2008/2009 Season. Match no. 28. Blue Square Conference North
Saturday, December 20th, 2008

Hyde United 1, ALFRETON TOWN 1

Report by Frank Bridges. Pics by Dave Purseglove

ALTHOUGH Alfreton Town came away from Ewen Fields on Saturday reflecting on two points dropped, a 1-1 draw with Hyde United took them into the Christmas/New Year double header derby with Hucknall on the back of six unbeaten Blue Square North matches.
Former Red Daniel Douglas-Pringle gave the Tigers a 19th-minute lead from the penalty spot, and Liam Hearn found a somewhat fortunate equaliser for the Reds before half time.
But it was Hyde keeper Craig Dootson who stood between the Reds, who had a hatful of chances, and victory.
Dootson, who always seems to have an inspired game against Alfreton, made a string of fine saves to keep the Reds at bay, the pick a penalty save to deny Hearn, and the keeper will have counted himself unlucky at the nature of the striker’s equaliser.
Simon Marples and Anton Brown had both recovered from injury and took their places in their respective full-back positions.
But Martin McIntosh had still not recovered from injury and Paul Clayton was serving the second of his three-match ban following his dismissal in the FA Cup defeat at Scunthorpe.
The Reds, who named only four substitutes, survived an early threat when Douglas-Pringle’s driven cross was cleared by Tony Butler.
Alfreton responded in the 10th minute with Danny Davidson just losing out on a race for possession with Dootson from Law’s through ball.
But there were shades of Alfreton’s ill-luck in front of goal in the FA Trophy tie against Redditch a minute later. Dootson tipped Law’s 18-yard piledriver onto his bar, and when the rebound fell to Marples he saw his header cleared off the line by Adam Oakes.
As if that wasn’t enough, Hyde took a 19th minute lead from a contentious penalty.
It looked a clear case of ball to hand when Nicky Clee’s long throw bounced up and struck Matt Wilson, but Douglas-Pringle gratefully accepted and converted the spot kick.
Another long throw by Clee four minutes later brought a rising drive from Lee Rick that flashed just wide, but Alfreton were soon back on the attack again, and when Jordan Hall released Hearn the angle was too tight and he could only find the side netting.
Hearn was then too high with a cheeky back-header onto Ben Muirhead’s cross, and when Tom Curtis teed up Davidson the big striker dragged a clear chance across goal.
However, when a deserved equaliser did arrive it bore more than an element of good fortune.
Farrell Kilbane cleared Muirhead’s free kick off the line but it struck Hearn and rebounded into the net. Although lucky, Hearn deserved some credit for being in the right place at the right time.
A minute before the break Matt Wilson had the chance to put the Reds ahead, but directed a free header wide from Marples’ corner.
The Reds had another chance with the second half less than a minute old, when Muirhead cut in from the left and fired just beyond the far post.
After that, though, the match degenerated into a spell of inactivity until, in the 70th minute, Butler had to come up with a solid blocking tackle as Douglas-Pringle cut in on a surging run from the left.
Two minutes later Brown produced a spectacular diving header off the line to deny Carl Lomax from another of Clee’s troublesome long throws, and Rick’s follow-up was kept out by Kyle Sutcliffe’s excellent parry.
Alfreton responded in the 74th minute when Law picked out Hearn with a defence-splitting pass to send him to the by-line. From his pull-back Law smashed his 12-yard effort against the underside of the bar.
Two minutes on, Muirhead received Curtis’ return pass from a throw-in and slipped the ball in to Brown, who was unceremoniously flattened by Kilbane.
The Tigers defender escaped a card, but the penalty - disputed by the home side - was awarded, however Dootson brilliantly saved Hearn’s spot kick to his right.
Hearn was unlucky yet again when Dootson blocked his point-blank effort, this after Brian Cusworth’s miskick in front of goal, fellow-sub Leo Fortune-West having retrieved possession in the right of the area.
And the last chance, two minutes from time, saw Rick almost heading into his own goal, his attempted clearance of Wilson’s header onto Marples’ deep free kick landing on the roof of the net.

HYDE UNITED: Dootson, Fitzhenry, Oakes (Innes 64), Brass, Kilbane, Lynch, Douglas-Pringle, Rick, Lomax, Munroe, Clee. Subs not used: Manship, Morley, Howarth, Bernstein.
ALFRETON TOWN: Sutcliffe, Marples, Brown, Butler, Wilson, Curtis, Muirhead (Fortune-West 82), Hall, Davidson (Cusworth 64), Hearn, Law. Subs not used: Ellender, Evans.
REFEREE: I Edwards of Liverpool.
ATTENDANCE: 327.
GOALS: Hyde - Douglas-Pringle 19 pen. Alfreton - Hearn 38.
CAUTION: Hyde - Fitzhenry 45+1 (foul on Muirhead).
REDS MAN OF THE MATCH: Tom Curtis.