Match report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD). Pics by Phil Lucic.

 

ALFRETON notched up their fourth win and clean sheet in a row, the first time they had achieved such a run since season 2003-04, thanks to a very late strike by manager’s son Josh Law.
The outcome was settled in the 86^th-minute when the Reds’ two loan players combined to devastating effect. Danny Reet crossed and Law let fly with a screaming 20-yard howitzer that gave Tim Ditmar no chance.
Leigh could have no complaints, They, and Ditmar in particular, were guilty of cynical time wasting as they appeared happy to take away a point.
Reds boss Nicky Law admitted afterwards that he could not see where a goal was coming from until his son came up with that memorable strike.
“I was pleased, because we knew all along that it was going to be a tough game,” he said.
“They set their stall out and made their intentions clear. They pulled both of their forwards off and to be fair to them they defended well.
“We had to dig in in an ugly game, but we need to get ourselves going from the start, and show a bit of imagination which we didn’t really have today.
“But the goal was one worthy of winning any game, even though I was thinking it was never going to arrive, and there was always the concern that they would catch us on the break.”
The first half was a drab affair in contrast as the home side seemed to be suffering a hangover from last week’s great win at Harrogate, while Leigh had little to offer in return apart from some gritty work plus some enterprising play by Owen Roberts.
Josh Law had a half-chance from a long throw in the ninth minute but finished weakly, while a minute later the Reds struggled to clear a Roberts free kick which led to a mini-scramble before Matt Wilson managed to get it away.
But it was not until the 18^th minute that the home fans were awoken from their slumber, when Brian Cusworth hit the post from 12 yards. However, he really should have scored after Reet and Peter Knox had opened up the opportunity, and it went down as a chance missed rather than bad luck.
Leigh squandered a 37^th minute opening when Roberts found Lee Unsworth in a good position, but Unsworth elected to return the ball and Roberts’ subsequent cross was poor.
There was little else to warm the chilled spectators up to half time, but Alfreton stepped up a gear after the interval, and the lively Reet forced Ditmar into an excellent save inside the first two minutes.
Steve Warne’s strong, jinking run into the box was halted by weight of numbers, and when Reet sent Anton Brown on a surge forward to the by-line the overlapping full back’s cross found Cusworth whose towering header was just too high.
The woodwork came to Leigh’s rescue for the second time in the 54^th minute when Reet’s driven 22-yard free kick hit the foot of the post with Ditmar beaten.

Steve Hill was guilty of a couple of ‘professional’ fouls, first on Warne and then on Kyle McFadzean, which might have brought him a booking but didn’t.
However, Leigh skipper Mark Maddox was less lucky when he similarly fouled Reet.The resulting free kick had the visiting defence struggling to clear until Brown laid off for Reet whose shot struck Maddox and rebounded to safety.
Leigh threatened momentarily in the 64^th minute but Marc Smyth’s cross shot from the left flew well beyond the far post.
On several occasions Mr Guest told Ditmar to ‘get on with it’ but the official did not lose patience sufficiently to caution the keeper.
And Leigh’s time wasting tactics looked to have paid off as the game seemed heading for a goalless stalemate.
But there was one more rabbit to come out of the Reds’ hat. Reet picked out Law with a perfect pass, and the youngster let fly from outside the box with an absolute screamer which was still rising as it bulged the rooted Ditmar’s net.
Having finally got the goal the Reds went looking for more, however Reet’s brilliant run into the box was not quite matched by his finish.
But Leigh were given an undeserved lifeline when five minutes of stoppage time were indicated, most of that from their own gamesmanship which would have been better unrewarded.
And in that time Roberts’ lofted cross shot had Kyle Sutcliffe stretching upwards to save one-handed.
Had that gone in it would have been an utter injustice, but the Reds held on to move up to ninth in the table.

ALFRETON: Sutcliffe, McFadzean, Brown, Hannigan, M. Wilson, Warne, Law, Bowler, Cusworth, Knox (L. Wilson 89), Reet. Subs not used: Walton, Glass, Cockerill, Lindley.
LEIGH: Ditmar, Goulding, Brockley, Unsworth, Maddox, Hill, Carroll, Heald, Lugsden (Chatcuti 66), Smyth (O’Neil 83), Roberts. Subs not used: Settle, Davies, Smith.
REFEREE: Neil Guest of Grimsby.

ATTENDANCE: 269.
GOAL: Alfreton – Law 86.
CAUTION: Leigh – Maddox 62 (foul on Reet).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Danny Reet.

Alfreton Town Football in the Community officer Craig Morgan shows mascot Amy Baker around the Impact Arena
pitch before Saturday's victory over Leigh RMI. Amy, 11, comes from South Normanton and plays for GFC Alfreton Town. She is a very promising young player and a regular on the ATFC community coaching schemes.