Chorley 0 Alfreton Town 1: Early goal keeps Magpies on the slide

Struggling Alfreton carried out a successful smash-and-grab raid, scoring after just two minutes and then very effectively shutting Chorley out of the game.

Getting everyone behind the ball at the slightest hint of danger, they defended their box resolutely and won almost all the aerial battles when it mattered most.

The Magpies simply lacked the guile and penetration needed to break them down and goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne was barely tested, saving perhaps one shot of note throughout the match.

In contrast, Chorley keeper Matt Urwin twice pulled off big saves to keep his team theoretically in the game.

It was a curious decision not to start with both Adam Henley and Mark Ellis, the latter an important presence in the opposition box for set-pieces and the man most likely to win a header from a free-kick or corner.

Had Henley started at right-back, the decisive goal might have been prevented. Cool play in midfield by Alfreton led to a quick break down the left – the first of several in the opening half – and a low ball across the box confounded the home defence, leaving Billy Fewster to steer a shot into the far corner.

Chorley mustered one decent attempt on goal in reply, the result of a clever run by Tom Carr, but the final shot was straight at Burgoyne.

Overall, the proceedings were short of incident or attractive football with Alfreton holding onto their early advantage without much anxiety.

The delayed introduction of Ellis with only some six minutes to play was in the circumstances hard to understand.

This bad run by the Magpies needs to end sooner rather than later to prevent a further slide down the rankings and into a struggle at the wrong end of the table.

CHORLEY: Urwin, Wilson (Ellis 86), Smith, Calveley, Sampson (Ibbitson 70), Carr, Clarke (Henley 82), Moore, Weaver, Lalkovic (Walker 65), O’Kane. Unused subs. Nolan, Reeves, Pratt.