Belper fall to yet another defeat

Tividale took the lead the twice in the first half but were pegged back by the Nailers both times, the home side went ahead for the third time on the hour mark, despite being a man light they ruled out another comeback by wrapping the game up in second half stoppage time.

The home side went ahead in the 21st minute, Ashley Jackson whipped in a low corner from the right hand side which found Mark Danks, who smashed the ball towards the upright of crossbar and post and the referee and linesman decided the ball had crossed the line.

Ben Fairclough levelled the game for Belper five minutes before half-time, he swept the ball home left footed from the edge of the box after good work from Jonathan Williams to create space for the goalscorer.

Chris Rabone restored Tividale’s lead on the stroke of half-time, forward Chris Sterling turned and slipped the ball through to the goalscorer who side-footed the ball high into goal past Nailers ‘keeper Danny Haystead.

Belper got back on level terms again ten minutes into the second half through Evan Garnett, his strike partner Tom Liversedge held the ball up and played lovely reverse pass into the path of Garnett, who fired the ball into the roof of the net past onrushing ‘keeper Thomas Turner.

Sterling got himself on the score sheet on the hour mark, he found himself one-v-one with Haystead and calmly rounded the Nailers ‘keeper and slotted the ball into the unguarded net, despite the efforts of Paul Lister on the line.

Fifteen minutes from time with the score at 3-2, Danks seemed to punch the ball as he challenged for a header with Belper centre-half Lee Cooksey, the referee had no hesitation in showing the Tividale forward his second booking of the afternoon.

Despite being a man down, Tividale secured all three points in stoppage time when substitute Demetri Brown scored a brilliant solo goal. He held off Lister on the halfway line, beat him for pace down the line then cut back inside onto his right foot and curled a delightful shot into the top corner, past a helpless Haystead.

Tividale: Turner (GK); Wright (Devlin 76’), Chilton, Fletcher, Race, Barnes, Jackson, Milligan (C), Danks, Sterling (Brown 79’), Rabone (Caines-Powell 89’). Unused subs: Taylor, O’Neill.

Belper Town: Haystead, Purcicoe (C), Lister, Cooksey, Matthews; Fairclough (Wedderburn 81’), Williams, Johnson, Stevenson (Hemagou 61’); Garnett, Liversedge (Ryan 63’). Unused subs: Taylor, Marshall.

Referee: Akil Howson

Attendance: 104