Alfreton Town Football Club

2008/2009 Season. Match no. 22. Blue Square North
Saturday, November 15th, 2008
ALFRETON TOWN 4, Solihull Moors 1

DANNY Davidson's double put paid to Solihull's recent mini recovery which had lifted his old club out of the bottom two.
Davidson was one of four Alfreton players drafted into a much changed side as Reds boss Nicky Law, with one eye on the FA Cup second round tie at Scunthorpe, left out four players who were all sitting on four bookings, to avoid the possibility of suspension for the biggest match in the club's history.
Josh Law, Leo Fortune-West, Paul Clayton and Ben Muirhead all sat the match out. Replacing them, Simon Marples made his full return from injury at right back, enabling Jordan Hall to move from that position to right wing. Kris Bowler filled the berth on the opposite flank, while Davidson and Brian Cusworthbut wore the strikers' shirts.
Despite the changes this was a clinical performance by the Reds, who brought the Moors' recent upturn in form to a shuddering halt, and probably gave Law Senior some food for thought in advance of the three big matches coming up – at Blyth in the FA Trophy, Scunthorpe in the Cup, and then at high flying Tamworth for league points.
Davidson was on the mark with the game less than three minutes old, Hall brought an own goal from Lee Collins midway through the half, and Cusworth's 39th minute strike put the Reds 3-0 up at the break.
That saw Alfreton in something of a comfort zone in the second half, but Davidson got his second with 16 minutes remaining before Laim Daly notched a late consolation for the Moors.
Just as in the cup tie against Bury Town, the Reds were quickly out of the starting blocks, and indeed they needed a minute less than in that game to establish the lead.
Anton Brown gave a foretaste of his man of the match performance to follow as he worked his way around the back on the left before slipping the ball in for Davidson to put away from six yards.
The Moors responded with Jason Moore whipping in a low cross from the left, which speared through the six yard box with no takers.
Cusworth's blistering attempt was denied by Daniel Crane's fantastic point blank save in the 16th minute from Bowler's centre, and a minute later another Cusworth attempt was deflected for a corner as Collins just managed to get a foot in.
Bowler brought a diving save out of Crane in the 19th minute with a crisp 20-yard effort, but there was nothing the keeper could do two minutes later.
Hall gathered the ball deep inside his own half on the Alfreton right, and embarked on a marvellous almost the length of the field before whipping in a low cross. Collins attempted to clear with a diving header but succeeded only in steering it past his own wrong-footed keeper.
Brown picked up a booking for a late challenge on Andy Ducros, but Jake Edwards's header onto Carl Motteram's ensuing free kick was wide of the mark.
Then two corners in succession for the Moors almost brought them a goal back but Tom Evans smothered the ball on his line after a scramble.
And when another goal came it was again at the opposite end in the 39th minute. The overlapping Brown's forays down the left caused the visitors problems all afternoon, and when he neatly made a yard of space to enable him to feed Cusworth in the box, the striker did likewise before swivelling and taking aim. The unlucky Crane did get a hand to the shot but couldn't keep it out.
Cusworth should have scored again a minute into the restart, chopping Hall's centre over the bar from about three yards out after Hall's neat link with Marples along the right.
Then two minutes later another sparkling run from Hall carried him to the by-line, but when he pulled the ball back Bowler was crowded out before he could get in a telling shot from the edge of the box.
Tony Butler was on hand to clear off the line when Martin McIntosh headed down a dangerous cross from the left as Solihull looked for a way back, but Alfreton seemed content to sit on their lead as the half progressed
Moors substitute Mark Gardner missed a good chance in the 67th minute set up by Liam Daly's downward header from a corner, and then fellow sub Marcus Palmer shrugged off a couple of challenges as he surged through the middle before aiming wide from the edge of the area.
But any hopes the visitors may have had of a late comeback were dealt the killer blow by their old boy Davidson in the 74th minute, the big forward on hand to head home Bowler's cross from the corner flag at the far post.
To their credit the Moors did not let their heads drop, and when Palmer tried to pull the trigger in a scramble in the home goalmouth Butler managed to deflect it for a corner.
Solihull got a deserved consolation for their not inconsiderable efforts six minutes from time, the lofty Daly heading home a cross.
Hall had two attempts to re-establish the four goal cushion late on, his first deflected for a corner and his second, an angled drive well saved.
In the final minute Daly almost got a spectacular second goal for his side as Evans, seemingly distracted by the attentions of Gardner and Palmer, saved but could not keep hold of his long range shot which went behind for a corner.

ALFRETON: Evans, Marples, Brown, Butler, McIntosh, Curtis, Bowler (McFadzean 81), Mayman, Cusworth (Hearn 69), Davidson, Hall. Subs not used: Ellender, Flint, Sutcliffe.

SOLIHULL: Crane, Travis, Motteram, Collins, Daly, Sedgemore (Palmer 60), Faulds, English, Edwards, Moore (Gardner 52), Ducros (Streete 65). Subs not used: Tuohy, Rachel.

REFEREE: Neil Guest of Grimsby.

ATTENDANCE: 409.

GOALS: Alfreton –Davidson 3, 74; Collins (og) 23; Cusworth 39. Solihull –Daly 84.

CAUTIONS: Alfreton – Brown 27 (late challenge on Ducros). Solihull – Collins 58 (deliberate hands); English 83 (foul on Curtis).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Anton Brown.