ALFRETON 3-0 TOWN
The Town slipped to their first away defeat of the season as they were soundly beaten at Alfreton.
The Hatters came into the game with a 100 per cent record on their travels but they were behind as early as the second minute when Anthony Wilson stroked home Nathan Arnold’s right-wing cross.
It got worse for the Town on 23 minutes when Dean Beckwith fouled the lively Arnold in the penalty area and Dan Bradley converted the resultant penalty.
The Town had Mark Tyler to thank soon after when he tipped a goal-bound Arnold shot on the post to prevent it becoming 3-0.
With Scott Rendell and Stuart Fleetwood missing through injury, although Fleetwood was named amongst the substitutes, Paul Buckle gave a debut to Jake Robinson, signed on-loan from Northampton yesterday.
And it was Robinson’s persistence down the left that resulted in the Town’s best chance of the half that Andre Gray screwed wide on his left-foot minutes before the break.
At the break Buckle rang the changes, bringing on Fleetwood, Yaser Kasim and Connor Essam in a triple substitution that saw Janos Kovacs, Greg Taylor and Adam Watkins make way.
The Hatters made a bright start to the second half with Gray sending a shot wide of the target two minutes after the restart.
But despite being better on the ball in the second period the Town couldn’t find a way through and Alfreton made it 3-0 when Tyler hit an attempted clearance straight at Wilson and the home forward slotted home into an empty net.
The Hatters huffed and puffed in search of a consolation but couldn’t find one and it was Alfreton who celebrated victory at the final whistle on a day to forget for Town.
Full report to follow.
FULL-TIME All over here, full report to follow.
77 gone, still Hatters trail 3-0. They've had more of the ball in this half but they still haven't been able to breach the Alfreton goal.
66 on the clock, disaster for Town. A harmless ball over the top should be easy for Tyler to pass to a team-mate but he gets it all wrong and presents a chance to Wilson who taps home into an empty net 3-0.
All the Hatters at the start of this second half. 10 minutes played. Still 2-0 to the hosts, though. Massive improvement already.
Three subs at the break for the Town. Essam, Kasim and Fleetwood on for Kovacs, Taylor and Watkins.
HALF-TIME At the break the Hatters are behind. Work for the Town to do.
37 gone, Hatters pushing for a way back in to this but Alfreton almost go 3-0 up and they have Tyler to thank for a wonderful stop to turn an Arnold shot onto the post.
GOAL! Bad news for the Town, they're 2-0 down now. Beckwith concedes a penalty by pulling down Nathan Arnold inside the box. Up steps Dan Bradley and is good spot-kick beats Tyler, who dives the right way.
12 gone, almost a chance for an equaliser, Robinson shoots straight at the home goalkeeper.
Early goal for the hosts as Anthony Wilson gets ahead of the Town defence to convert a right-wing cross past Tyler.
Half a sniff for the Town, Gray heads over Lawless cross from the right.