2006/2007 Season. Match no.31 - Conference North
Saturday, February 3rd, 2007
ALFRETON TOWN 1, Stalybridge Celtic 2

Report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD). Pics by Phil Lucic and Kev Miles.

FORMER Reds favourites Mark Hume and Luke Foster returned to the Impact Arena on Saturday to spoil the party for new Alfreton manager Marcus Ebdon (left).
The two ex-Reds headed Stalybridge’s two goals from their only two corners of a match which Alfreton must still be wondering how they contrived to lose, after being in control for the greater part of the game and creating the better chances.
It was tough on Ebdon, the third manager to take charge on successive Saturdays after the departure of Gary Mills and, subsequently Darron Gee – but at least he knows where his priorities will lie this week.
“No, it was not the happiest start to my managerial career,” he admitted after the match. “But if we go on defending like that there will be even unhappier times.
“After two clean sheets, to concede twice over in that manner was disappointing. The defence were told to be aware of Mark Hume and allow him no room, but he lost his marker for the first goal, and the second was similar.
“The lads are gutted – they know they must defend the box better than that.
“We created more chances than they did – Anton Brown, Mark Rawle and Matt Glass all missed good openings, but that’s football – one of those things.”

Ebdon had gone with pretty much ‘same again’ after Mills and Gee. “I didn’t really change anything,” he added. “The lads had been doing OK, but I think we’ll be tweaking one or two things, nothing major, in training, and I hope we can bring in a couple of fresh faces, because we need them.”
One new boy already in was young Mansfield Town loanee Daniel Sleath, but he did not get off the bench on his first time in a red shirt, as Town conceded their first double of the campaign.
The first half was largely a midfield contest which Alfreton had rather the better of, with Dale Roberts a virtual spectator as the defence did a solid job and gave no clue as to the errors which were to follow.
Paul Sykes did put himself about for the visitors, popping up at both ends of the pitch as required, but most of what few chances there were came Alfreton’s way, with Matt Glass adventurous down the right and Mark Rawle and Tristram Whitman also working hard.
Rawle thought he had broken the deadlock on the half-hour. Anton Brown headed down Whitman’s cross from the left, and the big striker, with his back to goal, tried a spectacular overhead kick which Paul Pettinger held on the line.
Glass volleyed just wide 10 minutes later, but then Tommy Hannigan needed a vital interception when Matthew Barlow dispossessed Nathan Winder and tried to set up Hume.
Whitman really should have done better, though, in the second minute of stoppage time. Pettinger made a hash of trying to claim Rawle’s cross, and the ball fell to Whitman in front of a gaping goal. But Mike Flynn popped up from nowhere, as if by magic, to block the shot on the line.
Four minutes into the restart Alfreton were punished for not turning their first half superiority into tangible reward. Kieron Walmsley found Ashley Winn in the right of the box, and Hannigan dashed across to stop the centre at the expense of a corner.
But when the flag kick came over, Hume rose high at the back post to head under the bar.
The Reds did not deserve to be behind, and within six minutes they were back on terms. Mark Barnard delivered a long free kick to Rawle just inside the box, and his clever looping back header dropped over the advancing Pettinger and under the bar. Whitman made certain and claimed the final touch, but the ball was deemed to be already over the line and Rawle was named as scorer, to his strike partner’s dismay.
Two minutes later Pettinger produced an unbelievable point-blank save, throwing himself at Anton Brown’s far post header onto a Glass centre to tip it over the bar.
An almighty scramble ensued at the near post following Rawle’s low ball in from the left, before a corner was conceded. That was cleared to Glass who let fly from 25 yards and watched it go a matter of inches wide.
But it was Stalybridge who regained the lead against the run of play in the 67th minute. Hume sent Sykes cutting in from the left, and Roberts beat the finish around the near post. But Alfreton had not learned from the previous Stalybridge corner, and this time it was Foster who headed powerfully in, unchallenged at the near post.
Rawle marred his man of the match performance seven minutes later with a glaring miss. Ashley Burbeary’s well flighted free kick found him in the right of the area, but with the goal at his mercy he seemed to lose sight of the ball which went untouched through his legs, and the chance was gone.
New assistant boss David Reeves replaced Brown for the final 13 minutes in a bid to inject more options up front, but it was not to be, as Stalybridge went home with three, on the balance of play, unlikely points.
ALFRETON: Roberts, Clarke, Barnard, Hannigan, Winder, Nwadike, Glass, Burbeary, Rawle, Whitman, Brown (Reeves 77). Subs not used: Turner, Sleath, Harcourt, Flanagan.
STALYBRIDGE: Pettinger, Walmsley, Kay, Keeling, Flynn, Foster, Winn, Olsen, Barlow, Hume, Sykes. Subs not used: Maxfield, Smith, Prince, Fish, Buxton.
REFEREE: Paul Hobday of Tipton.
ATTENDANCE: 279.
GOALS: Alfreton – Rawle 55. Stalybridge – Hume 49; Foster 67.
CAUTION: Winn 72 (unsporting conduct).
REDS MAN OF THE MATCH: Mark Rawle.