Alfreton Town head into their first friendly of the pre-season campaign on Saturday in preparation for the upcoming National League North season, in which they will set out to win promotion to England’s fifth tier after falling in the playoffs last time around.
After a fifth-placed finish and a playoff quarter-final exit in 2023, the Reds set out to go one better and seal a return to the National League last term, and they again finished the regular season in fifth spot with 80 points on the board, their highest tally since winning the same division in 2011, setting up a meeting with Boston United in the first round of the playoffs.
Billy Heath‘s side had home advantage in that one-legged tie, but they would fall short of reaching the final four again in agonising fashion, with the 90 minutes and extra time both finishing goalless before the Derbyshire outfit succumbed to defeat in the penalty shootout, with the visitors converting all five of their spot kicks and Harry Perritt being denied in his team’s fifth.
As a result, Alfreton Town now turn their focus to a 10th straight term in England’s sixth tier with the aim of finally winning promotion this time around, and they will set out to kick off on the front foot in Saturday’s opening friendly in a tricky pre-season schedule before meeting Notts County, Barnsley, Chesterfield and Rotherham United in the coming weeks.
They certainly face a difficult opening test, as the visitors look to make a strong start to their preparations for the upcoming Championship season after an eye-catching end to the last term to achieve survival.
The South Yorkshire outfit endured a tough campaign on their return to the second tier, sitting in the relegation zone for almost the entirety of the term, but they produced an impressive run in the final weeks to escape the bottom three, having sat on 39 points from 40 outings.
Under the management of Danny Rohl, they would then go unbeaten in the final six games, initially following up a victory with back-to-back draws in mid-April, before finally moving above the drop zone with consecutive triumphs over Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion, scoring three goals in each.
That saw them head into the final day knowing a victory would guarantee their survival and confirm a second consecutive season in England’s second tier, and the Owls made no mistake, remaining three points clear of the bottom three in 20th spot by beating Sunderland 2-0 away from home thanks to first-half goals from Liam Palmer and Josh Windass.
Now turning their attention to a first full season under Rohl with plenty of cause for optimism and the hope of a higher finish in England’s second tier, Sheffield Wednesday will bid to make a winning start to their pre-season preparations at the Impact Arena.
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Alfreton Town head into pre-season with some notable losses from last year’s squad, with defensive regulars Kennedy Digie and Shaun Brisley both having departed.
Forwards Jordan Thewlis, who topped the Reds’ scoring charts with 17 goals last season, and Matt Rhead have also made exits from the Impact Arena, while Billy Heath has bolstered his attacking ranks with the addition of winger Billy Whitehouse from Chorley.
Their line should be led by Jake Day, who managed 11 goals in 39 National League North appearances last time around, while key attacking midfielder Liam Waldock has been retained and could continue to operate ahead of the pair of Adam Lund and George Cantrill in the engine room ahead of the new season.
