by Peter Scherer (Images: Steve Ingers)
Sloppy defending cost Mickleover dearly as they went down 0-4 at neighbouring Belper Town.
Starting line-up: 1-Oliver Bosworth 2-Josh Ashman 3-Archie White 4-Danny Benson 5-Brad Gascoigne 6-Ashton Offler 7-George Wilkinson 8-Harry Wood 9-Josiah Dyer 10-Stuart Beavon 11-Andy Dales. Subs: Paddy Webb, Fraser Corden, Thabang Dube, Alio Mohiuddin, Michal Hollingsworth.
It was a fairly lively start on a soft pitch, with Belper’s Jacob Gratton firing the first shot of the game over the bar after two minutes.
A few minutes later it was Mickleover on the attack, but after a number of passes back and forth as they approached the box, they failed to get a shot in and the danger was cleared. Evans then headed wide for our hosts from a fifth minute free kick, but it was real end to end stuff.
White attacked down the left but his cross failed to trouble keeper Preston, before Gascoigne got a header in, again comfortably taken by the Nailers keeper.
Belper then earned a corner after 10 minutes, but as it was cleared, Dales made a break and charged at least three-quarters of the pitch. He then found Dyer who set up Beavon, he shot but hadn’t quite connected 100% and it was blocked by Keenan. From the following corner Beavon managed another shot, but that was deflected too.
The tables soon turned in our hosts favour, when a 12th minute attack saw Bosworth race off his line to try and block striker Moran. The ball slipped passed to the keepers right and despite defenders being back, the ball continued its goalward path, 0-1.
Mickleover continued to be creative and Dyer went close after 14 minutes, with a deflection over the bar.
Bastos wasted a good chance for Belper six minutes later, when after a sustained attack, he sent his shot high and wide.
Dales and Dyer then combined to mount another attack on the home goal after 20 minutes, but again the final effort was blocked. But two minutes later they went even closer, as Wilkinson put the ball in from the right, Dyer slid in and missed connecting by a fraction, with keeper Preston already committed.
Preston saved again just a minute later from a Benson header, with Mickleover unlucky not to be on level terms.
Belper continued to push forward too, earning a corner which came to nought, but both Wood and Beavon were close to latching onto another telling ball from Dales, as the home defence continued to hold firm.
Belper had a break after 32 minutes, but once again Bastos’s shot was well off target and landed somewhere in the High Street.
But having withstood the Mickleover pressure it was now Belper’s turn. A corner from the left curled in and Bosworth had to tip it over the bar, giving another corner to the right. This time Gratton’s corner was flicked in by Fenton at the near post, looking relatively unchallenged. 0-2 after 37 minutes.
With the half time whistle poised Belper made it three, when skipper Broadhead headed home a Gratton corner, with the defence giving him a free header, 0-3.
Dube replaced Offler for the restart, but within seven minutes Belper went four up, another corner, another goal with Broadhead hitting his second from Keenan’s cross, as the defence failed again 0-4.
Dube had a positive run down the right to earn a corner after 53 minutes and Sports second change soon followed with Webb on for Beavon. Webb was fouled at his first touch, but three free kick was wasted.
White had already been booked earlier and was lucky to stay on when he went in heavily after 58 minutes. That free kick was defended successively.
Dube was then fouled on the hour mark, before White’s free kick went close. Corden and Hollingsworth then came on for Wood and Dales, before Dube tried his luck again, shooting just over the bar.
The Mickleover defence had looked a little more organised in the second half and again managed to clear Belper’s 72nd minute corner, going straight into attack with Corden and Webb combining, before Benson failed to get any power into the final shot.
White was then red carded, which looked inevitable, after felling a Belper defender.
Sub Dube was then replaced by Mohiuddin for the last 13 minutes, before Dyer went close again with nine minutes left, after Corden broke through. His effort was blocked again, before Belper went close with a glancing header, which was cleared by Ashman.
86 minutes and Webb was clear but put a good chance wide and then in time added on Dyer had a shot straight at the keeper, but it was game over.
Although Mickleover matched the hosts for much of the game, chaotic defending from dead ball situations, reminiscent of early season and chances going begging at the other end proved decisive.
