Match Preview

Heanor Town came away from Grange Park courtesy of 2 goals at the start of each half before a late Ben Gowing Goal.

Blues welcomed back Elliot King and Blaine Hancock to the squad with Brad Wells and Joe Pheasent leaving to Handsworth and Loughborough Dynamo respectively.

Heanor set off the better of the sides in the opening few minutes and after just 3 minutes went ahead. Nick Hall, captain for Heanor rose up well in the box after a great cross and slipped the ball past Low in goal.

It was perhaps the wake up call the Blues wanted as from then on for lengthy periods of the half United dominated. Piliero who was in a different position was doing well spraying balls for Cooper-Richards and in the 6th minute found the attacker with a great through ball. However a knock on the ankles of the Blues number 9 made him stumble, had he managed to get through he would have been in on goal. Shouts from the stand for a foul were unnoticed by the referee and play continued.

Untited kept up the pressure and Allen fired in a shot from 30 yards having been played in by Gowing. Allen, always good from range missed the far post by a matter of inches with Townsed for the visitors in goal no where close.

In the 20th minute the Blues could and perhaps should have levelled. A great corner in by Piliero was inadvertently flicked on by a visitors defender Rickford and Kabongo got up well with the later heading toward goal. Unfortunately the ball was directed wide, Uniteds number 11 was perhaps unsighted.

2 minutes later and many in the stands though the Blues had equilised, Ben Gowing hotting a beautiful shot which cannoned of the far post with the keeper beaten.

The balance of the game evened out after the Blues pressure and it was great defending from United as Heanor's Clarke and White came close with the Blues scambling clear on 30 minutes. Moments later Oliver Naylor hit a rasping effort from 18 yards but Low in goal for United was positioned well and saved easily.

As the half came to its end it was the visitors who were playing the better but the Blues midfield were doing a fine job preventing cross-field passes finding the Lions attackers.

The second started very much like the first with the visitors the more eager, the same could be said for the scoreline as Heanor went 2-0 up in the 50th minute. Having had the ball in the Lions box the Blues had big shouts for a hand ball as a cross came in, however the referee thought otherwise and the ball was in the Blues box less than a minute later.
A United defender slid in before Naylor could shot and the ref pointed to the spot, it was a firm challenge and the referee said foul.
Jamie Clarke stepped up for the visitors and had no trouble hitting the right hand net, Low diving to the left.
Again it was Blues attacking and Cole getting ever more forward hit a great effort in the 60th minute from just outside the box but it sailed well over the bar.

The game began to become very even as both side prevented attacks and the ball found itself in the middle of the pitch for a long period. In the 70th minute Cole had another effort which went over having picked up a loose ball from a Blues corner.

Into the final moments of the match and the Blues saved a goal of the season contender till the last 2 minutes. Ben Gowing who was forward picked up the ball 30 yards out before firing a curling shot into the top right hand corner. The keeper couldn't reach the effort and the ball hit the bar before dropping in.

As the game went into injury time Low in goal for United pushed up as the Blues had a corner although it came to nothing it was great vision by the hosts management.