Rarely have the Nailers played so well and lost a game like they did today, but the stark fact remains that 270 minutes of football have yet to yield a single goal.

The Nailers were still without their main striker Harry Draper, so it fell to Jonathan Wafula to fill his boots, while Louis Keenan was playing his 100th game for the club.

Coventry United, recently promoted by way of the play offs from the United Counties League and had a well-known face in their line up – goalkeeper Dan Moore.

The Nailers came into this fixture having taken two well earned points from difficult away opponents and were looking to get their season up and running with a home victory.

Anyone who saw the game would wonder how the Nailers managed to lose after dominating at least 75% of the play.

It was virtually all Belper in the first half and after only two minutes Wafula’s shot to the far post took a slight deflection to take the ball the wrong side of the upright.

Jack Edwards turned nicely in the 8th minute but put his shot well wide of the target, then good control by Tavonga Kuleya saw him curl the ball wide of the far post.

Edwards put the ball over soon afterwards and Wafula’s glancing header went wide, then in the 19th minute Jacob Gratton hit a superb drive only inches away from the angle.

It was all one-way traffic now and Kuleya put another effort just wide and spurned a great chance when Wafula headed the ball down, but the Belper winger couldn’t get his shot away.

Kuleya made a great run straight after the restart, but his cross let him down, then in the 51st minute the visitors scored with their only opportunity of the game so far when Simeon Cobourne streaked away and scored past Kieron Preston with a well taken finish.

Moments later Belper came close to equalising when Wafula’s point blank shot was beaten away by Moore and a follow up effort was deflected over the cross bar.

Cobourne had an easier shooting chance on 60 minutes but fortunately he put the ball into the side netting, then as the Nailers intensified their efforts Edwards put over a dangerous looking cross.

Wafula almost got the ball over on 87 minutes following some more clever work by the Belper striker, although Coventry had a good opportunity to extend their lead in added time when Benji Adomako only had Preston to beat but he got a vital touch when it mattered most.

Belper Town: Preston, Rhodes (Thompson-Matthews 72), Eccleshall, Fankwe, Keenan, Evans (Broadhead 87), Edwards (Rogers 79), Burrows (Austin 68), Wafula, Gratton, Kuleya. Unused sub: Baker

Coventry United: Moore, Palmer, Barber, Miles, Cox, Downs, Mullan (Blackmore 65), Shaw (Stone 74), Cobourne (Faulkener 77), Carey (Adomako 79), Dunn (Sawyer 85).

Referee: Tyler Machin

Att: 552

Match Sponsor: Vaillant.

Sponsors’ Man of the Match: Louis Keenan