2005/06 season match No.1 Nationwide North
Saturday, August 13th
Alfreton Town 1, Vauxhall Motors 2
Match report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD). Pics by Kev Miles and Phil Lucic.

Chris White (far left) equalises for Alfreton Town.

RESPECTIVE managers Gary Mills and Owen Brown were in full agreement after new look Alfreton began their league season with a disappointing defeat.
Both commented afterwards that their sides had got exactly what they deserved from the match, and not even the wearer of the reddest-tinted spectacles could have disagreed.
Alfreton Townhad ten players making league debut's, Shaun Bodkin in goal, Ryan Clarke, Shaun Smith, newly-installed captain David Robinson, Jason Blunt, Kevin Donovan, Neil Ross, Jon Stevenson and Chris White.
Town were chasing the game after just 84 seconds as Vauxhall put in a bid for the first Conference goal of the season, and although a second half improvement brought an equaliser for Chris White eight minutes in, the Wirral side had the final word with a 75th-minute winner.
An angry Mills admitted afterwards that Alfreton looked a poor side for the majority of the game, and said that it was now of paramount importance that they bounce back at Hednesford and Worksop.
He added: “Some players will be very disappointed by their performance, others will be fairly pleased with what they have done. But because some individually have under-performed, the whole team has also under-performed, and I’m very disappointed for everyone connected with the club.”
Such has been the transformation since the appointment of Mills and Darron Gee, that not one player who figured in the final match of last season at Stafford began the new campaign with a starting shirt, and only Mark Blount of last term’s squad was on the field for the kick-off.
But Mills refused to attach too much emphasis on the time needed for the side to gel, insisting that the prime cause was that certain people did not do their jobs properly.
In particular he added: “We’ve got to defend better than we did, we can’t go conceding goals in that way. We’re at home and have got to start better than that.”
That said, there was a touch of ill-luck about the Motormen’s opener. The game kicked off in torrential rain which made for a tricky surface, and Mark Blount slipped as he attempted to cut out Steve McNulty’s through ball to striker Leighton McGivern – which would normally have been a routine interception for the defender.
McGivern accepted the gift, and rounded Ryan Clarke and the grounded Shaun Bodkin to slot into the empty net and give the visitors’ small following a dream start.
Shocked by that, the Reds were forced onto the defensive as Vauxhall went into overdrive, and Bodkin had to deal with a wickedly skidding shot from the right by Peter Cumiskey and then tip over a first time effort by Paul Addo.
It was 12 minutes before the Reds mounted an attack of note involving Jason Blunt, Jon Stevenson and Neil Ross whose cross shot beat the far post.
Bodkin did well to claim a ball that had held up on the surface at the feet of the always dangerous McGivern midway through the half, and then had to claw the striker’s deflected shot from under the angle.
One of the few bright spots for Alfreton was the nifty footwork and close control of Stevenson, who saw one 20-yard effort just clear the angle, but the worrying aspect was that the Reds exercised no midfield control in the first period and Tim Dittmer in the visitors’ goal had only routine work to do.
Alfreton did step it up on the restart, and a 20-minute spell gave rise to encouragement, bringing its reward in the 53rd minute.
Cumiskey was reduced to bringing down Stevenson just outside the area in the inside left position as the striker embarked on another mazy run, and White curled the perfect free kick around the wall and just under the near angle.
And Blunt was close to giving the Reds the lead, running in to drive narrowly wide after Stevenson had pulled back Ross’ forward ball from the by-line.
The Reds had what appeared good claims for a penalty rejected when Ross looked to have been tripped by McNulty on 70, but it was McNulty at the other end who restored Vauxhall’s lead five minutes later with an unstoppable 20-yard shot from McGivern’s left wing cross.
And it could have been worse five more minutes on.
Blount missed his challenge on McGivern who got away along the left. Bodkin parried the first shot, and McGivern opted to give Cumiskey the chance at the opposite post from the rebound. But with a gaping goal at his mercy Cumiskey could only find the side netting.
Shaun Smith almost snatched an unlikely equaliser in stoppage time with a stooping, glancing header which looked on its way into the net until Dittmer managed to stop and, maybe crucially, keep hold of to deny any follow-up.
ALFRETON: Bodkin, Clarke, S. Smith, Robinson, Blount, Turner, Blunt, Donovan, Ross (Duffield 81), Stevenson, White (Bettney 76). Subs not used: Fisher, Powell, G. Smith.
VAUXHALL: Dittmer, Woodyatt, McDermott, McNutt (Szmid 81), McNulty, Brazier, Addo (Duffy 64), Lawton, McGivern, Moogan, Cumiskey. Subs not used: Spellman, O’Donnell, Tomlinson.
REFEREE: Craig Pawson of Sheffield.
ATTENDANCE: 283.
SCORERS: Alfreton – White 53. Vauxhall – McGivern 2; McNulty 75.
REDS MAN OF THE MATCH: Jon Stevenson