GLAPWELL FC RESULTS - 2001/02 SEASON

GLAPWELL

1-0

ALFRETON TOWN

Brad Elam 51og

Att: 262
H/T: 0-0

TEAM DETAILS

GLAPWELL
1	Neil West 9.00
2	Martyn Bicknell 8.50
3	Gary Page 8.50
4	Simon Poxon 8.75
5	Chris Taylor 8.50
6	John Redfern 8.50
7	Adie Carter 8.50
8	Robbie Clarke 8.50
9	Brendan Yates 8.50
10	Steve Dillon 8.50
11	Malc Brown 8.50
12	John Purdy
15	Danny Welch
16	Lee Rhodes

ALFRETON TOWN
1	Ross Turner
2	Steve Circuit
3	Brad Elam	S74
4	Steve Heath
5	Lee Hobson
6	Gary Thorpe	S74
7	Ryan France
8	Steve Johnson
9	Mick Godber
10	Mick Goddard
11	Chris Dolby	S55
12	Caine Cheetham	S74
14	Darren Schofield	S74
15	Mark Highfield	S55

MATCH STATS

GLA				ALF
ATTEMPTS AT GOAL
10				5
ATTEMPTS ON TARGET
5				4
CORNERS WON
3				6
CAUGHT OFFSIDE
2				6
FOULS COMMITTED
12				16
YELLOW CARDS
5				2
RED CARDS
0				0

Referee: Stuart Smith (Matlock)

GLAPWELL produced one of their greatest performances in recent years to upset the form book and defeat Alfreton Town in an exhilarating local derby.

There were doubts that the match would go ahead with the amount of rain in the days before the encounter.

But, the pitch, although a little sticky, held up impeccably, and is of great credit to all those who worked on it prior to kick-off.

And, they were rewarded with an excellent home team showing with Glapwell being full value for their single goal victory, which came about courtesy of an own goal by Brad Elam six minutes into the second half.

The result was all the more extraordinary as Alfreton had been brushing sides away with ease and were on the verge of a record twelfth successive League victory, averaging almost three goals a game in that period.

However, the Reds appeared to find it difficult to cope not only with the conditions but also with Glapwell’s determination not to allow them any time at all on the ball.

Graham Gladwin’s men hustled and bustled to make life hard for Alfreton, and also looked sharp going forward, with Brendan Yates and Steve Dillon providing a real handful for the Reds’ defence.

Dillon sounded a seventh-minute warning when he made space for himself just inside the area and forced Ross Turner to save low to his right.

And, a minute later, picked out by a dream of a pass from John Redfern, he drew and rounded Turner, only for Lee Hobson to pop up from nowhere and clear the shot off the line with the home fans celebrating prematurely.

Alfreton who, prior to this game, looked to be scoring for fun struggled under the pressure Glapwell were putting them through and failed to trouble Neil West in the first half.

The closest they came in the opening period was when Chris Dolby set up Mick Godber who could only find the side netting.

Glapwell also struggled to create further chances before the interval.

Their best opportunity came when Simon Poxon had a header at the back post from a corner but he could not produce the power to beat Turner.

West played a prominent role in the opening five minutes of the second half.

First, Mick Goddard powered his way to the left by-line and pulled back a low cross which West managed to claw off the toe of the lurking Godber.

Then, following probably Alfreton’s best move of the match - a crossfield attack from Godber via Dolby to Ryan France - the keeper charged off his line to give France nothing to shoot at and block well.

Glapwell then took the lead two minutes later from their first meaningful foray of the half, to the sheer delight of the home crowd.

Malc Brown escaped along the left and drilled a low centre which flew across the six yard box, struck Elam, and cannoned into the net.

And, Glapwell were so close to doubling their advantage just before the hour mark.

An almighty scramble in their goalmouth ended with Turner conceding a corner from which Poxon somehow contrived to scoop over the bar from almost underneath it.

Alfreton threw almost everyone forward in a frantic bid to save the game in the last half-hour, but they came up against a resilient Glapwell whose defensive display was one of the greatest seen at the club.

Martyn Bicknell cleared a corner off the line, before, on 69, France’s persistent work on the right ended with a superlative double save from West which saw the visitors frantically claiming the ball had crossed the line.

Glapwell continued to defend magnificently to deny the Reds a route to goal, even after Caine Cheetham was thrown into the fray for the last sixteen minutes.

The closest Alfreton came in that time was two minutes from the final whistle.

Cheetham engineered an opening for Goddard who needed too much time and space on the ball, and the chance was gone leaving Glapwell to celebrate a famous victory.