2004/05 - Match No. 52
Nationwide North
Monday, March 28th, 2005
Alfreton Town 1, Stalybridge Celtic 0
Report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD).
IF ALFRETON Town fans want to see their favourites at their best, then it seems they should watch them when they are playing sides who are on the crest of a wave.
That was true at Barrow a couple of weeks ago, and it was true again on Easter Monday as Stalybridge Celtic, revitalised since the appointment of John Reed as manager, saw their 12-match unbeaten league run ended by Peter Duffield’s 81st-minute deflected goal.
Reds boss Dave Lloyd acclaimed the win as ‘a great result against a team enjoying a run of success.
He added: “We haven’t deserved to lose most of the games we have lost lately, maybe we’ve not deserved to win them either, but we haven’t had much of the rub of the green.
“Today their goalkeeper has been superb, and it took a little stroke of luck for us, the first we’ve had in ages, to beat him.
“There’s no disputing that it was Peter Duffield’s goal, even though it got a deflection. It was going goalwards, the keeper had gone for it, and Peter deserved the credit.
“But credit too to Mark Sale who got a great header down to set it up.
“Mark’s done really well for us, he’s won headers, he’s got flicks on, and he’s caused them all sorts of problems.”
Sale’s inclusion meant a three-pronged attack for the Reds, as assistant boss Charlie Williamson explained.
“After the run we’ve had we decided to change things and bring the big man in to go three up front – and it’s come off for us. We needed, and got, a battling performance not only from ‘Saley’ but also from the whole side without exception. But Mark was in a different class today.”
Mark Blount also made his first start since picking up an injury at Nuneaton, after coming on as substitute at Hinckley on Good Friday.
Both sides made a committed opening with Blount getting in an early clearance ahead of Aaron Wilford, and Mick Godber being closed down by two defenders as he shaped to shoot after good work on the left by Nick Heinemann and Duffield.
Paul Sykes was in quickly to boot away as Sale threatened before Alfreton won four corners in as many minutes.
The last of these reached the head of Sale, but Craig Dootson managed to punch clear.
Midway through the half Heinemann tried his luck from all of 45 yards and saw his attempt finish on the roof of the net.
Stalybridge responded, and Lee Butler needed two saves in a minute to deny first Steve Smith who had jinked pat two defenders, and then Andy Parton's 25-yard drive.
Chris Bettney's 28-yard screamer just cleared the bar at the other end as Alfreton continued to look lively.
And Duffield had the ball in the net on 37 from Sale's header on, but he was marginally offside.
Celtic had the final word of the half though. Parton was forced wide by Butler, and as he pulled the ball back for Wilford, Matt Fisher made an important challenge to concede a fruitless corner.
Within 40 seconds of the re-start Dootson had to throw himself low to his right as Godber swept Duffield's astute forward pass towards the far corner from the right of the area.
Alfreton then had two penalty appeals turned down in the 58th minute.
Godber probably went down too easily under Sykes' challenge, but a better claim was when Barrie Keeling appeared to have handled tokeep out Sale.
For a 10-minute spell Stalybridge took the upper hand with Alfreton second to the ball too often, but Danny Caldecott was lucky not to see a card of any colour after throwing a punch at the grounded Robinson during a half way line skirmish on 73.
Alfreton emerged from their short slumber after that, and Dootson had to dash out to clear as Godber chased Sykes' under-hit back pass.
The keeper did even better seconds later, superbly pushing away Sale's far post header onto another Bettney cross.
Given the fact that in the last two games saves such as that by the opposing keeper have been followed by the Reds conceding the winner, one could forgive any apprehension at that point.
But this time it was not to be.
The busy Sale was denied by the keeper yet again two more minutes on, and Grant Brown's header onto the resulting corner was blocked on the line by Caldecott.
However, Alfreton finally got the goal they deserved nine minutes from time. Sale got in one more telling header, this time onto Brown's long free kick from the left touchline, and it fell to Duffield, whose goalbound shot went in off Scott Bonsall.
In the fourth minute of stoppage time Paul Shepherd floated a 30-yard free kick into the Alfreton box. Butler caught it but was bundled over the line, the goal was ruled out, and the final whistle sounded before the free kick could be taken.
ALFRETON: Butler, Blount, Heinemann, Foster, Brown, Fisher, Bettney (Holmes 89), I. Robinson, Godber, Duffield (Nwadike 90+2), Sale. Subs not used: Featherstone, Cooper, Chapman.
STALYBRIDGE: Dootson, Black, Caldecott, Keeling, Sykes, Shepherd, S. Smith, Bonsall, Parton, Wilford, Haskins (Hayward 83). Subs not used: Bowker, B. Smith, Wharton, P. Robinson.
REFEREE: Steve Whitehurst of Stoke-on-Trent.
ATTENDANCE: 471.
SCORER: Alfreton – Duffield 81.
CAUTIONS: Alfreton – Sale 45 (dissent); Robinson 66 (late challenge on Haskins).
MAN OF THE MATCH: Mark Sale