HEANOR TOWN U21: Power, Thompson, Seale, Nicholls (Warner 59), Gillott, Mannion (Moore 79), Lightly (Greenhalgh 45), White, Coyle, Olly Naylor, Layton. Substitutes not used – Sharp, Johnson.

BELPER TOWN U21: Rathbone, Constable (Wood 79), Parker, Butcher),Brumby, Barnes (Brown 79), Scott Taylor (O’Keefe 57), Barker, Palmer, Birks, Bullock.
REFEREE: John Stevens

Heanor Town were were beaten by a Belper side more professional and much qjuicker to the ball, and they must learn to defend. Here of their last four games have seen them concede 15 goals, and like those before, most of these in this game were giveaways and avoidable.
Cue kick off. Heanor kicked off, lost possession immediately and SAM BIRKS raced through a spreadeagled Lions defence who stood and watched to shoot beyond Liam Power inside FOURTEEN SECONDS. Not good enough.
The lively Birks set up Billy Barnes ten minutes later to shoot wide, and as the visitors broke at will against a Heanor rearguard who wanted to defend in the opposition’s penalty area instead of their own, Birks sped through all the openings on three more occasions and should have done better with his finishing. Heanor’s first shot came on 32 minutes and was high over the bar. Then Adam Nicholls shot wide following a free kick which didn’t beat the wall.
The second half was hardly a minute old when Scott Taylor’s cross found JERMAINE PALMER in front of goal to volley in and it got worse and worse for Heanor the longer the game went on.
Power brought off a fine save from Birks who broke clear again but it only delayed the inevitable until the 52nd minute when Palmer’s lovely little dink sent SCOTT TAYLOR through to add the Nailers third.
Heanor’s first chance of the second half came from, perhaps, their best move of the match when Aaron Coyle and Olly Naylor combined to give Adam Nicholls a headed chance at the back post which he put wide.
Birks was running through the Heanor defence time and time again, and he should have doubled his personal tally for the night on a number of occasions, but Power twice blocked his efforts – the second time on the line. He also put Josh Bullock through to shoot wastefully over the bar.
Power undid all of his earlier good work when he completely missed the ball coming off his line on 72 minutes and who but SAM BIRKS was there to guide it into an empty net. But minutes later he came to his team’s rescue again when Birks broke clear for the umpteenth time.
Heanor hit a purple patch going forward. They had an unconvincing appeal for a penalty turned down when Keenan Layton went down; then Owen Coyle scored from an Olly Naylor cross but was adjudged off-side; and finally reward came when Nailers custodian Mark Rathbone punched out a free kick and JACK WARNER lobbed the ball back over his head with ten minutes left.
Four minutes later the Heanor defence failed to clear a cross and BIRKS completed his hat-trick, and with the game running into stoppage time substitute ZAK BROWN headed home a corner to make it six. Between the goals Palmer had shot wide of an open goal and Birks wasted a free kick on the edge of the area.
CAUTION: Belper – Mason Barker (38)

HEADCOUNT: 65
STAR LION: Liam Power
STAR NAILER: Fenwick Butcher.