Saturday 3rd October 2026 - 3pm KO - Mary Linwood Ground

Match report by, Martin Burley.

Aylestone Park 2
Kane (51 & 71pen)
Heanor Town 2
Sleigh (12 & 49)

Attendance: 92

Heanor Town travelled to relegation-threatened Aylestone Park looking to extend their unbeaten run to ten games in all competitions. Manager Glen Clarence named an unchanged team as the Lions ran out onto one of the best playing surfaces seen at this level.

And it was the youthful Park players that started quickly. Virtually their entire starting line-up were teenagers and that adolescent energy saw an early shot saved by Pierrepont and a flashing cross from Labeed Ahmada, who was to prove a menace all afternoon for the Lions, just evade Evan Kane’s outstretched foot.

But it was Heanor who proved more deadly, registering a goal with their first chance. Mason Tudgay surged down the right and delivered a great ball over the defence to Sacha Markelic. His left-footed drive was well saved by the ‘keeper, but it ballooned over him and Jamie Sleigh, following up, bundled the ball home from a yard out.

Sleigh was making his 250th appearance for Heanor Town and is the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, so the script seemed written for him.

Both goalkeepers were excellent in the opening period. Jordan Pierrepont grabbed a couple of long-range efforts and Tom Beeby, for Park, made an outrageous save from a powerful Josh Timson drive.

However, at the break, Sleigh’s goal separated the two sides, and raised Heanor’s hopes of extending their unbeaten run.

The action-packed game continued into the second half. Oscar Hugenholtz, on the left-hand side of Heanor’s back three, made a brave, point-blank block from a fierce Park effort after 47 minutes.

Then, just two minutes later, Sleigh struck again to put Heanor two goals up. This time he was put clean through with a defence-splitting pass. With Beeby advancing, Sleigh deftly flicked the ball over him and into the bottom right-hand corner.
However, Park were right back in it after 51 minutes. Another long-range effort was saved by Pierrepont, but he could only parry it out to Kane, as the Park forward slammed home from a couple of yards.

The game was in the balance and on 66 minutes another chance fell to Sleigh, but on this occasion he couldn’t convert the opportunity.

Then the game swung on a penalty in the 74th minute. Charlie Cheetham and a Park forward had a coming together in the area. Initially, the referee waved away any appeals and awarded a goal-kick to Heanor. However, after vociferous protests from several Park players, he consulted at length with his linesman and eventually awarded the penalty - Kane converting to level the scores.

Both sides continued to press for a winner but had to settle for a point apiece, which was probably a fair result in the end. This extends Heanor’s unbeaten run to ten matches and sets them up for their Derbyshire Cup tie at home to Pinxton on Wednesday, before another home cup tie in the FA Vase, against Coton Green next Saturday.