An opening day win is always welcome and while the Nailers played well and dominated long spells of the game there will be some concern regarding the poor finishing, which included a missed penalty.

Manager Grant Black opted to use his skipper Danny South as a main striker while the remainder of his team selection didn’t produce any surprises.

The Nailers made a promising start with Danny South narrowly heading over from a Craig Nelthorpe free kick, then from another Nelthorpe set piece Jonathan Margetts had his effort blocked.

Brodie Lichfield might well of opened the scoring on 9 minutes but lifted his shot over the cross bar, then Danny South played Jonathan Margetts in on goal perfectly, but the usually reliable striker put his shot wide.

Margetts was off target again on 24 minutes after executing a clever turn, however he was in the midst of a penalty decision after Victor Garcia bundled him over on 26 minutes. Craig Nelthorpe confidently stepped up to take the spot kick but drilled his shot low and wide, and the wrong side of the upright.

Corey Gregory was next up to spurn an opportunity when he skied his shot from 12 yards, then another free kick from Nelthorpe was headed wide by South.

Josh Woodcock did brilliantly to get the ball over from the right on 34 minutes and Lichfield was unlucky with his header, then Tom Wilson continued the run of missed chances when he headed over in the 37th minute.

Then finally in the 43rd minute there was a goal. Craig Nelthorpe’s blistering in swinging free kick may well have gone in of its own accord, but Jonathan Margetts’ glancing header helped the ball on its way.

Just before the whistle Danny South’s header from a corner kick looked goal bound until it was cleared off the line by a Stutes defender.

Histon seemed stronger after the break but it was Belper who looked most likely to score again. Nathan Curtis nodded the ball into the path of Margetts who couldn’t find the right angle with his shot and the ‘keeper saved comfortably, then Margetts was thwarted again seconds later when his shot on the turn was blocked by the Stutes’ custodian.

A goal mouth scramble on 65 minutes might have produced a much needed second goal but Tom Wilson flicked the ball over the bar, and the introduction of Alex Stevens-Lee by the visitors a few minutes earlier gave them an added impetus.

He was responsible for Histon’s first shot on target in the 68th minute, and then he stunned the home crowd by coolly scoring past Myles Wright from 12 yards on 70 minutes.

Fortunately Belper’s response was swift and didn’t allow the visitors time to build on their unexpected equaliser. With the ball bobbling around the Stutes’ 6 yard area it was Nathan Curtis who nodded it down and inside the near post to send cheers of relief around the Raygar Stadium.

Josh Francis gave the Nailers a scare on 82 minutes as he had a shot blocked at the foot of the post, but the Nailers continued with the theme of profligacy in the 86th minute when Sam Wright headed over a great chance from another well executed set piece from Craig Nelthorpe.

Belper Town: Wright M, Woodcock, Nelthorpe (Peterson 88), Wright S, Bertram, Wilson, Lichfield (Jordan 74), Gregory, South, Margetts, Curtis (Johnson 87). Unused subs: Sandhu, Reeves.

Histon F.C. Roach, Francis, Collinson, Camera, Key (Lindsay 77), Garcia, Rolph, Lawal (Genovert 61), Chizari (Stevens-Lee 61), Dawkin, Ballester. Unused subs: Greengrass, Cole.

Referee: Daniel Smith

Att: 380