Promotion hopes fading

The Nailers have lost their way in recent weeks and at Stamford last Saturday, they were unconvincing against a team that offered very little themselves.

Anthony Wilson was absent through suspension so Luke Fedorenko was in from the start and Simon Mirfin was on the bench after recovering from injury.

Belper’s league season has collapsed around them in a four-week spell that has seen them pick up just two points from the 18 available, and their performance at The Vic Couzens Stadium was typical of their displays over this period.

They had plenty of possession and looked threatening to a point but very little is being created in front of goal despite all the variations in formations that the management have employed.

Stamford had the better of the opening exchanges but it was Jon Froggatt who had the first serious effort on goal in the 10th minute after receiving a cross from Ollie Ryan.

A long range effort from Richard Haigh nearly caught Stamford ‘keeper Chris Wright off his guard three minutes later, but there was precious little goal mouth activity at either end until the Daniels scored a bizarre opening goal in the 19th minute.

A long clearance caught the Nailers out at the back but it seemed as though Richard Adams and Adam Ogden had got things covered, but a mix up allowed the ball to run between them leaving Danny Cotton the easiest of tasks to run the ball into the gaping goal.

To be fair to Belper they controlled most of the rest of the first half but despite a stream of crosses, mainly from Luke Fedorenko, there were very few scraps for Jon Froggatt and Ollie Ryan to feed off, as Wright was dominant in the air.

Stamford had even less presence in the Belper penalty area with Danny Matson’s weakly struck shot being the sum total of the Daniels’ attacking effort in this period.

The second half started better for the Nailers when they were awarded a penalty in the 49th minute.

Matt Telling made a strong run into the penalty area and had made a clear opening for him when Stamford skipper Miles Chamberlain tripped him as he shaped up to shoot.

Chamberlain might have been sent off for the challenge but didn’t even get shown a yellow card, and almost got away without any punishment at all as Chris Wright beat away Jon Froggatt’s spot kick, but Lee Stevenson ran in to hit home the rebound for his 30th goal of the season.

Belper’s spirits were visibly raised and they looked dangerous going forward for a while, but they were completely flattened by a wonder strike from Lee Beeson in the 55th minute.

Beeson must have been 30 yards out before hitting the ball with such venom that it was in the back of the net before Adam Ogden could react.

It was a cracking goal from Stamford’s point of view and gave them back the lead, which they hadn’t really deserved, and Belper heads dropped!

Beeson nearly punished the Nailers again on 62 minutes when he ghosted past two defenders before forcing Ogden into a diving save, and preventing Belper going further behind.

There were more groans of frustration from Belper supporters in the 66th minute when Jon Froggatt jumped high above anyone else to plant a header against the cross bar following a tantalising Ryan Hindley cross.

Then came controversy in the 70th minute when Ollie Ryan (pictured) received a second yellow card after the referee claimed he had dived in order to get a free kick.

In reality, Ryan had nudged the ball beyond Wright who had come out of his area and the ‘keeper had caught him as Ryan tried to get past.

The referee saw things differently and Ryan had to go!

Lee Stevenson should have used the ball better in the 89th minute after Matt Telling had supplied the pass, but Belper’s top scorer scuffed his shot from 3 yards out when all he had to do was hit the target or roll it across the six yard box to waiting colleagues.

The margin of defeat could have been greater for the Nailers because a poor goal kick from Adam Ogden went straight to Danny Cotton and his first effort hit the upright, and his follow up shot went into the side netting.

With eight games left, the Nailers probably need to win seven of them to finish in the play offs, and a reversal of form and fortune is needed sooner rather than later.

Stamford: Wright, Watson, Jackson, Chamberlain, Malone, Weston, Beeson (Hook 73), Ellison, Battersby, Matson (Burton-Jones 55), Cotton. Unused subs: Sedgemore, Kormaz.

Belper Town: Ogden, Colliver, Haigh, Telling, Adams (Oliver 58), Naylor, Harcourt (Hindley 58), Stevenson, Froggatt, Ryan, Fedorenko (Mirfin 78). Unused subs: Barnard, Hudson.

Referee: A Harvey (West Bridgford)

Attendance: 213

Match Action:
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