2009/2010 Season. Match no. 12
FA Cup, sponsored by EON, Second Qualifying Round
Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Alfreton Town 6, AFC Wulfrunians 0

Match pics albums by Dave Purseglove here and by Bill Wheatcroft here

IN their first cup action of the season, Alfreton Town won through to the third qualifying round of the FA Cup by easily overcoming West Midlands Regional League champions AFC Wulfrunians on Saturday.
The reward for the Reds is another home game on Saturday, October 10, when Blue Square North promotion rivals Southport visit the Impact Arena for the second time this season.
Quite simply, the visitors from Wolverhampton were overwhelmed, but won admirers with their determination to try and play football throughout the 90 minutes, only conceding a few free-kicks in the latter stages when sheer pace left defenders stranded.
In fact the only caution was administered to Mark Tipton for a clumsy foul on Anthony Howell in the 65th minute, although he was fortunate not to receive a second yellow five minutes later when Andy Todd was caught on the edge of the area but sensible refereeing deemed a lengthy lecture adequate.
Aden Flint needed just 45 seconds to send Alfreton on their way when he headed home his first goal for the club in receipt of a Todd corner, then six minutes later it was 2-0 to the hosts when Liam Hearn's cross was steered home from ten yards by Howell.
Flint met another Todd flag-kick with a header that this time landed on the roof of the net in the ninth minute, but the central defender was next in action at the other end conceding a corner as Adeola Bandele shaped to shoot after breaking through.
Bandele needed lengthy treatment before being replaced by Richard Anslow, and when the corner was eventually floated in by Liam Evans it was Flint who again had to head behind.
With 15 minutes gone, a flowing move stemmed from Kyle McFadzean and involved Jordan Hall and Dominic Roma before Hearn's downward header bounced high and needed a touch from keeper Daniel Tipton to guide it over the bar.
The third goal arrived in the 32nd minute when Paul Clayton played Hearn straight through the middle, the Reds' striker shrugging off a challenge from David Asbury before calmly slotting the ball past Tipton as he entered the area.
Asbury got in a tremendous tackle as Todd picked out Hearn in front of goal on 36 minutes, then four minutes later Tipton pulled off a point-blank save from Howell as he was teed up by Hearn.
The fourth Alfreton goal came on 41 minutes when a Todd corner was laid back to the unmarked Hall just inside the near angle of the area, and his left-footer was well out of Tipton's reach as it curled into the net in the opposite top corner.
A fifth goal arrived in first-half added time when Howell scored from a tight angle from a deep Todd cross, but after the break it was pretty much a one-man show from keeper Tipton as he kept the score in check with a series of spectacular saves.
First of all Tipton turned behind Richard Pell's threatening cross behind in the 49th minute, then somehow reached Roma's piledriver low down from 30 yards five minutes later.
Ian Ross was brought into the action on 64 minutes and almost immediately smashed a free-kick against the angle of crossbar and upright, then on 72 minutes Howell ran clear only to be thwarted again by Tipton with Josh Law putting the rebound over.
A minute later it was Hall's turn to go clear and be denied by the Wulfs' keeper, but another great parry from Law in the 78th minute only presented Clayton with an easy tap-in for the sixth goal.
Wulfrunians held their heads high as Anslow engineered an 80th minute opening that led to his shot striking the bar, with fellow sub Richard Gummery blasting the loose ball wide of a gaping net, then with a few seconds left, Anslow's brave run and angled drive won his team merely a corner.

ALFRETON TOWN: Craig Dootson, Dominic Roma, Kyle McFadzean, Aden Flint, Richard Pell, Andy Todd (Mattie Burke 72), Jordan Hall, Anton Brown (Ian Ross 64), Paul Clayton, Liam Hearn (Josh Law 59), Anthony Howell.
Substitutes not used: Paddy Gamble, Matt Wilson.
AFC WULFRUNIANS: Daniel Tipton, Antony Collins (Bryn Jones 72), Daniel Crudgington, Mark Tipton, David Asbury, Stewart Mason, James Skedgel (Richard Gummery 72), Richard Palmer, Adeola Bandele (Richard Anslow 12), Andrew Mitchell, Liam Evans.
Substitutes not used: James Corns, Jason Scott, Carlo Franco, Timothy Tipton.
REFEREE: Mark Powell of Halifax.
ATTENDANCE: 353.
HALF-TIME: 5-0.
GOALS: Alfreton Town - Aden Flint (1), Anthony Howell (7 & 45+1), Liam Hearn (32), Jordan Hall (41), Paul Clayton (78).
BOOKINGS: AFC Wulfrunians - Mark Tipton 65, foul on Anthony Howell.