Great expectations backfired, admit Nailers

Belper Town manager Peter Duffield admits his side face a huge week ahead of tonight's Evo-Stik NPL First Division South trip to Brigg Town and Saturday's FA Cup clash with Holbrook Sports.

The Nailers only came away with a 1-1 draw from their opening fixture at home to Coalville Town on Saturday and Duffield believes that great expectations may have affected the performances of some of his key players.

Duffield said: "The weight of expectation weighed heavily on the players. We have had an excellent pre-season and we really wanted to get three points from our first league, but if I’m honest, we were grateful to get the one after finishing with ten-men.

"I know much more was expected of us but after a nervy start we played some really good football and Jordan Ball put us ahead, but the goal we conceded was nothing short of comical and after that we seemed to lose some of our edge.

"The goal they got was farcical and should never have happened, and the players involved should have known better to have let a situation like that happen, but to be fair we don’t see many mistakes like that nowadays."

Defender Michael Simpkins was sent off midway through the second half and Duffield conceded that he could have no argument with the referee’s decision.

"He did what any player would do when he sees a team mate under three or four of the opposition players, and he went to help him out," insisted the manager. "But there are ways of doing it without risking being sent-off and Simmo accepts that and apologised to me after the game. So as far as I’m concerned the matter is finished with."

Duffield also believes he saw the best of his team after they were reduced to ten-men and reckons they could have sneaked a win in the end instead of the disappointing draw.

"We showed great spirit when we could have given up and lost the game," he said. "I was impressed with the way be battled back and although they had pace up front which caught us out a couple of times, I thought we had more desire in the last 25 minutes that at any time in the game."

The Nailers will be able to call upon the services of Ashley Longstaff for tonight's [Tuesday] clash against Brigg Town and Saturday's FA Cup Preliminary Round tie with Holbrook Sports.

Duffield insists there is much more to come from his team, and especially when he gets his two ‘talisman’ strikers Longstaff and Jonathon Froggatt back playing together.

"Ash has returned from his honeymoon and is available again and we still have the division’s best striker in Jon Froggatt to come back too," added Duffield who said the whole team will get a boost when their partnership is finally renewed.

"Froggy’s been nursing a knee injury and at the moment I don’t know when he will be available again, but when we see them both lining up together it will be a massive boost for us all."