Stamford end nailers unbeatern run

PHOTO. Former Nailers 'keeper Dan Haystead punches clear

Both sides entered the fixture in great form with Stamford having scored 15 goals in their last three games whilst Belper Town had defied all odds by beating Rushall Olympic in a thrilling Emirates FA Cup tie last weekend.

As the first half progressed, it was clear to see that Stamford had a number of dangerous players especially going forward; centre midfielder Rob Morgan was one of them and in the first five minutes he worked his way down the left-hand side of Belper's penalty area and crossed in a teasing ball which no one could get on the end of.

Meanwhile, the Nailers struggled to find any real cutting-edge chances in the first half, with Stamford looking the more dangerous team in the final third.

Striker Ollie Brown-Hill had a couple of long-range attempts saved by Belper's Ryan Musselwhite, who had to remain focused throughout.

The only real chance Grant Black’s side had in the first half was when left back Cameron Clark found Alex Peterson with a beautifully flighted corner, but his glancing header went just wide.

It looked as though the teams would head goalless into the interval but just two minutes before the break Stamford broke the deadlock. Brown-Hill found teammate Jon Challinor who made a great overlapping run down the left-hand side and neatly tucked away the ball into the far corner from just eight yards out, leaving no chance for Musselwhite.

This was a big blow for Belper and certainly changed Grant Black’s half time team talk.

However, his team were still in the game and they came out in the second half looking a lot more promising.

Last weekend’s hero, Charlie Dawes crossed a great ball into the penalty area from the left-wing position narrowly missing the head of Peterson.

Stamford were difficult to handle going forward and had the chance to make it 2-0 when danger man Brown-Hill played a great through ball to Tendai Chitiza leaving him one on one with the Belper goalkeeper but his effort hit the post and provided huge let off for the Nailers.

Stamford’s defence was just as strong as their attack with captain Sean Wright at the heart of it, resulting in the Nailers struggling to make any clear cut chances.

Some magic would be required from the Nailers to get back intothe game and this nearly happened as Alex Peterson saw Stamford ‘keeper, Danny Haystead off his line and attempted to lob him from 30 yards out, forcing Haystead to pull off a great save by tipping it over the bar.

The visitors doubled their lead in the 62nd minute as they were awarded a free kick after a challenge from Belper captain Danny South. With the free kick just on the right-hand side of the area it was perfect for the left foot of Brown-Hill, who curled the ball into the far top corner clipping the post on the way through and extending his team’s lead.

Just a minute later and Stamford got their third of the game, with Pearson Mwanyango finding Cosmos Matwasa with a great cross from the right-hand side allowing the winger to flick his header into the far corner of the net.

Despite the game being out of reach for the Nailers, they carried on pushing to get a goal and substitute Leyton Swaine nearly provided this in the 88th minute but his shot from inside the box was smartly blocked by skipper Sean Wright.

In the end, Stamford deserved to leave the Raygar Stadium as 3-0 winners but Grant Black’s side can now look forward to facing Notts County at Meadow Lane in the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round next Saturday.

Belper Town: Mussel white, Bryant (Kozluk 82), Clark, Bertram (Wright 59), South, Watt, Gordon, Robson (Swaine 63), Peterson, Curtis, Dawes. Unused subs: Milner, Ridley, Waldram, Nelthorpe.

Stamford: Haystead, Cooke, Challinor (Armstrong 75), Vince, Wright, Blunden (Luto 70), Chitiza, Morgan, Brown-Hill, Mwanyango, Matwasa. Unused subs: Daniels, Tarris.

Referee: Luis Martin

Attendance: 437