Alfreton Town ran out 2-1 winners in Boxing Day's Vanarama National League North encounter with Buxton, but it was a closely-fought match. Arguably, neither side deserved to lose.
Team Manager Craig Elliott pointed to the Bucks' lack of consistency. He said: "I'm disappointed not to have come away with something. But it's fine margins and we gave away a really poor goal. We're crying out for consistency. Without that, you don't get success.
"We started brightly enough and at times were excellent in the first half. We also played quite well straight after the break and had two great chances. But it's what you do in both boxes. We have to stop giving penalties away and then there was that soft goal to present them with three points. We shouldn't have come away with nothing."
After a lively period of passing football by the visitors Tommy Elliott opened the scoring after 27 minutes with a well-taken goal, finishing off a fast, smooth build-up. Alfreton were back level just before the break, when ex-Silverlander Jordan Thewlis scored from the penalty spot. Alfreton began to take control and the winner, a scrambled strike by Lewis Salmon, took advantage of indecisive defending with around 10 minutes of normal time remaining. Full Match Report HERE
Alfreton boss Billy Heath admitted it had been a tough game and and there had not been a lot in it. The two sides meet again on New Year's Day, at the Tarmac Silverlands, and another close match is being forecast by both camps. Craig Elliott concluded: "Alfreton have got good, experienced players but I will be looking for us to improve at both ends of the pitch. We've got the commitment and ability to turn it around and win the return."
The Alfreton match is scheduled to kick off at 3pm.