, Clark came to the Brookies’ rescue, sticking out a leg to deny Cusworth who tried to flick home at the near post when the ball was worked in to him from the left.
But by this time the Reds were making their vastly superior league status tell to greater effect, and they doubled their lead in the 36th minute. Knox’s headed flick on found Law on the left, and he rolled the ball forward to Glass who walked it past Clark and into the net.
Holbrook were in no mood to surrender though, and Sadler’s wickedly inswinging corner from the right forced Senior to tip over the near angle for a second flag kick which Walton headed to safety.
But two minutes before the break it was 3-0 in circumstances which left the visitors angry. Clark stopped but could not hold Walton’s crisp drive, and Glass charged in to force the rebound over the line as the keeper tried to gather the ball.
Tom Kellogg and Clark squared up to the Reds striker who, they clearly claimed, had made contact with the keeper, and in the ensuing fracas yellow cards were produced for both Clark and Glass, but after what seemed an interminable delay the goal stood.
Hot 17-year-old prospect McDonald replaced Law for the second half, and Alfreton continued where they had left off the first.
Laurie Wilson sent Knox cutting in from the right to spear a low drive that Clark needed two attempts to save at his near post.
But eight minutes into the half McDonald marked his playing debut with his first senior goal for the club. The youngster, who had previously only figured as an unused substitute, was set up by Knox and blazed a scorching trail between two closing defenders to poke the ball past the advancing Clark.
Glass should have completed his hat-trick three minutes later but lost control at the key moment following good work by Cusworth and Knox.
But he had only another 10 minutes to wait to record his trio in the 66th minute. Brown launched a huge ‘route one’ clearance and Glass raced through to beat the offside and slip the ball clinically past the exposed keeper.
Matt Wilson picked up a caution two minutes later for a foul on Rob Harrison, from whose resulting free kick Tom Kellogg looped a header inches wide in a rare chance for the visitors.
Glass looked likely to add his fourth goal in the 72nd minute after again beating the offside. His shot was charged down by a defender, and in the follow-up Cusworth and then Knox brought an excellent double save out of Clark.
However, the rout was complete nine minutes from time. McDonald worked an enterprising interchange with Glass before seeing his cross-shot hacked for a corner. That was not cleared, McDonald’s effort was blocked on the line, and Matt Wilson hit home the rebound from close range.
ALFRETON: Senior, L. Wilson, Brown, Barnard, M. Wilson, Forster (Dooley 77), Law (McDonald ht), Walton, Cusworth, Knox, Glass. Subs not used; Butler, Warne, Sutcliffe.
HOLBROOK: Clark, De’Ath, Black, Roulston, T. Kellogg, Cooper (Wildrianne 69), Harrison (Bayliss 85), Hallsworth (Christie 73), S. Kellogg, J. Kellogg, Sadler. Subs not used: Finlay, Akers.
REFEREE: Ian Smedley of Elvaston.
ATTENDANCE: 114.
GOALS: Alfreton – Knox 23; Glass 36, 43, 66; McDonald 53; M. Wilson 81.
CAUTIONS; Alfreton – Glass 43 (retaliation on Clark); M.Wilson 68 9foul on Harrison). Holbrook – S. Kellogg 5 (foul on Walton); Clark 43 (unsporting conduct); J. Kellogg 51 (foul on Walton).
MAN OF THE MATCH: Matt Glass
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