2006/2007 Season. Match no.44 - Conference North
Monday, April 9th, 2007
ALFRETON TOWN 0, Worcester City 2

Pics by Phil Lucic.

EASTER Monday was about as bad as it gets for  Alfreton Town.
Followers of the Reds who opted for the Impact Arena rather than a Bank Holiday day out were very much the losers as the side turned in an abject home performance
It was in direct contrast to the gritty, battling and often enterprising display at Workington 48 hours earlier, but it is fair to say that the Reds are currently playing far better on their travels than at the Impact Arena, where they are certainly not living up to the stadium’s trumpeting name just now.
True, Alfreton’s injury-hit squad is in a threadbare state and manager Marcus Ebdon has very little in the way of options.
But if the decline in attendances is to be arrested - there were just 246 on Monday - they cannot go on dishing up fare such as this.
It took Worcester just 32 seconds to take the lead, they added another in the 15th minute, and not for even a moment in the match was their any doubt about the destiny of the points.
The Reds could hardly have made a worse start. Mark Danks embarked on a solo run and whipped the ball home from outside the area to put away Worcester’s first ever goal at the Impact Arena.
Alfreton might have equalised in the fifth minute but Tristram Whitman was unable to capitalise as keeper Daniel McDonnell dithered - he was rescued by Justin Thompson hacking the ball away.
In between, it became increasingly obvious that Emeka Nwadike was not fit, and he made way for Nathan Winder in only the eighth minute.
Whitman then gifted Shabir Khan the ball on the edge of the Alfreton area after he slipped while digging out in defence, but Khan’s shot was held by Dale Roberts.
But it was the keeper’s error that supplied City with their second goal. Tom Warmer sent over a corner from the right, Roberts fumbled and dropped the ball, and Adam Webster exacted the ultimate punishment on the keeper.
Another corner two minutes later left Thompson with a free header - fortunately he could find no direction and Callum Flanagan was able to get the ball away.
Having established their lead, Worcester then withdrew into their own shell, and the rest of the half was one long yawn.
Danks headed well over from a deep cross in the 34th minute, and in stoppage time at the end of the half Webster’s effort was well wide after his long throw in was returned to him.
As for Alfreton, it was Easter holiday, and a holiday they were going to have.
Ebdon sent the side out after only 10 minutes to try to find some focus, but if things were better in the second half they were only marginally so.
Anton Brown only partially cleared Warmer’s free kick inside the first minute, but Danks was too high with his shot.
At the other end Flanagan’s curling shot needed only a routine save from McDonnell.
The Reds had their best chance in the 58th minute. Whitman’s cross from the right bobbled cruelly as Ashley Burbeary tried to control it, but Warmer had fouled Winder, and Burbeary’s free kick from 20 yards curled just past the far angle.
Roberts atoned for his earlier error in the 74th minute, doing very well to hold Graham Ward’s free kick, which had taken a massive deflection off the defensive wall.
Alfreton tried to push on in the final 10 minutes, but there was nothing at the end of it, with Ryan Clarke’s shot comfortably held at the end of a promising run, Winder placing a free header from a corner well wide, and Burbeary’s 30-yard free kick tipped over by McDonnell although in any case it would not have counted because of an offside flag.
Two minutes from time McDonnell picked up Graham Ward’s back pass. A lengthy argument ensued which brought a booking for Ward.
From the free kick Burbeary slipped the ball to Winder, but with the City defence in disarray he hooked wide.
That could have been a lifeline given added time, but all that the extra minutes produced was a chance three minutes in which Mark Rawle fired over from 12 yards.
And that just about summed up Alfreton’s afternoon.
ALFRETON: Roberts, Clarke, Brown, Hannigan, Laight, Nwadike (Winder 8), Burbeary, Flanagan (Harcourt 83), Glass, Rawle, Whitman (Scoffham 67). Sub not used; Reeves.
WORCESTER: McDonnell, Ward, Khan, Hodnett, Thompson, Lyttle, Colley, Warmer (Findley 90), Danks (Wood 82), Wilding, Webster. Sub not used: Preece.
REFEREE: Andrew Newbold of Loughborough.
ATTENDANCE: 246.
GOALS: Worcester - Danks 1; Webster 15.
CAUTIONS: Alfreton - Whitman 43 (retaliation). Worcester - Warmer 43 (foul on Whitman); Ward 89 (dissent).
REDS MAN OF THE MATCH: Ryan Clarke.