History

The present Alfreton Town Football Club celebrated the milestone of their Golden Jubilee at the end of the 2008/2009 campaign having been formed in 1959 following the merger of Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfreton United football clubs.

The 2001/02 campaign saw Chris Wilder appointed Manager and unprecedented success followed as the Reds landed four trophies – the Northern Counties (East) League Premier Division championship, League Cup, President’s Cup and Derbyshire Senior Cup. Promotion back to the Northern Premier League was followed by entering into the Conference (North).

For the 2007/08 season, former Chesterfield and Bradford City boss Nicky Law took over as Reds manager. Under Law, the Reds finished in their highest-ever position of third in Conference North and the side reached the FA Cup second round proper for the first time in the club’s history, before falling to a 4-0 defeat at high-flying League One side Scunthorpe United.

The 2010/11 campaign saw a third promotion tilt prove ultimately successful as Law’s fourth season in charge at the Impact Arena ended with the side winning the Blue Square Bet North title by a ten-point margin.

The 2014/15 season saw the club relegated for the first time under Chairman, Wayne Bradley, who had taken over the helm in the 1997/98 season. The Club dropped back into the National League North – a position they still hold today.

 

Form

Alfreton have been on an impressive run of late, losing just once in their last eleven matches across all competitions.

Their impressive run has seen the side climb to 5th in the Vanarama National League North standings.

 

The Gaffer

The 2018/19 Season saw the appointment of Billy Heath as Alfreton’s First Team Manager.

Heath started his managerial career at Bridlington Town FC, where he spent six seasons with the East Yorkshire side. He then had a four-year spell with Frickley Athletic from 2006 – 2010 before joining North Ferriby United where would go on to become the Villagers’ most decorated manager.

His side were crowned Unibond League Premier Division Champions in 2012/13. The Doodson League Cup was won for a second successive year and a triple celebration came with the East Riding Senior Cup victory. In 2015/16 he guided the Villagers to an incredible comeback win in the FA Trophy final over Wrexham, having been 2-0 down at half time.

Heath moved on to become Halifax Town manager in May 2016 and guided the Shaymen to promotion from the National League North playoffs in his first season before the club’s decision was made to part ways with their boss.

 

The Captain

Experienced defender Shaun Brisley joined the Reds in the summer and has captained the side over the last few matches.

He has a wealth of EFL experience having featured for the likes of Peterborough, Northampton, Carlisle and Notts County.

Brisley began his career at Macclesfield Town where he quickly became a first team regular after his debut in 2008. He went on to make 142 appearances for the club in all competitions in just four years.

He joined Peterborough United on an initial loan deal in February 2012, which was made permanent three months later ande won the EFL Trophy with the club in 2014, scoring in the final.

He was loaned out to Scunthorpe United, Northampton Town and Leyton Orient, before he joined Carlisle United on a free transfer in July 2016.

He moved on to Notts County 12 months later, though was released after the club’s relegation out of the English Football League at the end of the 2018–19 season. He signed with Port Vale in August 2019 and stayed at the club for two seasons before joining Wrexham in July 2021.

He moved on to Buxton 12 months later and then joined Alfreton Town in May 2023.

 

Key Players

Jordan Thewlis and Lewis Salmon have both found the back of the net six times this season and are the Reds’ joint top-scorers.

Thewlis is a product of Scunthorpe United’s academy and enjoyed success in the colours of Boston United, Harrogate Town and Guisely before linking up with Alfreton Town.

Salmon, meanwhile, came through the ranks at Nottingham Forest. He was loaned to Alfreton during the 21/22 season before linking up with the Reds on a permanent basis after being released by Forest in the summer.

George Cantrill is Alfreton’s only ever-present member of the outfield squad in the league this season. He was part of the Sheffield United academy before being released in the summer of 2020 when he joined Guisely. Cantrill joined Alfreton from Guisely in the summer.