The Opposition - Key Facts
Full name: Long Eaton United Football Club
Nickname: The Blues
Founded: 1956
Ground: Grange Park
Capacity: 1,500 (450 seated)
Chairman: Nick Dargan
Manager: Brad Munn (since November 2023 as sole Manager)
Last season: 5th/21 (NPL Midlands)
Journey distance: 19 miles

The Opposition - History

Long Eaton St Helens joined the Derbyshire Alliance in 1907 before becoming founder members of the Notts & Derbyshire League and later the Central Alliance in 1911, winning the league in 1912–13. Renamed Long Eaton Town in 1914, they briefly competed in the Midland League in the mid-1920s. The club was re-established in 1949, rejoined the Central Alliance, and became Long Eaton United in 1956 following financial restructuring. Success followed with a Division One South title in 1958–59, leading to promotion to the Midland League in 1961.

The club won the Derbyshire Senior Cup in 1964–65 and 1975–76 and became a Midland League Premier Division side. Following the formation of the Northern Counties East League in 1982, Long Eaton won Division One South in 1984–85 to reach the Premier Division. They later moved between the Central Midlands League and the NCEL, earning promotion back to the NCEL Premier Division in 2003–04 and finishing runners-up in 2008–09, also winning the League Cup.

Transferred to the Midland League in 2014, Long Eaton won the Premier Division Cup in 2014–15. After joining the United Counties League in 2021, they won the Premier Division North in 2021–22 and achieved successive promotions via play-offs to reach the Southern League Premier Division Central in 2023. However, relegation followed the next season, returning the club to Division One Midlands of the Northern Premier League.

(Source - Wikipedia)

The Opposition - This Season
After opening the season with a home defeat to Corby Town, The Blues went on a three game winning streak without conceding as they laid the foundations for a return to Step Three.
After exiting both the FA Cup and Trophy in successive matches, they went another couple unbeaten in the NPL but then hit a sticky patch, losing four on the bounce and conceding nine goals in two matches against Racing Club Warwick and Loughborough Students.
They bounced back with two wins before a thrilling draw at Bourne Town then won and lost two out of four home matches in a row.
Their last match was the Boxing Day victory over the Nailers.

League (11th/22): P 23 W 10 D 5 L 8 F 43 A 33 Pts. 35
Cups: P 4 W 2 D 1 L 1 F 8 A 7 (Exited FA Cup at First Qualifying Round and FA Trophy at First Qualifying Round, defeated Sandiacre Town in the last round of the DSC)

Top goalscorers (NPL only): Evan Garnett (17), Jahvan Davidson-Miller (6)
Biggest victory: 7-0 vs. Corby Town (20th December)
Heaviest defeat: 0-4 vs. Racing Club Warwick (4th October)
Highest home attendance: 466 vs. Belper Town (26th December)
Average home attendance: 214 (15th/22)
Most consecutive wins: 3
Most games without a win: 4
Most consecutive defeats: 4
Most games without a defeat: 5 (current)

The Nailers
Belper started the season with back to back wins before coming unstuck in a home FA Cup tie against Kidsgrove Athletic.
After this came a six match unbeaten run, ended with another cup defeat, this time an FA Trophy reversal at Rugby Town.
Once again Lee Attenborough got the response he wanted, with back to back NPL wins being secured.
After this however they lost two on the spin before flipping their form back on its head again to defeat Anstey Nomads and AFC Rushden & Diamonds.
A draw at Racing Club Warwick followed before two late Corby Town goals consigned us to defeat on the road.
That was the last time Belper tasted defeat, with five wins and three draws since in all competitions.
A Jacob Gratton penalty and thunderbolt finish from James Tague secured the points at Bourne Town.
The following Tuesday saw the Nailers progress to the quarter-finals of the Derbyshire Senior Cup with 4-2 home win over Belper United while four days later Tague was on the scoresheet again as we shared the points at Bedworth United.
The next match was another draw at home to Shepshed Dynamo but after getting back to winning ways against Coventry Sphinx, St. Neots Town took the points away from the Raygar Stadium the following Saturday.
After successive defeats to St. Neots Town and Long Eaton United, the ship was steadied with a New Year's Day draw at home to Basford United.
Three players can still lay claim to have appeared in every match so far.
Goals wise, Kevin Bastos leads the way with nine while Jacob Gratton and Liam Moran are three behind on six. Jacob Fenton has five. Defenders Jack Broadhead and Ben Rhodes sit on four goals along with James Tague. Jonathan Wafula has netted three times and Curtis Burrows twice. A further four players have one goal each.

Head to Head
This fixture was the one to watch in the 1950s, with the first three encounters - all won by Belper - seeing 18 goals and including a 6-3 win where the Nailers scored after five seconds!
Early goals became feature, with a Lakin penalty in the sixth minute setting Belper on the way to a 5-0 win in March 1962.
Neither side managed to take a hold of the fixture in these early days and there plenty of other thrillers including a 5-3 Belper victory in April 1964 and a 4-4 draw just before Christmas the following year.
Another crazy match came in October 1969 with Long Eaton winning by the odd goal in nine, this part of a four game winning streak, one of only two achieved by either side.
The Blues won 6-0 in October 1978 but this was the exception rather than the rule as by this time the fixture was seeing far fewer goals, including three goalless draws out of six encounters in the late 70s/ early 80s.
The Nailers prevailed in successive Derbyshire Senior Cup ties in 1982 but Long Eaton had the better of the NCEL fixtures played in the 1980s.
More recently, the last three matches before Boxing Day were all in the DSC and won by Belper (one on penalties). That festive match ended in a comfortable win for Long Eaton.

Overall record for Belper:
P 70 W 28 D 19 L 23 F 107 A 92
(54 x League, 10 x Derbyshire Senior Cup, 6 x League Cup)

Form Guide (all competitive matches)
Belper Town: DDWLLD
Long Eaton United: DDWWWW

Team News
Full team news will be announced at 7:00pm.

Permutations
The winners of the tie, which will be settled by a penalty shootout if it is level after 90 minutes, will go in to the draw for the Semi-Finals of the Derbyshire Senior Cup.
The other ties are listed at the bottom.

Match details
Belper Town vs. Long Eaton United
Derbyshire Senior Cup Quarter-Final

Tuesday, 13th January 2026 - 7:45pm kick off

Raygar Stadium
Bridge Street
Belper
Derbyshire
DE56 1BA

Admission prices: Adults £11, Concessions £7, U11 (with accompanying adult) £0
(All-pay fixture - season tickets not valid)

Follow the match
Full coverage of the match:

• Audio commentary with Tom on Radio Belper Town
• Full text coverage on X and Facebook.
• Match reports on the website (all matches) and in the Non-League Paper (Saturday matches only)

Derbyshire Senior Cup Quarter-Finals
Tuesday 13th January
Belper Town vs. Long Eaton United
New Mills vs. Glossop North End

Tuesday 20th January
Ilkeston Town vs. Alfreton Town
Mickleover FC vs. Derby County B