Striker targets comeback as Nailers back keeper

Belper Town manager Peter Duffield insists Nailers keeper Aaron Chapman will come back a better player after dropping him while striker John Froggatt has set himself a target of playing again with four weeks.

Belper’s talisman striker revealed: "I’ve been back to the specialist and he’s confirmed that there is no serious damage and I should be back playing again soon. I had an injection into my knee and it’s feeling much better so I can’t wait to get back playing again."

"It’s agonising watching from the side lines especially when we’re not doing too well and I want to get back on the field scoring goals again."

Belper host fellow strugglers Lincoln United on Tuesday night after Chapman was dropped for Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Carlton Town, his omission handing David Ratcliffe the opportunity of a rare start.

Chapman was left out after taking the blame for costing his side at least a point in last week’s 1-0 defeat at Gresley when he let slip a speculative Marc Goodfellow volley in the final minute.

But Nailers manager Duffield, pictured, insists Chapman’s outfield colleagues must take a share of the blame after wasting a host of chances to win the game and believes the keeper will soon be back.

He said: "It was an awful way to lose a game of football. We had our chances to score two or three goals which would have rendered Aaron’s error unimportant, but I was gutted when that went in right at the end.

"I thought it was best that we took Aaron out of the firing line for the Carlton game. He’s a young lad and he will come back even stronger after this."

Duffield has also confirmed that Ashley Longstaff has played his last game for the Nailers following a dressing room incident after the Gresley defeat.

Duffield, who’s signed striker Shaun Tuton from Matlock, said: "To be fair he has done well for us especially last season but hasn’t quite struck the same form this time, and things came to ahead after the Gresley game. I’m not going into details but as a result Longstaff has left the club for disciplinary reasons."

The Nailers have sunk to the bottom of the Evo-Stik NPL Division One South table after taking only a point from their last two league fixtures. Duffield is disappointed not to have taken all three points from the Moat Ground but accepted the point against Carlton was fair.

"We had a couple of chances in the first half that didn’t go in for us and then we conceded a goal from a free kick against the run of play. It was noticeable that our heads went down and it was a struggle at times," he said.

"But when Simon Harrison brought us level with a superbly taken goal I was hoping we could push on for a winner. There were too many players under performing on Saturday. It’s really important we start winning and I know confidence and energy will flood back again."

Elsewhere, Belper’s reserve side returned to winning ways with a 2-0 away success at Rainworth Miners Welfare last Saturday. Their next opponents are Radford FC reserves at home this Saturday.