Mickleover completed a rather fortunate 1-0 double over unlucky Heanor in ten days. In an exciting game they went ahead inside two minutes and in their first attack when Anthony Reach failed to clear and ELIJAH FATUBARIN drilled the ball home from eight yards. Heanor replied through their best player, Kyle Daley, whose fierce 14th minute half volley was not far off target. Ollie Naylor provided a great through ball for Daley eleven minutes later but he headed wide on the run having drawn visiting custodian Max Bennett off his line. A minute later Daley went on a blistering run but his final shot lacked power to beat Bennett. Fatubarin hit a snap shot for the visitors wide, but the visitors were fortunate to survive a 40th minute scare when the irrepressible Daley latched onto a cross from the right to crash a shot against the underside of the bar. Finlay Davies got in a shot at the other end which George Attenborough saved, but it was Heanor who ended on the attack when Joel Hardy’s header was deflected wide for a fruitless corner.

Heanor began the second half where they left off the first and skipper James Wilson saw his header at a corner fly over the bar. Mickleover then had a good spell and Attenborough made a fine save from Lamin Babucar-Sangyang in a goalmouth scramble. And on 71 minutes Che Webster’s mid-air flick over Attenborough following a free kick saw the ball come back into play off an upright. Three minutes later Attenborough handled a back pass but Heanor escaped by scrambling the free kick on the six yard line away. The Lions survived these scares and returned to the attack. Ben Davis-Ciric’s cross was driven wide by Ollie Naylor, and Bennett made another super save from Daley when Naylor’s enthusiasm created the chance. Naylor drove wide as Heanor piled on late pressure in a bid for a point they more than deserved but couldn’t achieve.

Thus, second in the table Mickloever got a very fortunate six points at the expense of third bottom Heanor who looked a much better side than their league position would suggest.