2004/05 - Match No. 42
Nationwide North
Saturday, February 12th, 2005
Alfreton Town 0, Worcester City 0
Report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD). Pics by Phil Lucic.

ALFRETON had to settle for a goalless stalemate against Worcester in atrocious conditions at the Impact Arena on Saturday.
The fair result was a repeat of that at St George’s Lane earlier in the season, and means that the two sides, who had never met before the current campaign, have still to score or concede a goal against each other.
It may not have been the result the Reds fans wanted on Saturday after Alfreton had ended their barren run in midweek, especially as it killed off a run of seven successive defeats for the visitors, but boss David Lloyd found enough positives to remain upbeat after the match.
“It was always going to be difficult in those conditions,” he said afterwards, “and both teams deserve credit for the way they handled them.
“I was pleased not to lose the match – after all the cup runs we’ve had I would gladly have taken four points from these last two games.
“It was another clean sheet, which will build confidence at the back and through the team.
“And their keeper made a great save when Peter Duffield might have won it for us in the second half (pictured above).
As it turned out, both sides fared better playing into the howling gale and intermittent horizontal driving rain.
The Reds had the task of dealing with that in the first half, but in the opening minutes Mick Godber glanced a header from a corner wide and Duffield fired past the far post after cutting in from the left.
Alfreton dictated the first half-hour, with some quality central midfield play in the difficult conditions by both Carl Bradshaw and Matt Fisher.
City’s Barry Woolley had to make a vital clearance before the inrunning Ben Chapman could meet Godber’s low cross from the right helped on by Duffield, while Bradshaw, Bettney and Duffield all had shots blocked in a scramble midway through the half.
Worcester managed to pick up their game for the final 15 minutes of the period, and Lee Butler superbly turned over the bar Nick Colley’s rising 25-yard free kick, and then sprawled to his right to push aside Jai Stanley’s wicked drive from the right of the area.
But Paul Carty really should have put City ahead in the 41st minute when, left unmarked on the edge of the box with only Butler to beat, he miscued his shot tamely at the keeper.
The second half began slowly, although Colley landed two efforts onto the roof of Butler’s net in the opening 10 minutes.
Carl Heeley managed an important clearing header as Godber was set to pounce on Bettney’s looping cross, but Grant Brown got in an equally important interception to prevent Rob Warner’s through ball from reaching Leon Kelly.
Kelly scooped City’s best chance of the half over the angle on 74 after a neat build along the right by Warner and Stanley.
But a minute later City keeper Daniel McDonnell flung himself to his right to push away Duffield’s crisp drive from the right of the box, after Godber had set up the chance.
Alfreton sent on Mark Sale for Godber for the last eight minutes in a late bid to snatch victory, but it was City who almost sealed it in stoppage time.
A Reds free kick was blocked in the area, and Kelly escaped to run the length of the field before facing Butler, who did very well to win the one-on-one at the expense of a fruitless corner.
MATCH DETAILS
ALFRETON: Butler, Blount, Simpkins, Foster, Brown, Bradshaw, Bettney (Holmes 90), Fisher, Godber (Sale 82), Duffield, Chapman. Subs not used: Nwadike, S. Woolley, Teather.
WORCESTER: McDonnell, Warner, Carty, Hoyle, B. Woolley, Heeley, Stanley, Colley, Kelly, Webster, Snape. Subs not used: Lyons, Volosanovs, Warmer, Smith, Skyers.
REFEREE: Gary Lomas of Sheffield.
ATTENDANCE: 378.
REDS MAN OF THE MATCH: Carl Bradshaw.