Alfreton Town (H) – Match Preview

Back at Green Lane, more league action, and a chance to continue our unbeaten start to the league season

Another month of Steelmen action is about to begin, and if it is anything like the last two, then we should be fine.

Three home fixtures and four away ones (including that very odd double-header against Ashton United) will see us have another busy month, but hopefully there will be nothing but wins for us.

FA Trophy progression against Guisborough does mean there is still that cup to play for, which is the reason for one of the two Ashton United games, and there is also a County Cup fixture to be sorted…at some point.

We are currently having the longest unbeaten run to a season since before COVID, with our longest run prior seeing us lose our 10th league match to North Shields back in the 2024/25 season.

However, last season’s winning start is hard to match, with the Steelmen suffering early defeats to Matlock, Emley, and Bishop Auckland, but then not losing another league match for the rest of the season, alongside just 6 draws, too.

So far, whilst having won 6 of our 10 games, we have also amassed 4 draws, meaning we are just two off matching last campaign’s tally in less than half the time.

But, overall, points on the board are what matters, and you cannot deny that fact from us, as we remain in third on 22 points, just one behind 1st-placed Cleethorpes

Adam Boyes will be looking to bag his tenth goal of the season too, with the striker already putting nine into the net, meaning double-digits is now a ‘when’, and not an ‘if’

After scoring in his last two matches, Owen Burns could be set for a remarkable hat-trick (of sorts), and a man of the match award against Alfreton would mean that the young midfielder could also pick up that accolade for the third time in a row.

But it’s something we will just have to wait on for now. Tomorrow will answer all your questions (as long as those questions are about the match against Alfreton).

Now, onto Alfreton. We are the only side who are unbeaten in our league

Alfreton are one of just two who are yet to draw, with the other being Whitby Town.

5 wins and 5 defeats for the Reds have been as much a hot and cold start as possible, with every league match since the 22nd of August then being opposed the following game

A 2-0 loss to Stockton was followed by a 4-0 battering of Hyde. Alfreton then lost 2-1 to Warrington Rylands, beat Whitby 4-1, lost to Bamber Bridge 1-0, and as of Tuesday night, beat Guisely 1-0

So…if the pattern continues, we will beat them

Knowing how football works though, it’ll be a 0-0 draw.

Luckily for me, and this match preview, Alfreton have a whole records segment on their Wikipedia page, which makes this bit slightly easier.

Their highest ever finish saw them come 11th in the 2013-14 National League, but they were then relegated the following year due to a -41 goal difference that far outweighed Welling United’s -21

The Reds have also reached the second round of the FA Cup on three occasions, with their most recent being in the 2023-24 season, where a replay defeat to Walsall knocked them out.

A 15-0 win against Loughborough United back in the 1969-70 season remains their highest win, and a final fact to cover is that back in January 2011, Alfreton would pick up a club record fee for Aden Flint, as he made a £150,000 move to Swindon Town.

What followed was a 5-year stint with Bristol City, where he amassed over 200 appearances, before a year at Middlesbrough, and 86 appearances with Cardiff.

The 6’6 defender then played for the likes of Stoke, Mansfield and Walsall, and has now moved to newly-promoted Rochdale.

As for how things stand now, Alfreton, fresh off relegation at the end of last season, will be trying to get back into Step 2, with their drop to Step 3 being quite cruel, with them and Curzon Ashton both coming down after a 3-3 draw with Hereford, King’s Lynn, Bedford Town, and Oxford City all surviving by the skin of their teeth.

Though, of the four sides to drop down from that league, only Leamington FC have started worse, with the Brakes picking up just one win from their first eight matches

But that’s all, ultimately, irrelevant to tomorrow. All that matters is how we perform on the pitch, and hopefully it is another three-point result from the Steelmen.

See you tomorrow!