Preview: Alfreton Town (A)

    The Seals are on the road tomorrow evening for a trip to the Impact Arena to face Alfreton Town.

    Our most recent league outing saw the points shared at the Deva Stadium with Kidderminster Harriers.

    Ryley Reynolds’ header in the first-half was cancelled out by Dylan Mottley-Henry who rose inside the box to nod past Christian Dibble to earn the equaliser.

    Our last clash with the Reds was during our seven-match winning run at the beginning of 2025, as late goals from Harrison Burke and Tom Peers secured all three points down CH1.

    The Opposition

    Alfreton have started the campaign in inconsistent fashion and sit on 10 points from their opening 11 games.

    Billy Heath’s eight-year reign in Derbyshire was brought to an end after an underwhelming start to the campaign, with his successor, Jake Buxton, appointed last week.

    His first contest in charge saw three points cruelly taken away late on as Jed Abbey’s early strike was cancelled out by Dan Jarvis in the 89th minute for Peterborough Sports.

    Alfreton’s two victories to date during 25/26 have both come at home, firstly through a 2-0 win over Marine before a 1-0 success over AFC Telford United.

    The Gaffer

    Newly-appointed manager Jake Buxton has his first home game back in Alfreton following a short spell as a player back in 2003.

    The 40-year-old’s coaching career began as a player-manager for Burton Albion before he joined the coaching team at Derby County, firstly as a Professional Development Coach and then as Head Coach of the Under-21s.

    Buxton spent over a decade as a defender in the EFL for various clubs, most notably for Derby where he made over 100 appearances between 2009-16, though his longest stint came at Mansfield Town, whom he featured on over 150 occasions for between 2002-08.

    One to Watch

    Attacking midfielder Jed Abbey has been in fine form over recent weeks since his re-introduction to the team.

    The 23-year-old first featured this campaign in the aforementioned 1-0 success over Telford and he has since scored in successive games, firstly in the defeat to Radcliffe, followed by the Reds’ sole goal in the draw at PIMS Park.

    The Dutch midfielder spent time in the youth setup at Wolverhampton Wanderers before a permanent move to Telford in 2021, followed by a switch to Alvechurch in 2022.

    A period at South Shields followed before he made the move to the Impact Arena in the summer of 2024.

    Abbey’s first season in Derbyshire ended with an impressive record of 11 league goals in 42 appearances.

    League Form Guide

    Alfreton Town | W2 D4 L5 | F9 A20 | Pos: 21st

    Last three 

    • AFC Telford United (H) | W 1-0 | Scorers: Samuels
    • Radcliffe (A) | L 3-1 | Scorers: Abbey
    • Peterborough Sports (H) | D 1-1 | Scorers: Abbey

    Chester FC | W2 D6 L3 | F14 A20 | Pos: 18th

    Last three

    • Darlington (A) | D 1-1 | Scorers: P. Jones
    • Merthyr Town (H) | D 2-2 | Scorers: Zanzala, Handley OG
    • Kidderminster Harriers (H) | D 1-1 | Scorers: Mottley-Henry
    MATCH DETAILS

    Tuesday’s game will kick off at 19:45 at the Impact Arena. The address for the ground is North Street, Alfreton, DE55 7FZ.

    TICKET DETAILS

    Tickets are available for the game via the link below. The fixture will be segregated.

    CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE!

    Ticket Prices

    • Adult – £15
    • Concessions (65+) – £10
    • Concessions (16-21) – £10
    • Disabled Access + Free of charge Carer – £10
    • Children (Under 15s) – £3
    PARKING

    There are two public car parks within a ten-minute walk of the Impact Arena. Both are Pay & Display.

    • Rogers Lane, DE55 7FF
    • Severn Square Car Park, DE55 7BJ
    TRAVEL

    By Car – Travel on the M56 to junction Nine where you merge on to the M6 heading Southbound. Stay on the M6 until junction 15 and join the A50 which leads to Derby before joining the A38, heading North. Leave the A38 at Abbott Road before the Impact Arena emerges on the right of North Street, which if just off the B600.

    By Train – The route to Alfreton either sees a passenger change at Warrington Bank Quay to Warrington Central from which there is a direct service to Alfreton, or a route that requires changes at Crewe and Stockport. Both routes take just over two hours and 30 minutes. There is no train service that runs back to Chester that departs Alfreton after the final whistle.

    We look forward to seeing you there, UTS!