2005/06 season match No.12
Nationwide North
Saturday, October 15th, 2005
Alfreton Town 0, Stalybridge Celtic 0
Match report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD). Pics by Phil Lucic and Kev Miles.

Alfreton Town kept their first clean sheet of the season but despite another pleasing display they had to settle for a point against big-spending Stalybridge Celtic on Saturday.
It was a point that the Reds may have been happy with before the match, but their overall share of possession in a gutsy and at times skilful display should have seen them take all three.
Even so, boss Gary Mills – while disappointed by the lack of goals – was pleased to see a clean sheet kept at long last.
“We’ve shown again, especially in the first 45 minutes, how far we’ve come after starting the season poorly,” he said.
“I was particularly delighted by our defence and now I would like to feel that when we get into the opposition’s final third we can put in some better final balls.
“But you can’t get everything at once, and really if anyone deserved to win it was us.”
Mills left himself out because of a troublesome calf, and skipper Dave Robinson returned, but in Mills’ midfield slot instead of his more usual central defensive berth, where Mark Turner has been and continued to be impressive.
Any one of the back four could have taken man of the match, but the accolade went to Mark Blount who did an excellent job on ace marksman Jody Banim, who reputedly cost Stalybridge somewhere around £10,000.
However, full backs Ryan Clarke and Lee Featherstone also defended well and caused problems for the visitors when going forward, while Robinson and Matt Fisher formed a battling central midfield, although perhaps tending to sit too deep behind the front men at times.
One worrying aspect was that Jon Stevenson, Robinson and Fisher all pulled up with injuries, although in the case of the first two it was little more than cramp after an energetic work rate, and they should quickly regain fitness.
Fisher suffered a dead leg but, typically of him, soldiered on to the end, and the hope is that it does not stiffen up, especially with the massive FA Cup tie at Hereford to come.
The Reds may well have taken the lead in only the second minute when Stevenson pounced on a poor clearance but chipped over from 14 yards.
And Blount hooked wide from a Chris Bettney corner with the game still less than six minutes old.
It was not until the 15th minute that Stalybridge engineered a chance, when Clarke’s clearance went high instead of long and fell to Banim, whose finish was uncharacteristically weak and straight at Greg Smith.
Mick Godber volleyed just over following a cute flick over Mark Barnard midway through the half.
Although Celtic came more into the game towards the end of the half they were generally restricted to shots from distance, although with a couple of these Banim was not too far off target.
As the first half entered stoppage time Robinson should have headed the Reds in front at the far post from a corner – the ball dropped just wide.
But right on the whistle Blount’s only error of the match saw him let the ball run under his foot to Lee Ellington, and it took a superb last gasp challenge on the edge of the box by Fisher to deny him a shot.
The second half carried on as the first had ended, with the game a little more even.
Paul Sykes headed a dangerous Jason Blunt cross for a corner with Stevenson poised to finish at the far post.
Banim was lucky not to see a card at all for two fouls, the first on Robinson who ultimately had to be replaced, and the second on Fisher.
And the prolific striker almost profited from the referee’s tolerance when he had the ball in the net on 73 – fortunately he had strayed offside.
However, Prince and Sykes were booked for fouls as Stalybridge added a touch more steel to their display, Sykes for scything down Bettney as he broke away from Celtic’s first corner of the match with 14 minutes remaining.
Godber should have won it for Alfreton four minutes later, sidefooting a golden chance straight at Paul Pettinger from Blunts squared pass, but it was not to be as it ended as it had begun – still goalless.
ALFRETON: G. Smith, Clarke, Featherstone, Blount, Turner, Robinson (Harbottle 68), Blunt (Powell 81), Fisher, Godber, Stevenson (Duffield 71), Bettney. Subs not used: Ross, Woolley.
STALYBRIDGE: Pettinger, B. Smith, Barnard, Keeling, Haran, Price, Garvey (Black 26), Sykes, Ellington, Banim, Prince. Subs not used: Turley, Baker, Parr, Buxton.
REFEREE: Peter Walker of Leeds.
ATTENDANCE: 388.
CAUTIONS: Stalybridge – Prince 74 (foul on Blunt); Sykes 76 (‘professional’ foul on Bettney).
MAN OF THE MATCH: Mark Blount.