Hot shot Moxam keeps Shirebrook run going with win at Dronfield

Top scorer Aaron Moxam added another goal to his already impressive 24-goal tally and Shirebrook Town ended the month of November unbeaten after six games with a hard-fought 1-0 win over league newcomers Dronfield Town at Stonelow Road on Saturday.

Shirebrook went into the game looking for their first double of the season, after beating the then struggling Dronfield with a convincing 4-1 scoreline at Langwith Road midweek in late September.

But Dronfield have since settled to life at Step 6, full of confidence on the back of six consecutive previous games without defeat in all competitions.

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However, Shirebrook were straight into the attack from the off, winning two corners in the opening couple of minutes that came to nothing.

Shirebrook had much of the early possession, although it wasn’t until the 20th minute when they produced a shot on the target, newly-signed striker Grant Ryan forcing a save out of Dronfield keeper Nick Siddons with a low effort from 30 yards.

A minute later Dronfield’s Ash Rawson went close at the other end and four minutes after that Danny Wood did the same for the home side, who were beginning to get more into the game.

Nevertheless, the visitors went closest just after the half-hour, Moxam curling a left-foot shot from 20 yards on the right that went narrowly the wrong side of the far upright with Siddons beaten.

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But the home side might yet have had the final word, Wood finding the target from 22 yards on 41 minutes, although the strike went harmlessly straight at Shirebrook keeper Gavin Saxby, and the half finished goalless soon afterwards.

Shirebrook took full advantage of that, breaking the deadlock very early in the second half when Jamie Brown’s cross from the left picked out Moxam on the edge of the box at the near post and he drove the ball into the net – a rising shot, high to Siddons’ left hand with barely a minute gone since the restart.

It was the perfect start for Shirebrook and Ryan very nearly added a second for the visitors five minutes later with a header off Moxam’s cross from the left to the far post, only to be denied a debut goal by the Dronfield crossbar.

That was something of a let-off for the home side from which they seemed to gain encouragement, but 15 minutes of building pressure on the stubborn Shirebrook goal came to nothing, before Ryan went close again at the other end to doubling the visitors’ advantage on 70 minutes.

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With just over 10 minutes to go Dronfield’s Cal Mawbey blazed the ball well over the visitors’ crossbar from 22 yards, but Shirebrook skipper Craig Getliff almost made it far more comfortable for his side for the last few minutes with a stinging 25-yard shot that whistled past the outside of the base of the home side’s right-hand post five minutes later.

That was it for Shirebrook on the chances front, but there was still more brave defending to be done as Dronfield weren’t yet finished and Wood forced a fine near-post save out of the experienced Saxby with a shot from inside the box on the right on 88 minutes.

The same player conjured up a tantalising inswinging cross from the same flank across the face of goal a minute into time added on at the end, but that somehow went harmlessly though the packed six-yard area and out for a goalkick on the far side, leaving grateful Shirebrook to see out the remainder of a total of almost seven minutes of injury time.

Next up, Shirebrook travel to Doncaster side Rossington Main on Tuesday night for a 7.45pm kick-off, before returning to Langwith Road next Saturday for the usual 3pm start when the visitors will be Rossington’s South Yorkshire neighbours, Dinnington Town.

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DRONFIELD TOWN: Wood, Doran, Marples (Horsfield 70). Subs not used: Gange, Whitehead, Naylor.

SHIREBROOK TOWN: Saxby, Witcombe, Claridge, Diuk, Henshaw, Booth, Brown (Thompson 88), Getliff, Moxam, Ryan (Clarke 90), Bacon. Subs not used: Wankiewicz, Shepherd.

REFEREE: Daniel Bennett of West Yorkshire.

ATTENDANCE: 87.

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