The Reds were on the road once again after a disappointing result last time out against Radcliffe, whilst hosts Peterborough Sports came into the game on the back of an impressive home victory over play-off hopefuls Kidderminster Harriers.
Jake Buxton made three changes for his first match in charge, with the former Derby man bringing in Joe Dodoo, George Willis and Jack Leckie in place of Austin Samuels, Coby Hewitson and Ryan Barrett.
The Reds were first to apply pressure, with Adam Lund firing a long, direct ball deep into the Peterborough Sports half. From the resulting throw, the Turbines managed to clear their lines and enjoy a spell of possession before more long throws from Lund were launched into the box. However, the Reds were unable to test Crook.
After winning the second ball in midfield, Booth ran forward for the hosts and struck towards goal, but his effort failed to trouble George Willis, who held onto the ball comfortably.
Willis then fired the ball long, where Lewis Salmon made first contact, cushioning it down for Jed Abbey. Abbey touched the ball wide around the goalkeeper with his first touch before slotting home with his second. Eleven minutes in, and it was 1-0 to the Reds.
The Turbines enjoyed the lion’s share of possession after the goal but were unable to muster any meaningful attempts on Willis’s goal. Their best chance fell to Hickingbottom after great work from Booth on the right, who beat his man and cut the ball back to the penalty spot. Hickingbottom’s shot was goal-bound but blocked superbly by the sliding Harry Perritt.
The final chance of the half also went to the hosts, with a free-kick swung in from the left-hand side of the box. It met a Peterborough Sports head and was turned towards goal, but a combination of the post and Willis working together managed to keep the ball out before it was cleared.
The second half started much like the first, with Peterborough Sports enjoying long spells of possession deep in their own half but struggling to create clear goalscoring opportunities.
Shortly after receiving treatment, George Willis was called into action with a fine right-hand save, tipping the ball over his crossbar after a shot from the right-hand side of the area. The resulting corner was cleared by the Reds before being recycled to the edge of the box, where another shot from distance was blocked and cleared away.
Alfreton kept the hosts on their toes with a quick counter-attack — Joe Dodoo’s knockdown found Adam Lund, who played a clever ball behind the Turbines’ back line for Abbey to chase. However, Crook was alert and cleared the danger.
As we passed the hour mark, a series of long throws from Lund gave the Reds more opportunities to pressure the Sports back line, but the hosts’ defence stood firm.
A short goal kick from the hosts was worked down the right flank, with Williams passing inside to Hickingbottom, who recycled play to Powell at left-back. Powell flicked it over the top for Oakley, who took a touch wide and fired a shot towards Crook’s near post — but could only find the side netting.
A storming run down the right-hand side by Samuels saw him dink the ball over the Peterborough Sports back line for Dodoo, who brought it down for strike partner Abbey. Jed fired low toward the bottom right corner, but Crook held strong with a fine left-hand save to deny him a second of the afternoon.
With ten minutes left to play at Lincoln Road, the hosts swung in a corner to the near post, finding a Peterborough head. However, the effort sailed over the crossbar. The pressure was growing on the Alfreton back line, who dropped deeper and deeper in an attempt to hold onto all three points.
Crook launched the ball forward, and Hunt’s attempted header clear only found the feet of Whitehouse, who slid in Dan Jarvis. Jarvis fired into the roof of the net via a deflection, bringing the hosts level late on — much to the jubilation of the home fans.
There was still time for one final chance for the hosts, as Jarvis struck from the edge of the box. His effort was blocked brilliantly by Hunt, and the rebound fell kindly back to Jarvis, but he could only fire wide of the far post.
The referee brought proceedings to a close, with both sides having to settle for a point.
Full-time: Peterborough Sports FC 1-1 Alfreton Town FC
A gritty, hard-fought point on the road for the Reds, who were unfortunate not to come away with all three. However, it’s certainly a point in the right direction for Jake Buxton in his first game at the helm. He’ll now turn his attention to Tuesday night at the Impact Arena, where the Reds host Chester in the Vanarama National League North.
