Calverton Miners Welfare 3 Acorn Athletic 4



Acorn went to Mansfield without four of starters from last week’s 5-1 demolition with Orry Stevens, Jamie Brown, Fraser Higgins and keeper Nicky Thompson all missing.

Acorn were straight out of the traps on four minutes when some good play by James Robinson put Marek Smith through on goal, and he skipped past his marker and cooly rounded the keeper to slot home frrm eight yards out.

Calverton where struggling to get to grips with the tempo and Acorn doubled their lead on eight minutes.

Some good dogged midfield tackling by Sean Davis gave him the opportunity to thread a through ball to Smith who again rounded the keeper and slotted home.

The Ilkeston side were asking all the right questions and Danny Towle was unlucky from around 45 yards out when his awsome lob caught every player on the pitch out including the keeper only to land on the top netting.

Acorn where awarderd a free kick on 20 minutes and Davis curled a great ball in only for Adam Corrigan to blaze over from 8 yards out.

A Robinson cross was met with the head of Smith and Luke Slaney’s energetic over head kick just skimmed past the post, and it was Slaney again who blasted over from Corrigan’s delivery.

The back three of Dave Meakin, Warren Sheldon and Ant Horsely where mear spectaters but it was a freak goal that got Calverton back into the game when a player mis-hit a cross only for it to sale into the top corner.

Towle tried a carbon copy of his earlier effort from around 40 yards out and with the keeper well and truly beaten it just glanced past the far post.

Smith’s perseverance restored the two-goal cushion when a cross from Robinson was fumbled by the keeper and Smith was in the right place to poke home for his hat-trick.

The lead was extended five minutes into the second-half when Slaney put Smith through one on one. The advancing keeper had no chance as Smith rounded him again before placing home from 20 yards out to score his 20th goal of the season.

After Slaney went close with a free-kick, a shot from the edge of the area deflicted and beat Daniel Dobbie as he struggled to position himself behind it to make it 4-2.

Calverton added another with five minutes of play left as a midfielder hit a powerful shot from 20 yards out to make it 4-3, but Acorn managed to hang in there with a further two good stops from there keeper.

Another three points in the bag for the Acorn but they were nearly tought an expensive lesson.

Four-goal hero Marek Smith was awarded the man of the match accolade, the striker having scored 20 goals in 11 appearances for Acorn.