2006/2007 season Match no.24 - Nationwide North
Tuesday, December 26th, 2006
ALFRETON TOWN 2, Hucknall Town 1

Pics by Phil Lucic.

IT WAS round one to Alfreton in their Boxing Day and New Year double with near neighbours Hucknall Town.
Substitutes Matt Glass and David Reeves struck with two goals in three minutes towards the end of the Boxing Day encounter at the Impact Arena, to turn the game after Martin Reeves had given Hucknall the lead midway through the first period.
Alfreton threatened with less than a minute gone when Andy Tiday sought to pick out Mark Rawle with a cross from the left, which Russell Cooke managed to clear.
Hucknall had a chance from a fifth-minute set piece, but Michael Fox drilled his 25-yard direct shot straight at Dale Roberts.
The Reds began to carry the play to their visitors, and when Tiday had released Rawle it led to Emeka Nwadike’s volley being deflected onto the roof of the net - however referee Mr Haycock refused seemingly justified claims for a corner.
The returning Marcus Ebdon, Tiday and Rawle were all involved in the build-up to the next half-chance which was hit wide by Anton Brown from 25 yards.
Then Hucknall keeper Damien Beattie was forced to stretch to keep out and Ashley Burbeary effort that spiralled awkwardly off Tom Cowan.
The referee frustrated Alfreton again in the 18th minute when he waved away penalty appeals, after Tiday’s pull back from the by-line struck the arm of Cooke.
Mark Barnard saw a 20-yard snap shot go wide two minutes later, before Hucknall grabbed a 22nd-minute lead against the run of play.
It stemmed from Fox’s long throw in from the left. Cooke headed it on to Martin Reeves who was left with a simple nod in.
The deficit might have been doubled seven minutes later when Roberts flapped at a corner. Liam Hearn saw his effort blocked and when the rebound fell to Cooke his dazzling run in along the by-line was ended by Nathan Winder’s last ditch challenge to concede a corner.
Ryan Clarke embarked on a typical overlapping run along the right as Alfreton looked for a way back, but the quality of his finish did not match that of the run, and a weak shot went straight at Beattie.
Gary Ricketts’ header was comfortably held by Roberts after Hearn had done the spadework, and when the two combined again moments later Ricketts’ volley whistled inches over the bar.
However, Alfreton ended the half in the ascendancy, but there were no takers for a Burbeary cross, Clarke fired over from 30 yards, and in stoppage time at the end of the first half Beattie had to come off his line to punch clear as Rawle was put through by Clarke.
Burbeary really should have equalised within a minute of the re-start but, with a clear chance created by Brown, he needed too long on the ball and the chance was lost.
A minute later Burbeary was unlucky to see his drilled shot from Brown’s long throw flash inches wide of the near post.
The game then went into a spell of midfield stalemate until, in the 70th minute, Barnard made a vital block from Martin Reeves after Roberts had fumbled a corner.
Glass replaced Burbeary two minutes later, and within three minutes of his introduction he had equalised.
The substitute won the corner and, when fellow sub David Reeves laid the flag kick off on the edge of the 18-yard box, Glass rifled the ball home through a crowded area.
And the game was turned on its head three more minutes on. Rawle embarked on a surging run and fed an inch-perfect pass for David Reeves to sweep it past Beattie from 12 yards.
Having gained the upper hand, Alfreton went looking to kill the game off, and Tiday was desperately close to a third goal at the end of his strong run, his finish just clearing the bar.
Then another Clarke run ended with a shot which rebounded off Beattie to Rawle, and former Reds defender Liam Powell made a desperate block to prevent a goal.
Glass had a shot saved in stoppage time, before the visitors made a last ditch bid to salvage a point.
But Roberts saved Ricketts’ sharp angled drive, and then comfortably held a David Reeves effort to send the home fans happy and looking forward to the New Year’s Day return fixture at Watnall Road.
ALFRETON: Roberts, Clarke, Barnard, Hannigan, Winder, Ebdon, Burbeary (Glass 72), Nwadike, Tiday (Turner 84), Rawle, Brown (D. Reeves 59). Subs not used: Mills, Whitman.
HUCKNALL: Beattie, Powell, Cowan, Cooke, Briscoe, Dempsey, M. Reeves, Wilson, Ricketts, Hearn, Fox (Williams 83). Subs not used: Hanson, Burns, Akers, Smith.
REFEREE: K. W. Haycock of Bradford.
ATTENDANCE: 519.
GOALS: Alfreton - Glass 75; D. Reeves 78. Hucknall - M. Reeves 22.
CAUTIONS: Alfreton - Clarke 67 (foul on Cowan). Hucknall - Powell 35 (deliberate hands).
MAN OF THE MATCH: Emeka Nwadike.