Nailers bemused by Spalding defeat

Having beaten the league leaders in their previous game Belper should have brushed aside lowly Spalding but they huffed and puffed all afternoon without creating an opportunity worthy of a mention.

With Adam Ogden (pictured) back in goal the Nailers were without Ben Walker, Jordan Hall, Andy Rushbury and Anthony Wilson who were all absent for one reason or another.

The Tulips, without a win since the beginning of December, began as though they expected to lose this one too, with the Nailers starting in a positive manner.

Richard Haigh sent a header towards the far post in the 10th minute that Michael Emery did well to hold, and two minutes later Ollie Ryan hit a rasping effort just wide from 25 yards.

Ryan was unlucky with another effort struck from the edge of the penalty area following a good Belper move.

The uneven pitch wasn’t helping the Nailers who like to pass the ball around, but if this was a disadvantage then surely this was evened out when the Tulips had a man sent off in the 24th minute.

The referee responded to his assistant’s flag some time after the incident that led to Barmoussa Cisse’s dismissal, and the reason for the red card was put down to a kick aimed at Adam Ogden.

Ryan Hindley’s 34th minute corner kick was met by James Colliver whose looping header floated just past the far post, but in the 38th minute the Nailers received a stark warning that Spalding weren’t finished as an attacking threat.

Peter Smith ran forward on the break and released the ball to Dominic Henson who was clear on the left.
He tried to lift his shot over Adam Ogden who had rushed out to narrow the angle and fortunately the ball bounced past the far post and the danger had been averted.

With the Nailers struggling to get the better of a well organised Spalding back line, the quality of the game had deteriorated and Belper had shown no signs of taking advantage of Spalding’s reduced numbers, although Lee Stevenson did have the half’s only shot on target just before the break.

The Nailers continued to toil in the second half without success.

Ryan Hindley’s 54th minute free kick reached Jon Froggatt whose header was touched over the bar by Emery and a constant stream of crosses were headed away by the Tulip’s defenders, and anything they couldn’t cope with, the ‘keeper tidied up.

But after Belper went to three at the back when Luke Fedorenko was introduced as a substitute Spalding stunned Belper when they took the lead in the 64th minute.

Simon Mowbray caught the Nailers defence unawares and he ran on to a through and slotted it past Adam Ogden.

Belper tried to step up the pace after this but nothing seemed to work for them however hard they tried.

James Colliver’s sweetly struck shot from outside the penalty area in the 68th minute made Emery move smartly across his goal to divert the ball around the post, but getting any closer to the goal proved fruitless for Belper as Spalding threw everything they had into their defending.

Even when the Nailers had the slightest glimmer of goal in their sights Spalding managed to get a leg or a body in the way, and when Ollie Ryan managed to get a shot away in the 70th minute, Matty Evans was on the goal line ready to make the clearance.

As Belper laboured and ran out of ideas, the Tulips came close to getting a second goal on 83 minutes, but Adam Ogden, who’d had very little to do all afternoon, flung himself to his left to prevent further embarrassment for the Nailers.

Definitely a game to forget as the Belper end an otherwise very good month on a sour note and they now look forward to taking points off another promotion contender when Kidsgrove arrive at Christchurch Meadow on Saturday.

SPALDING UNITED
Emery, Evans, Brown, Smith (King 76), Legendre, Piergianni, Henson (Forbes 55), Toyne, Cisse, Mowbray (De Oliviera 66), Oliver. Other subs: Walker, Drury

BELPER TOWN
Ogden, Colliver, Haigh (Hudson 85), Telling, Adams (Fedorenko 57), Naylor, Harcourt, Stevenson, Ryan, Froggatt, Hindley (Mirfin 66). Other subs: Middleton, Kearney

Goalscorers

SPALDING UNITED
Simon MOWBRAY(64)

Referee: G Law (Leicester)

Attendance: 80

Man of the Match: Jon FROGGATT

Match Action
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