It will be a first ever trip to Wales to contest a league game at Step 2 of the Non League System for Alfreton who have previously met Wrexham and Newport while in the National League between 2011 and 2015 and a plethora of Welsh clubs further down the pyramid.

Alfreton head in to the clash in fine fettle. Its been a remarkable transformation in recent weeks with three wins in the last four spearheading an upturn in fortunes for Jake Buxton`s men.

Alfreton made it three successive midweek triumphs with a 2-1 success away at Northern Premier League Premier Division side Gainsborough Trinity last time out.

Loanee striker Mark Beck who arrived from Scunthorpe is loving life at the Impact as he made it three goals in his last two starts with a well taken brace against the Holy Blues of Gainsborough a the KAL Group Stadium.

His first arrived on five minutes when the ball found its way back to George Cantrill from a throw in the tough tackling midfielder delivered a pinpoint cross towards the towering Beck who made no mistake with his header to hand the Reds the advantage.

Beck was proving to be a real handful for the hosts who had acquired a great reputation of upsetting the odds against higher league opposition in recent seasons. He had a few further chances in a first half were Alfreton restricted Gainsborough to few chances while carrying a threat of their own upfront.

Gainsborough began the second half and enjoyed their best spell of the night as they put Ofton under sustained pressure in the first 15 minutes of the half. Gainsborough levelled the scores on 51 minutes when with Alfreton caught out from a corner Harry Hawkins was ajudged to have felled a Gainsborough player in the area and referee Lee Hible pointed to the spot.

Former Alfreton striker who enjoyed a loan spell with the Reds in the 2017/18 season made no mistake from the spot to score against his former side.

Gainsborough were buoyed by the equalizer and won a series of corners and set pieces as they looked to hit the front.

Jake Buxton rang the chances just past the hour with Lewis Salmon and Siya Ligendza brought in to the fray to try and swing the momentum back in favour of the Reds. Trinity turned to their bench and brought on the dangerous Sisu Tuntulwana but just seconds after his introduction Alfreton struck the decisive blow. Substitute Lewis Salmon showcased an excellent burst of speed to get past his man down the flank and he delivered a wonderful cross towards the unmarked Beck who rose superbly to head past former Reds keeper David Robson as Alfreton regained the lead with 20 minutes to play.

Alfreton saw out the victory and will now travel to Alvechurch in the Third Round Proper on Saturday December 13th.

Saturday`s opponents Meryhr are competing at Step of the non league Pyramid after romping to Southern League Premier Division South title with an impressive 105 goals and 91 points from 42 league games.

Merythr nicknamed the Martyrs have certainly been the leagues entertainers. Their total of 37 league goals is only bettered by AFC Fylde and they conceded 32 with only Peterborough Sports shipping more goals.

Merythr are National League North`s form horse as well as five straight league victories have spearheaded the South Wales side to third in the league in no small part due to the goalscoring heroics of the leagues top Marksman Ricardo Rees.

The 25 year old has scored well over 100 goals for Merthyr since signing from from Yate Town in 2022. Newport born Rees must surely be attracting the attention of the South Wales side who sit rock bottom of the football league as the welshman has an incredible 10 goals in his last six games in all competitions taking his season tally to a league high 18 in just 17 league appearances.

Its some nine years since Alfreton last visited Wales to contest an FA Cup First Round Proper replay back in 2016. After beating AFC Fylde, Kings Lynn Town and Gateshead in qualification Alfreton ran Newport  who were setting bottom of the EFL at the time under the management of Graham Westley close. Their were jubilant scenes when Adam Priestley levelled for Nicky Law`s Reds in the second half as Alfreton`s determined efforts forced extra time at Rodney Parade before the fitness of Newport proved the difference as the Welsh side won 4-1 AET.

Afreton`s last league contest in Wales was in April 2015 when they were beaten 4-0 at the Racecourse Ground before relegation from the Vanarama Conference at the end of the 2014/15 season.

Travel (Supporters Coach)

Those wishing to travel on the Supporters Association bus, please contact Mark on 07857 558401. Departure is at 07.45 am from the Impact Arena with a delightful stop off in Abergavenny

Match day prices for the 2025/26 season at Penydaren Park

On the day
Adult £15
Concession £12
Under 16s £5 (This ticket is not available online and on the gate only

Travel (Car)

  From Alfreton, take the M1 southbound before joining the A42/M42 west. Continue onto the M5, then join the M50 at Junction 8. Follow the A40 toward Monmouth and then continue on the A465 (Heads of the Valleys Road) towards Merthyr Tydfil. Once in Merthyr, follow signs for the town centre, then for Penydarren Park. The stadium sits just off Park Terrace, with parking available in nearby streets and town-centre car parks.

Contact

If you want to get in touch with the club, you can email us on enquiries@alfretontownfc.com.

Alternatively, you can see the latest Reds news and updates on our club website and across our social media channels on X, Facebook and Instagram.

We hope you have a great time following the Reds on Saturday