David Steel | 6th September 2024
Missed Tuesday night's game or just couldn't get hold of a programme? YOURCLUB Content brings you DFCSG's programme notes from the Alfreton Town game.
WELCOME FROM JON SADDINGTON
Today we entertain Alfreton Town, who are usually tough opponents. The Reds are managed by Billy Heath; an experienced manager who knows this league inside out.
It would be dangerous to pigeonhole Alfreton as a direct, long ball team. Alfreton have got some very good footballers, including Jed Abbey, Liam Waldock, and summer signings David Moyo and Billy Whitehouse (both from Chorley). They provide a different dimension to Billy Heath’s line-up and provide a threat going forward.
Nathan Newall is also likely to feature for The Reds. Nathan played really well for Darlo whilst on loan from Sunderland a few seasons ago.
At the time of writing, Alfreton occupy 9th place and will be pushing for a play-off place once again. Recent form has been good and includes victories against Kings Lynn Town and Needham Market and draws with Leamington and Chester.
Last season, Quakers defeated Alfreton 3-2 at the Impact Arena with two second-half goals from Finlay Barnes. The Reds gained their revenge with 0-2 reverse at Blackwell Meadows in February – a rare defeat for Steve Watson’s rejuvenated Darlo during the latter half of the 2023/24 season.
From a Darlo perspective, key players are gradually returning to the squad which bodes well for the months ahead. A fully fit Darlo team featuring the likes of Cedric Main, Tom Platt and Joe Leesley will be formidable.
Although, it must be said that our loan signings – Will Flint in particular – have competed admirably during our injury hit August.
Finally, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to the supporters, players, and officials of Alfreton Town. Enjoy the game!
DFCSG SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL
As a legacy from when we used to have a universal renewal date of 1st September (we moved to rolling renewal dates when we launched the YOURCLUB platform) we have a glut of owners/members renewing their memberships around this time. Many thanks to those that have already renewed their memberships.
For those that haven't yet renewed, you should have received a letter or an email advising you of the many convenient ways you can pay. Your subscriptions make a valued contribution to the many ways that we can support the club.
At the time of writing, we had 1,278 owners/members, which is a remarkably high proportion of the Club's fan-base.
YOURCLUB DFC MEN'S PLAYER OF AUGUST 2024
We will soon be asking you to vote on your YOURCLUB DFC Men's Player of August 2024. Look out for details on how to vote on both social media and YOURCLUB soon.
At the end of last season, Cedric Main took 44% of your votes to be crowned the YOURCLUB DFC Men’s Player of April, pipping Matty Young into second place with 28% of the vote.
But who has caught your eye at the start of this season? At time of writing (and in advance of Saturday’s Spennymoor game), the team have won one, drawn two and lost two in an undoubtedly tough start to the season.
DFCSG AWAY TRAVEL
On Saturday 7th September, we travel to newly promoted Marine FC in Crosby. The coach will depart from Park Place at 10.30am. The price for adult DFCSG members is £25 (£13 juniors) and adult non-members is £28 (£14 juniors).
Depending on how the draw goes (and our progress), we may have away ties in the FA Cup on Saturdays 14th & 28th September. Otherwise, our next scheduled away trip is to King's Lynn on Saturday 5th October. The coach will depart from Park Place at 9am. The price for adult DFCSG members is £30 (£15 juniors) and adult non-members is £33 (£17 juniors).
For details on how to book, including our 'Conditions of Travel' section, please click here.
