2005/06 season match No.26
Nationwide North
Monday, January 2nd, 2006
Hucknall Town 1, Alfreton Town 0
Match report by Clive Edwards. Pics by Phil Lucic.

There are two ways of looking at this result.
The optimists will say that it was a narrow defeat in a hard fought battle away from home against a side fourth in the league with an excellent home record. Well done you Reds, great effort.
The gloom-and-doom merchants will tell you that Alfreton haven’t won a league fixture for almost four months. Narrow defeats are just that – defeats. By the end of the season, Alfreton may be the side that almost won quite a few matches, but didn’t, and almost stayed up, but didn’t.
The similarities between this match and the Boxing Day fixture against Hucknall are striking. Alfreton dominated for large parts of the game and conceded a single, late goal. The difference between the two sides, on both occasions was not striking – it was a striker. Gary Ricketts. He came on as sub on Boxing Day and got the equaliser with 20 seconds to go. In this return fixture, he started the match and was a thorn in Alfreton’s side throughout the game. On 78 minutes, Hucknall’s Mark Ward crossed the ball from deep in midfield; it took a deflection and landed at Ricketts’ feet. He turned and lashed it past Greg Smith. He had deserved this goal.
Ricketts runs like a red-setter, non-stop, limbs flailing energetically, looking as though he’s loving every minute of it. He’s aggressive, tall and influential. At times he treats opposition players like a builder treats scaffolding. When he’s not climbing all over them to get even higher, he’s leaning on them to let them know that he’s still there.
In the first half he brought two smashing saves from Reds keeper Greg Smith. The first, on the half-hour was a header from a cross by Beech. Ricketts met the ball perfectly, and headed goalwards. Greg Smith dived, not quite far enough, and wriggled that extra half-yard mid-flight like a trout jack-knifing for that escaping mayfly. He stretched, snatched it, held on, and landed. Brilliant.
Ten minutes later, he was called on to do the same again Another Ricketts header, and this time, more panic and less grace from Smith, as he finger-tipped the ball away to Mark Turner who cleared the decks hurriedly.
At the other end, and much earlier in the game, it was almost a dream start for Alfreton’s latest on-loan acquisition from Boston Utd. A corner from Bettney in the third minute was met by Turner. He headed the ball down; it bounced straight at 18-year-old Rob Norris who headed it goalwards from inside the six-yard box. Hucknall keeper James Lindley spoilt his day by pulling off a stunning reaction save. Another ominous sign that Lady Luck has got no intention of smiling at Alfreton at the moment.
Norris did enough to convince his new boss that he fits the bill. Manager Gary Mills said of him after the game: ”He was clever with the ball, and he showed that he could do something for us. We’ve got him on a week-to-week basis because he’s a scholar, and we’ll just see how it goes. We just need someone who will put the ball in the back of the net for us. The last third of the field - not putting our chances away, is where we are missing something.”
Norris did play well. He was constantly reminded that the step down from League Two football to Conference North level is a skills thing – the physical side of the game is just as tough down here. Norris has the skill and the sharpness to do well, despite his youthful appearance. One feels that his Christmas stocking a few days ago would have been more likely to hold a Sony Playstation than an electric razor, but youthful energy and optimism are going to be needed in the coming weeks. There must have been times when veteran striker Peter Duffield looked across the pitch and saw himself almost twenty years ago. In physical build and in footballing styles they are so alike. Quick-footed, stylish, unselfish and busy. Good professional, the one. Good prospect the other.
As for chances, well, there were a few, but not many of the clear cut variety. In fact, the first half, as so often this season, was a midfield battle between two teams struggling to assert themselves. Bettney again looked the most likely to cut through the opposition defence, with his pacy runs, defenders snapping at his heels like hunting-dogs chasing a running fox.
On the stroke of half-time, Fisher picked up a ball form Duffield on the half-way line, raced down the centre of the pitch, ball at feet, Bettney-style, and struck it wide of the advancing keeper, the wrong side of the post. The Reds midfielder fell to the ground and thumped the turf in disappointment.
After an hour of the match, Blunt replaced Mills in midfield, but had to be replaced himself a quarter of an hour later by Chris White.
Duffield had a header bounce on top of the bar, Norris had an excellent header cleared off the line, substitute Chris White had a shot tipped wide by the keeper, and in the last minute, Ryan Clarke lashed an angled shot just wide from close range.
Those last two chances came after the Hucknall goal had been scored, when Alfreton showed a sense of urgency bordering on panic, and tinged with frustration. In fact Fisher and Godber were both booked in the dying minutes of the game for challenges that smacked of desperation. Godber’s infringement came within a minute of his entry to the field of play. Hucknall fans were adamant that he should have been red-carded for his challenge on the Hucknall goalie. They may have had a point. Unlike Alfreton, sadly.
After the match, Gary Mills said: ”It’s tough; it’s a fact of life when you’re down there near the bottom of the league it’s harder each week to get out of it. The pressure becomes more. I’ve been down there before and I don’t like it. I’m down there again now, and I’ve got to work hard and make sure I pick the team to get us out of it.”

HUCKNALL TOWN: Lindley, Asher, Beech, Rowland, Timons, Sucharewycz, Ward (Robinson 78), Cooke, Ricketts, Gill, Nelthorpe (Groves 70). Subs not used: Nangle, Carter, Mellars.
ALFRETON TOWN: Smith, Clarke, Featherstone, Powell, Turner, Mills (Blunt 61, White 83) Bettney, Nwadike, Duffield ,Norris (Godber 83), Fisher. Subs not used: Robinson, Woolley.
Scorers:Hucknall: G Ricketts 78 minutes.
Referee: Mr G S Stretton (Leicester).
Attendance 909.
Red card: none
Yellow card: Hucknall: none.
Alfreton: Godber (84 foul tackle), Fisher (91 foul tackle).
Reds man of the match: Lee Featherstone.