Blue Square Bet North club Alfreton Town will get a taste of what might have been in this Saturday’s home game with Luton Town.
The attractive pre-season friendly could oh so easily have been a league fixture in the Blue Square Bet Premier Division if Nicky Law’s side had succeeded in last season’s play-off final.
Instead, Fleetwood Town will be rubbing shoulders with the non league big boys and Alfreton are left to stage a third successive promotion bid.
The game against Luton, relegated from the Football League only just over a year ago, will be a great chance for the Reds to gauge themselves against one of the very top sides in the Conference top flight.
Manager Nicky Law has no qualms that his side are capable and good enough to make the step up. They just have to get there.
The Reds boss saw his side put in an impressive display in their first pre-season run out against npower League Two neighbours Chesterfield last Saturday, with the visitors perhaps thankful for a 1-1 draw.
And Alfreton followed that up with a 5-1 win at Northern Counties East League Premier Division side Armthorpe Welfare on Tuesday evening.
Against Chesterfield, Liam Hearn gave the Reds a deserved lead on 38 minutes with Jack Lester pouncing on a rare defensive error to equalise on 64.
At Armthorpe, goals from Chris Hall, Anthony Howell, Liam Hearn, Ian Ross and Anthony Wilson overpowered the hosts.
Law said: “Richard Money has put together a very good side at Luton and the game against them will be a good guider and show us how close we actually are to being able to compete at the next level.”
Law also praised his players for the way they have come back for pre-season training.
He added: “I thought the fitness levels of our players was as good as Chesterfield’s who are full time.
“It is a credit to our players that they have come back in such good shape and allowed us to go into more advanced, highly intensive training far quicker than usual.
“Not taking anything away from Chesterfield, but any neutral wouldn’t have known which team was in the Football League.
“Our lads just showed they are capable of playing at a higher level and it wasn’t a sur prise that we did so well. I was pleased with everybody.
“The only disappointment was that we didn’t close the game out and win it.”
There is another entertaining fixture on the cards next Tuesday evening when Ronnie Moore brings his Rotherham United side to the Impact Arena (7.30pm).
Admission for both the Luton Town and Rotherham games is £6 for adults and £3 for concessions.
Reds fans who have ordered season tickets are reminded that they can collect them at the ground prior to the Luton, Rotherham or Mansfield Town games. The latter is on August 7th.
Meanwhile, Derby County Reserves have a change of opponents for their originally announced totesport.com Reserve Central League fixture at the Impact Arena on November 17th.
The Rams will now host Nottingham Forest Reserves on that date at Alfreton with a 2pm kick-off. Forest have taken over the fixtures of Shrewsbury Town Reserves who have withdrawn from the competition.
