Selston mark Non-League Day with victory over Mickleover
Selston marked National Non-League Day with a composed and professional 2–0 victory over an in-form Mickleover Athletic side at The Parish.
Manager Lee Stevenson made three changes to the starting XI, with Layton, Reynolds and Bowering coming in for Cockram, Moore and Bland, and his side started with real intent in blustery conditions. Nick Hines and Colt Reynolds were particularly influential, driving Selston forward and creating a number of early chances, with Hines, Jordan Black, and George Layton all going close.
The breakthrough came on 35 minutes. After racing through on goal, Black saw his initial effort blocked but reacted superbly to slide a precise pass across the box to Layton, who made no mistake from 10 yards to fire Selston ahead.
Selston doubled their lead on 42 minutes in determined fashion. Black again found himself through on goal and, despite being clattered by the goalkeeper, regained his footing to slot home and make it 2–0 heading into the break.
The second half saw Selston manage the game expertly. Mickleover looked to respond, but the hosts remained organised and resolute, limiting the visitors to very few opportunities. When called upon, Brandon Meehan commanded his area well and ensured Selston maintained their clean sheet.
Stevenson used the opportunity to rotate his squad, with Batterham, Moore, Haywood and Ward all introduced in the second half.
Selston continued to control proceedings without adding to the scoreline, seeing out what was a comfortable and assured victory to keep their title push firmly on track.
Manager Lee Stevenson said: “I’m really pleased with that performance. Mickleover came here in good form, so we knew it would be a tough game, but I thought we controlled it really well from start to finish.
"The first half especially, we played some excellent football and probably should have been further ahead. The second half was about being disciplined and professional, and I thought the lads handled that side of the game brilliantly.
"Another clean sheet is really important for us, and it shows the work the whole team is putting in defensively. We’re in a strong position, but we need to keep that focus and intensity going into next week.”