Written by Will Sendel

Alfreton Town’s draw away at Kidderminster Harriers on Saturday (March 25) has kept The Reds’ dream of promotion to the National League alive.

Alfreton were made to settle for a share of the points against Kidderminster, despite coming close to breaking the deadlock on several occasions.

The best opportunity of the contest came in the twenty-first minute, when Adam Lund’s header was somehow kept out by an alert Chris Dibble in the opposition’s goal.

Later in the game the referee dismissed an appeal for an Alfreton penalty, unconvinced that Yusifu Ceesay was fouled in the home box.

Kidderminster grew into the game, but a typically resilient display earned the Reds a fifteenth clean sheet of the season.

George Willis was crucial in ensuring The Reds didn’t walk away from the fixture empty-handed, making several tidy saves in the second half.

The goalless draw dropped Alfreton to tenth in the league, after Buxton managed to beat Bradford Park Avenue 4-1.

A full match report can be found here on Alfreton Town’s website.

The success of the season has been largely down to The Reds’ defensive solidity, with The Often boasting the best defensive record in the division having conceded the fewest number of goals of any team.

Billy Heath’s men are battling hard for the play-off places over the final nine games of the campaign and have games in hand on all the teams above them. The Reds currently sit tenth in The National League North, having picked up 54 points from 37 games.

Were they to win all their games in hand, Alfreton could climb to fifth in the league, which demonstrates how tight of a contest the league has been this season.

To achieve a spot in the play-offs, The Reds must finish seventh or higher, and with just five points separating them from seventh-place Scarborough Athletic having played two less games, fans have good reason to be optimistic.

Having played the joint least number of games this season brings its own problems, with the game schedule becoming more demanding. Alfreton will have to play two games every week until the end of the season, which will undoubtably put a strain on the players both mentally and physically.

The Reds’ next fixture is at the Impact Arena tonight (Tuesday, March 27), when they will hope to beat 12th place Spennymoor Town in what will be a six-pointer. If the visitors win then they will leap-frog Alfreton, with the two separated by a single point.

With the end of the season fast approaching, Alfreton Town’s players and fans are still doing all they can to keep the promotion dream alive.