I'm Back

Alfreton Town 0-0 Burton Albion (Friendly)

The World Cup is in full flow; I’ve only just got back off my holidays in Italy and Croatia but already the 2026/27 pre-season has started. I missed the first week of games so the second Saturday of July I’m finally back to business, a long old season ahead, again, and I’m itching, ready, I can’t bloody wait for it.

Today I’m back at Alfreton Town, a team now close to my heart, but then I’ve always had a soft spot since my mate ‘Robbo’ played for them way back when.

These days it’s all about the club staff, those who potter about in the press room, offering cups of tea, biscuits and cakes, you won’t go thirsty here, or hungry, they look after you at ‘Ofton’ as the locals call the team.

Despite a good bloody effort which took it to the last day, Alfreton were relegated from the National League North in the spring and will play this season in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. Manager Jake Buxton kept his job, after all it wasn’t his fault, far from it, he came in with his side already bottom of the league and managed to pick up so many points from November onwards, had he been there from the start, they would probably have had enough PPG (points per game) for the playoffs.

There’s been changes at North Street this summer, out goes my favourite player in George Cantrill to Spennymoor, other established grafters have left like Lewis Salmon, Max Hunt (both Chorley) and the huge throwing Adam Lund (Guiseley) but some have come in, Sam Parker, Connor Dixon and Tom Solanke all previously of Derbyshire rivals Ilkeston Town, whilst Reco Fyfe looks a good acquisition from Quorn.

As for Burton, Gary Bowyer (son of Ian) is gaffer of the Brewers. Albion finished seventeenth in League One last season and they have recently added to their roster in acquiring Matthew Dennis of Notts County and Curtis Tilt from Bradford, I’m especially looking forward to watching Charlie Webster today who I’m told has been a cracking signing from Chelsea, whilst both Tyrese Shade and Kain Adom are exciting attackers having come through the non-league system.

The Venue

I’ve pulled up on a side street and walked up North Street where some old boy sat outside his house is chatting to his wife about COVID vaccines. A bus coming up the road is stuck, some fella has to knock on someone’s door to ask them to move their car so the bus can get through, I feel like I’m in a time trap when things were simpler, Alfreton is that sort of place, council houses and cars parked everywhere, but the ground is quiet today, it looks like even the Burton players have made their own ways in, no team bus outside, as I nip to Co Op for a meal deal before walking back down in the sun and through the turnstiles.

Inside I take pictures of the playing surface, a little sun burnt but the pitch looking good with its right to left slope, the old stadium glowing red in the bright hazy blue light, I’m into the press box where it’s mightily warm inside. “Happy new Year” I say to Liam, the clubs tweeter, whilst asking him, “haven’t you got any air con in here yet?” 'We keep having to open the fridge door' is his reply.

I sit myself down at the back of the press seating area as Bill comes around with cakes, Gary Bowyer is chatting to his Burton Albion media team, he’s narked that one of his club staff have put a picture of him on their LinkedIn, he’s asking for image rights and complaining in jest (I think) about workplace violation and his right to privacy. He's all very straight faced is Bowyer.

I spot Fletch, the BBC Radio commentator for Burton games who’s here as a spectator today, he also commentates on Derbyshire cricket games which I regularly attend in my (other) summer scouting role. “How’s the cricket been going?” I ask. “Shit” is his reply.

I’m joined by another familiar face, a Brummie lad called Rob who often scouts with me at Alfreton, he like me loves the friendly nature of this place and walks around making cups of tea like he owns it.

The buzz is one of happiness, those of you who have not been here before, do it. The club is currently up for sale after a new American tech-savvy owner thought he would come in and turn it into Hashtag United or Wrexham, he wanted to sell some Bitcoin type memes to get fans to have their say with team selection. I actually sent an email to the clubs Director, saying “It’s not that sort of club” and to "think again" a week later he put it up for sale. I joked with Rob but we both long agreed it would never work “they’ve only just stopped using cheques around here, let alone know anything about Bitcoin” he says.

It’s a proper working class town is 'Ofton', with proper working class people, the ground in the middle of a council housing estate, if anywhere couldn't be further from the glitz and glamour of modern football and what modern football wants, this is the place, and this is why I love it, this is why it's best kept away from all that showbiz.

The Game

Burton have two teams set up for today, one, a relatively strong side for the first 45 minutes whilst their second half team is made up pretty much entirely of kids, Alfreton look a little thin on the ground, they have eight players actually signed on in their starting XI with three trialists, captained by young Siya Ligendza who joined last season, he’s the longest surviving player (aged just 22) in the squad.

Alfreton also have Dylan Youmbi who impressed after joining from Ilkeston last year, he’s already racing directly down the right with pace and power at the Brewers defence, the front three all of Youmbi, Ligendza and Daniel Odunaya causing a bit of havoc for Burton’s defensive trio of Sibbick, Vancooten and Tilt, the latter, recently signed is playing the game like it's a cup final, diving in desperately and leaving a bit in on opponents after his tackles, he has a go at an official and all hell breaks loose, steam coming out of his ears, Tilt earns himself a needless yellow card.

The first half is enjoyable, Burton in 3-5-2 play through the elegant Charlie Webster, flowing hair, he just oozes class as he gets on the ball in those number eight positions and waves forward with a wand of a right foot, often looking for the overlapping wing back Jack Armer who gets forward down the left on his blindside.

Another player I like is Kegs Chauke who sits in midfield and protects, nothing silly, keeps within his limits, but plays the game like any good modern day CDM should. He’s only 23 but has near 100 league games for Burton following a move from Southampton in 2023.

There’s not much in the way of action, Youmbi perhaps with Alfreton’s best chance as he forces a good stop from Dudek at the near post, whilst Zac Scutt has a couple of sniffs for the visitors, it’s a game played at a good tempo with lots of pass and move from both sides, before the half time changes take place with the game goalless.

The Score

It’s a new look Brewers for the second half as young hungry whipper snappers from the U18’s come on against an Alfreton team who are the same bar two subs, the hosts are tiring in the heat as the match becomes a battle without much quality in the final third, some good moments from Jack Willow who spreads the play well from deep midfield, whilst Miles Henry out right is full of running, but there’s not much the way of action, a late free kick by Tomas Kalinauskas (known as ‘TK’ for obvious reasons) finds Finn Delap (son of Rory, brother of Liam) who blazes over, perhaps summing the standard of finishing up. All four goalkeepers used today, have had very little to do.

Good minutes for all involved, the score at this stage of the season hardly an issue, the lack of attempts, ditto, whilst Alfreton will take great positivity out of having a scratch side full of trialists go toe-to-toe with League One opposition, the important stuff for Gary Bowyer and his men, was about getting minutes into their young legs.

The Stars

I said before that I was looking forward to seeing Charlie Webster play and I wasn’t disappointed, everything good, the Brewers did, went through him, a silky midfielder who looks talented enough, still only 23, to have a good football league career.

I liked the back three of Sibbick, Vancooten and Tilt, the latter adding experience and aggression, which I think will be needed badly this coming season, whilst Kegs Chauke in midfield stood out, Matthew Dennis had a quiet debut in attack, eighteen year old Zak Scutt shown much promise beside him.

For Alfreton, I was impressed in parts with their new midfield duo of Connor Dixon and Tom Solanke, both shown some neat touches and are players most competent at the level the club are now at. I like the promising signs of their front three, Youmbi, Ligendza and Odunaya, all have pace and power and will all cause issues for defences in the division this year no doubt.

The Verdict

I do think Alfreton will have it tough in the Northern Premier League but there are plenty worse teams than them in the division, they still have a lot to do, with more signings to come, but are building a steady ship that should see them sail in and around the top half of the table, with the likes of big spending Bury and Cleethorpes, FC United and both Warrington outfits, Guiseley, Ashton, Stockton, who all could be up there, it will be tough at the top, but they certainly have the ability to compete, with a couple more savvy acquisitions to boost.

As for Burton, well they have been punching well above their weight for years now. Just 408 watched this friendly game in total, which tells you of the kind of limited support, the Brewers have, a small team once playing at the very level Alfreton are now at, but doing great things now in the third tier of the English game. I think they’ll have it tough, and will be fighting for survival, but in Gary Bowyer, they have a good guy running things, in Charlie Webster, they have a brilliant playmaker, if they keep the basis of what they already have, and add to that well, then there’s every chance they can improve on last season’s seventeenth place finish.

The Teams

Alfreton Town: Trialist (Trialist 46), Daniel Benson (Trialist 46), Sam Parker (Trialist 65), Trialist, Trialist, Tom Solanke (Trialist 65), Dylan Youmbi (Trialist 58), Connor Dixon (Trialist 65), Daniel Odunaya (Trialist 65), Siya Ligendza (Trialist 65), Jakub Krusznski (Trialist 65).

Burton Albion: Kamil Dudek (Lucas Joubert 46), Toby Sibbick (William Earley 46), Terence Vancooten (Finn Delap 46), Curtis Tilt (Cameron Gilbert 46), Kyran Lofthouse (Miles Henry 46), Charlie Webster (Jack Willow 46), Dylan Williams (Sulyman Krubaly 46), Kegs Chauke (Tomas Kalinauskas 46), Jack Armer (Samuel Oyemade 46), Zak Scott (Myles Matthew-Lewis 46), Matthew Dennis (Robbie Meakin 46).

2:00pm Kick Off. Saturday 11th July 2026, North Street, Alfreton (att 408).