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Belper Town
surprised everyone with a stunning victory at Bracken Moor and hauled
themselves into a play off position for the first time this season.
This was only
the Nailers’ second league success at Bracken Moor since the two teams
first met as UniBond League clubs with the first victory being 4-0 back
in season 2000/01.
Traditionally
though, it’s been hard work for Belper teams on the billiard table pitch
high on the hillside and for the first 30 minutes nothing appeared to
have changed.
With just
Andy Rushbury and Richard Tracey absent from the eleven that started at
Brigg the Nailers huffed and puffed straight from the kick off and
allowed Gary Marrow’s side to come at them repeatedly.
The first
third of this game could best be described as awful from a Belper
perspective with the most positive aspect being that they didn’t concede
a goal.
Steels had
three good chances in this period which was a poor return for the
possession they enjoyed, with Adam Oldham missing the first of them by
volleying over the bar from close range after 22 minutes.
Andy Ring
found Alvyn Riley unmarked at the far post two minutes later but he could
only blaze wide and when they did get a shot on target on the half hour
mark, Paul Pettinger pulled off a great diving save to deny Ian Richards.
The narrow
escape seemed to galvanised the Nailers who were transformed for the last
period of the first half.
They played
the ball to feet with impressive one touch passing and found that
Stocksbridge had great difficulty in coping.
The break
through came on 37 minute when former Nailer, Steve
Kennedy clattered into Anthony Wilson from behind leaving Ross
Hannah to convert the spot kick with a pinpoint finish.
Belper
continued to press forward and on the stroke of half time Hannah timed
his run perfectly to receive Danny Hudson’s flick on and was unlucky to
see his first time shot shave the upright.
A shocked
Stocksbridge, who were bursting with confidence after a morale boosting
victory over Cammell Laird four days earlier, barely had time
to regroup in the second period before Belper struck the all
important second goal.
Again it was
the speed of the move that left Steels chasing shadows with first Anthony
Wilson then Ross Hannah combining for Danny Hudson to slide the ball in
from 10 yards on 51 minutes.
Ross Hannah crossed
to the far post where Mickey Harcourt did well to even get to the ball
although he put his header wide but the Nailers’ purple patch yielded
another goal on 56 minutes when Wilson rose majestically from a corner
kick to power a firm header into the corner of the
net.
Hannah tried
a speculative effort three minutes later that bent just beyond the far
post but after this the Nailers allowed Stocksbridge to buzz around their
penalty area for 20 minutes or so until they ran out of ideas.
The Nailers
were in little danger of relinquishing their advantage and, in the
latter stages, began to catch Steels on the break with Richard
Tracey going close on the stroke of full time with a far post header
from Wilson’s cross.
A rare win
then for the Nailers at Bracken Moor and one that looked extremely
unlikely on the first half-hour performance but Belper have proved many
times this season that they can never be written off – such is the
character of this squad of players.
Nigel Oldrini
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