Defensive crisis goes on for Alfreton Town

Alfreton Town suffered their third successive heavy defeat when they were beaten 5-3 at Worcester City.
GAINSBOROUGH Sunday League round-up.GAINSBOROUGH Sunday League round-up.
GAINSBOROUGH Sunday League round-up.

The hosts not only notched up their first win of the season, but it was the first time they had beaten the Reds at home at the seventh attempt.

Alfreton had established a sixth minute lead when Sam Smith followed up after Craig Westcarr’s shot had been blocked from Adam Priestley’s lay-off, but they only had their heads in front for 11 minutes before the evergreen Lee Hughes rammed home an angled drive from the right after a Cieron Keane cross had deflected off a defender.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Smith and Westcarr went close in response, but the Reds were shaken by a second Worcester goal on 25 minutes with Junior English powering home a free header from a right-wing corner.

Ebby Nelson-Addy then drove wide before Alfreton responded through Allan’s firmly struck volley that was turned behind by home keeper Ethan Ross, the first half ending with Westcarr going close from a Ryan Wilson corner after Brad McGowan’s close range header had been cleared off the line by Sam Oji.

Another corner three minutes after the break led to Allan heading wide, then Fabian Spiess did well to hold a deflected Chekaine Steele free-kick before the Reds found an equaliser in the 59th minute when Allan headed past Ross from a Wilson free-kick.

What followed next was nightmarish for Reds’ followers with three goals conceded in a lethal nine-minute spell, sub Colby Bishop scoring with ease with 20 minutes remaining after turning on the edge of the area, then three minutes later an angled drive from the same player found the back of the net.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This fourth Worcester goal was hotly disputed though, with the referee apparently over-ruling his assistant after a lengthy discussion, and with Alfreton’s confidence shattered it hardly came as a major shock when Hughes rifled home from the edge of the area for his second goal and City’s fifth in the 79th minute.

Both Paul Clayton and Liam Hearn went close as the Reds kept going, the latter heading home at the back post from Wilson’s cross in the fourth minute of added time.

The Reds’ stats after just nine games show a creditable 23 goals scored but a worrying 29 conceded - that’s 52 goals in total at a crazy average of 5.77 per game.

WORCESTER: Ross; Gallinagh, Weir, Hutchison, Oji, English, Steele, Nelson-Addy, Hughes (Murphy 82), Craig (Bishop 67), Keane.

Subs not used: Fitzpatrick, Draper.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

ALFRETON: Spiess; McGowan, Heaton, Jordan, Allan (Garnett 82), Monkhouse, Bradley, Wilson, Westcarr, Priestley (Hearn 55), Smith (Clayton 55).

Referee: Darren Strain.

Att: 445.

Related topics: