On a warm afternoon, the Nailers were without assistant manager Matt Wain who is celebrating the birth of his son, and vice-captain Ben Rhodes was once again fit only for the bench.

It took just over a minute to break the deadlock when Paulo Aguas lobbed in a ball from the left. Luke Rawson flicked it on to his strike partner Harry Draper. He had plenty to do with his back to goal but he turned and had the ball in the corner of the net quicker than Jordan Douglas could react.

Ferriby struggled to settle and were forced into an early substitution when Tom Corner's afternoon ended on ten minutes; he was replaced by Mason Johnson.

On the quarter-hour mark Nat Crofts intercepted a pass before finding Rawson who ran in to the box and fired the ball across the six-yard box where Draper was inches away from doubling Belper's lead.

A couple of minutes later came Ferriby's first chance of note as a James Cadman pass found Johnson who produced a left footed shot which brought a good save out of debutant goalkeeper Kieran Preston.

On 18 minutes a superb kick out by Preston landed right at the feet of Rawson, he laid the ball back to Curtis Burrows who fired narrowly over the bar.

In the 20th minute Draper won possession back from the Ferriby defence before cutting inside and shooting just over, excellent hard work as always by Belper's number nine.

The Nailers doubled their lead in the 35th minute. A measured through ball from Draper to Crofts saw Douglas caught in no man’s land. Crofts produced an outstanding lob from just outside the box to put some daylight between the sides at half-time.

The hosts started the second half positively without creating any clear cut chances and in truth the next one didn't arrive until the 67th minute but it was for Belper. Crofts won possession before unleashing a shot from 22 yards which Douglas was able to save before Aguas forced a corner which Ferriby were able to clear.

In the 71st minute a Rhodes cross from the right found the head of Draper but it was inches over the bar.

Ferriby never stopped pushing to get back in to things and on 79 minutes could well have found a goal if it weren't for the heroics of Aguas. With Ferriby on the counter attack, the Belper full-back forced Sam Aynsley wider and wider before putting in a superb tackle inside the box.

The final action deep in to injury time saw a Ferriby cross from the right cause confusion in the Belper penalty area and a header into the ground bounced off the post and to safety.

Overall an outstanding performance from Belper with a special mention for Paulo Aguas and Nat Crofts who at times were unplayable in a fully deserved victory.

With a blank Tuesday looming, a late goal in Cleethorpes' Cup tie means a potentially huge home match with the Owls goes ahead on Tuesday evening.

North Ferriby: Douglas, Tarbotton, Walters, Kirk (Thacker 53), Tilsley (C), Roma, Aynsley (Johnson 82), Dixon (Shortland 53), Dennison, Cadman, Corner (Johnson 10).
Unused subs: Abraham

Belper Town: Preston, Burrows, Aguas, Whitehead, Broadhead (C), Evans, Crofts, Austin (Rhodes 66), Draper (August 75), Rawson (Litchfield 61), Warren.
Unused subs: Gregory, Moore

Referee: Joshua Drake

Attendance: 530