Match Preview

Stocksbridge Park Steels (H) – Saturday 24th February 2024

The Opposition - History
Stocksbridge Park Steels are a relatively new club in comparison to others in the League, having been formed as recently as 1986 following a merger between Stocksbridge Works and Oxley Park Sports.
The new club was granted entry to the NCEL Division Two but this was disbanded five years later and re-organised, with the Steels moving to Division One.
New manager Mick Horne led them to the title at the first time of asking in 1992 and after a tough season first time out in the Premier Division they won the title the following season.
Unfortunately Bracken Moor did not meet the requirements for promotion to the NPL and so they had to remain in the NCEL.
A couple of seasons later in 1996 they finished second on goal difference and were at this time admitted to the NPL - they have remained there since.
After a few seasons of consolidation they reached the Premier Division in 2009, defeating the Nailers in the Playoff Final.
They spent five seasons at Step 3 before being relegated in 2014, ironically being replaced by Belper who won the Division One South Playoffs that season.
They have played at Step 4 for the last decade, finishing in the top six on three occasions including last season's 5th placed finish which earned them a Playoff place. They were defeated by Stockton Town in the semi-finals.

The Opposition - This Season
The Steels started the season the way they had finished the previous one, with a match against Stockton. They picked up a credible draw in the north-east to kick off their campaign and followed this up with a comprehensive home win against Liversedge.
However four successive defeats followed, in the FA Cup against Cleethorpes and league games against Grantham, Ashington and Sheffield.
They returned to form with a four game winning streak, in three different competitions - FA Trophy twice, League and Sheffield & Hallam Cup.
Defeat to Grimsby Borough set off another four game run, this time defeats as their inconsistent start to the season continued and this period saw them exit the FA Trophy to Worksop.
October going in to November saw them struggle for goals, going three games without scoring before bouncing back to defeat Cleethorpes.
Their win on Saturday was their first in six matches, Ross Goodwin sealing the points 18 minutes from time at home to Winterton, a vital win for the Steels.
Despite being near the bottom of the table, only six teams have a better defensive record this season; they have conceded four fewer goals than Belper.
They remain in the Sheffield & Hallam Cup where they will face Penistone Church in the semi-finals on Wednesday evening.

Stocksbridge are based in South Yorkshire and a journey of just short of 50 miles awaits them today.

Manager Ian Richards took over in September 2021. A former Nailer as well as player at Stocksbridge, he previously managed Penistone Church.
Luke Rawson is top of the scoring charts this season with 15. Jack Watson has 8 and Tomas Poole 6.

They currently sit 17th with the following record:
P 25 W 6 D 8 L 11 F 30 A 33 Pts. 26
Eight of those points have come away from home - their only win on the road so far was at Carlton in October.

The Nailers
Belper come in to the match top of the form guide, with four successive victories over Newton Aycliffe, Carlton Town, Ossett United and Consett.
Only one goal has been conceded during that run and the Nailers defence have kept three successive clean sheets.
Those victories have given us a six point cushion meaning 2nd place in the table is secure at full time no matter the result at the Raygar Stadium.
Belper's record reads: P 27 W 16 D 3 L 8 F 56 A 37 Pts. 51.
Eight of those wins and 25 of the points have come at home.
Kevin Bastos remains clear as top scorer with 18. Cam Johnson hit 8 before his move to Sheffield and Phil Watt has 6.

Head to Head
Stocksbridge are one of our most faced opponents in recent years.
The teams have met 43 times, with Stocksbridge leading things 21-15 (despite Belper winning the first three) and 7 draws.
Memorable matches include the Presidents Cup Final in 1990/91, a two-legged tie marking the first meetings and Belper emerged victorious 8-1 on aggregate.
In 2002, Belper were 0-3 down and missed a penalty before coming back to win 4-3 at Christchurch Meadow.
A couple of years later Stocksbridge reversed the scoreline at the same ground, Belper being reduced to ten players and Bullimore scoring a hattrick of penalties for The Steels.
The most recent fixture, at Bracken Moor earlier this season finished 1-1. Luke Rawson gave the Steels the lead after 65 minutes despite them having been reduced to ten men a few minutes earlier. Rev James salvaged a point for the Nailers with two minutes remaining.
Belper's record in the fixture reads P 43 W 15 D 7 L 21 F 52 A 55

Form Guide (League)
Belper Town - (13 Jan) WLWWWW (17 Feb)
Stocksbridge - (13 Jan) DDDDDW (17 Feb)

Team News
Brodie Litchfield is available again following his suspension.
New signing Robbie McNicholas is available to make his debut if selected.

Permutations
Belper's good run means that a six point gap has been established to 3rd place Dunston and so the Nailers will finish the day in 2nd no matter what - Stockton are six points clear at the top.
It is of course worth noting that every team in the chasing pack behind us have multiple games in hand, including Dunston's four.
For Stocksbridge, a point will guarantee they won't drop a place. A win will move them up the table; Brighouse and Bridlington are both three points ahead but have inferior goal differences, and they meet on Saturday.

Match details
Belper Town vs. Stocksbridge Park Steels
Northern Premier League Division One - East Division
Saturday, 24th February 2024 – 3:00pm kick off
Raygar Stadium
Bridge Street
Belper
Derbyshire
DE56 1BA
Tickets: Adults £11, Concessions £7, U11s £0

Follow the match
Live commentary is available with Tom on Radio Belper Town - https://radiobelpertown.mixlr.com
Full coverage on X (Twitter). Team news, HT & FT scores on Facebook.
Match reports to follow on the website and in the Non-League Paper.

Elsewhere in Division One East

The action starts Friday night with a north east derby where Hebburn can move to 3rd with a win over Newton Aycliffe, who need a win to enter the playoff places.
Dunston will have a chance to regain it the following day but their opponents Pontefract are level on points and can move to 3rd themselves. The fact that at least one of these teams will drop points makes it a good fixture for Belper.
Dunston play again on Tuesday and have another chance to close the gap on the Nailers.

Friday 23rd February

(5th) Hebburn Town vs. Newton Aycliffe (8th)

Saturday 24th February

(15th) Brighouse Town vs. Bridlington Town (16th)
(11th) Cleethorpes Town vs. Carlton Town (7th)
(3rd) Dunston vs. Pontefract Collieries (4th)
(19th) Grantham Town vs. North Ferriby (6th)
(18th) Ossett United vs. Consett AFC (9th)
(14th) Sheffield FC vs. Grimsby Borough (10th)
(1st) Stockton Town vs. Ashington AFC (12th)
(20th) Winterton Rangers vs. Liversedge (13th)

Tuesday 27th February

(9th) Consett AFC vs. Newton Aycliffe (8th)
(3rd) Dunston UTS vs. Sheffield FC (14th)
(13th) Liversedge vs. Ossett United (18th)