Alfreton Town Football Club
Match reports
2004/05

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2004/05 - Match No. 6
Nationwide North
Saturday, August 28th, 2004
Alfreton Town 3, Vauxhall Motors 1
Report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD) to follow. Pics by Phil Lucic to follow.
ALFRETON returned to the top spot in Nationwide North that they had lost the previous Tuesday, but they were made to work hard for their win by bottom club Vauxhall at the Impact Arena on Saturday.
The game turned on the 24th-minute sending off of Vauxhall’s potential danger man Peter Cumiskey for throwing a punch at Ian Robinson.
But until then the Motormen had been more than a match for a home side still not firing on all cylinders despite the result.
Peter Duffield put the Reds ahead as the first half entered stoppage time, and although Vauxhall squared the match three minutes into the restart, parity lasted only a further two before Mitch Ward restored the Reds’ lead.
Then Mick Godber put the outcome beyond doubt in the 69th minute. And it would have been 4-1 had not substitute Mark Sale’s 84th-minute headed goal been ruled out for a push.
That would have been hard on the industrious visitors, who looked far from a bottom-of-the-league side.
As for the Reds, assistant boss Charlie Williamson admitted that they are still not producing the fluent football of which they are capable.
“The sending off was a turning point,” he agreed afterwards. “We’ve played against Cumiskey before and know how he can hurt opponents.
“We hadn’t played particularly well up to then, our football is still not quite flowing as we know it can, given the quality we have in the dressing room, and we’ve still got one or two players out of position.
“But we’ve got to be pleased with four wins out of five and top of the league. We know this league is going to be very, very difficult – there are no mugs at this level.
“All we can do is to keep on winning matches and hope that the stayaways will return.”
Given the Reds’ start to the season, a crowd of only 252 was dreadfully disappointing, and although there was barely any away following to boost the gate, if Alfreton are to maintain the quality squad that they have in order to challenge for even better things, they need at least three times that number paying at the turnstiles.
With Mark Hume injured, Mark Blount was switched to his favoured central defensive role alongside Grant Brown. Ian Robinson dropped to right back and Chris Bettney started on the right wing for the first time this season.
It was Vauxhall, though, who had the better of the first quarter, and Darren Wright went close after shrugging off Ben Chapman in the 12th minute.
Alfreton did not really show anything until the 19th, when Bettney embarked on a strong run which carried him past four players before Mick Godber took the ball off his toe and was then quickly closed down.
Lee Butler made the first real save of the match three minutes later. James Olsen picked up a half-clearance out of the Reds’ defence and let fly from 23 yards, the keeper having to throw himself to his right to claim and hold the ball.
The turning point arrived on 24. Robinson fouled Cumiskey on the Vauxhall left, the two clashed in the penalty area while waiting for the free kick to be taken, the Vauxhall man downed his adversary with a punch, and the red card was inevitable and immediate. Robinson was also booked for his part in the incident.
Cumiskey’s threat removed, Alfreton came more into the picture, and Bettney clipped the bar with a rising 20-yard drive from a half-cleared corner on 37, with Tim Dittmer beaten.
Dittmer’s handling was called into question, not for the last time, a minute before half time when he could not hold Robinson’s looping cross. Duffield tried to steer the ball in but Mike Tomlinson managed to get his body in the way.
The opening goal did arrive a minute later, as the half entered stoppage time. Butler cleared to Emeka Nwadike out on the left, and he aimed his lofted cross towards Duffield. As Dittmer came to challenge he was always second-favourite, and Duffield lobbed sweetly over him and into the unguarded net.
The second half started in the same explosive way that the first had finished, with a goal at each end inside the first five minutes.
First, Olsen blazed a path between Robinson and Matt Fisher, and his low cross into the six-yard box was swept in by Karl O’Donnell.
But two minutes later Godber did what he does so well, shielding the ball before bringing Duffield into play. His delightful chip over the advancing defence found the excellent Ward who cleverly lobbed over Dittmer. The keeper did manage to get a hand to the ball, but could not prevent it from entering the net.
Resilient Vauxhall refused to lie down, and O’Donnell went close after making space on the 18-yard line. But by now the Reds were in control, with Ward and Fisher pulling the strings in midfield.
Chirs Dolby replaced Nwadike in the 65th minute, and four minutes later he launched the move which brought the Reds’ third goal, sending Chapman on the overlap.
The ex-Boston man did well to see off the challenges of Carl Spellman and Carl Nesbitt before crossing low. Dittmer clawed the ball off the feet of Duffield, but could not keep hold, and Godber was first to the loose ball to put it away.
Substitute Mark Sale thought he had made it 4-1 when he headed Robinson’s cross powerfully into the net at the back post six minutes from time, only to have it ruled out for a push, but by then the points were already in Alfreton’s bag.
ALFRETON: Butler, Robinson, Chapman, Blount, Brown, Fisher, Bettney (Holmes 72), Ward, Godber (Sale 76), Duffield, Nwadike (Dolby 65). Subs not used: Knapper, Goddard.
VAUXHALL: Dittmer, Spellman, McDermott, O’Donnell (Duffy 81), Tomlinson, Brazier, Nesbitt, Lawton, Wright, Olsen, Cumiskey. Subs not used: Parry, Molymeux, Griffiths, Flood.
REFEREE: Guy Stretton of Enderby, Leicester.
ATTENDANCE: 252.
SCORERS: Alfreton – Duffield, 45; Ward 50; Godber 69. Vauxhall – O’Donnell 48.
CAUTIONS: Alfreton – Robinson 24 (unsporting conduct); Fisher 51 (foul on Lawton); Sale 81 (foul on Tomlinson). Vauxhall – O’Donnell 77 (foul on Blount); Nesbitt 83 (retaliation on Robinson).
SENT OFF: Vauxhall – Cumiskey 24 (violent conduct).
MAN OF THE MATCH: Peter Duffield.