Alfreton Town progress to Derbyshire Senior Cup semi-final

Goals from Niall Heaton, Paul Clayton and Adam Priestley were enough to seal the tie for the Reds, a corner count of 11-1 in their favour giving an accurate indication of the evening’s progress.

However Borrowash looked sharp on the odd occasion that they breached Alfreton’a ranks, Derek Ubah going close with a header from Mikey Fitzhugh’s 24th minute free-kick.

Ubah went on to find the side-netting with an angled drive 12 minutes into the second half, but it had generally been the hosts that had forced the running, Clayton directing Mark Shelton’s delivery onto the crossbar with 21 minutes elapsed.

Two minutes later Heaton’s close-range header from a Shelton corner gave Alfreton the lead, the latter then unleashing a powerful 25 yarder that cannoned back off the post into keeper Darren Keeling’s custody.

Keeling then saved low from Liam Hearn’s well-struck 43rd minute volley, either side of which Priestley went close with glancing headers.

It was 2-0 to the Reds after 61 minutes when Priestley’s drive was parried by Keeling, but only as far as Clayton who headed home from virtually underneath the bar.

An effort from Hearn was blocked bravely by Jake Brown from a Kallum Mantack cross, then another volley from Priestley was parried by Keeling before the scoring was concluded in the 76th minute.

At last Priestley found his name on the score-sheet, his shot screaming into the back of the net from the edge of the area, despite Keeling’s best attempt to palm the ball aside, the keeper going on to deny the scorer with another good save with four minutes remaining.

ALFRETON: Spiess; Mantack, Kennedy, Gascoigne, Heaton, Marshall, Wilson (Monkhouse 71), Shelton, Hearn, Clayton (Mauve 83), Priestley.

SUBS NOT USED: Nyoni, Westcarr, Jordan.

BORROWASH: Keeling; Shaffique, Labatte, Ubah, Brown, Plant, Livingstone (Grattan 50), Nadine, Fitzhugh (Bowler 76), Rowley, Kabongo.

SUB NOT USED: Meads.

REFEREE: Nigel Smith.

ATTENDANCE: 152.