Alfreton - Micropubs and Football

A visit to the wild eastern fringes of Derbyshire to watch Oxford City in a crunch National League North tie.

With a 5-point gap in the lower reaches of the league table between the two teams, a win for City with 3 games remaining would add a bit of comfort to the run-in. Three points for Alfreton, meanwhile, would put them in touching distance and a step closer to climbing out of the relegation spots.

I arrived early-doors with plenty (more than enough?) time to explore the town.
As usual, early-doors = Spoons.
This one has the appearance of a trad pub, albeit with a rather glaring red and white frontage - wet paint signs still in place. Spruced up in readiness for the Prop Up the Bar visit, no doubt.

Waggon and Horses (9 King Street, Alfreton, DE55 7AF)
This was recorded as being a pub called the Waggon and Horses in 1818 and would have once been one of several coaching inns on the market place.  By the 1990s it had become a café/bar prior to opening in its current guise.  The design is unmistakable Spoons, with some nice tables by the windows; a fairly gloomy section in the middle by the bar where you'll also find high tables and fruit machines; bright and airy in the high-ceiling back room which leads to a garden.

Guest beers appear to be limited to two here: Titanic 'Plum Porter' or Black Hole 'Milky Way' on this occasion  I always enjoy the Burton-upon-Trent Black Hole beers, so opted for a half (it was pre-noon and 6%) of the chewy and sweet 'Milky Way' pale ale.  

It's a tricky task to find many kind words spoken about Alfreton's appeal to the casual visitor.
It's one of those places where recommended attractions are 'nearby'.  So your Alfreton highlight is leaving to get to a tram museum or stately home in the Peak District.
But, always trust a town which has shops with plentiful displays of plastic storage containers.

A trek down King Street, past the closed Devonshire Arms and the giant Tesco, took me to the 19th century House of Confinement, although I'd need to visit 9-12:30 on Tues, Wed, or Thu to actually to see inside. 

Still, that's sightseeing ticked, so let's pick one of the current 11 pubs/bars that the town's 9,500-or-so residents have to choose from.
Right in the centre, I made my way to the Bankers Tavern micro...

The Bankers Tavern (33 High Street, Alfreton, DE55 7DR)
Located in - you guessed it - a former bank, this micro has been open since March 2023.  Prior to that it was the dreadfully-named What's Your Poison, appearing in the 2021 Good Beer Guide - the last time that Alfreton has troubled GBG tickers.
I entered to Earth Wind & Fire 'Let's Groove', news on a giant screen showing NASA control, the sun beaming in the window, a friendly welcome from the gaffer.

There were four cask ales on the bar: two from Derby's Little Brewing Co., Castle Rock 'Elsie Mo' from Nottingham, and Dynamite Valley 'Black Charge' from Cornwall.
A 'Black Charge' oatmeal stout for me, blowing any intentions to drink local.

Looks like the owner is a supporter of the team down the road...

I had a bit of a quandary as to where to head next.  The big mock Tudor King Alfred advertising £2.80 John Smiths Smooth?  The Victoria with Marston's beers by the football ground? The dubious-looking away-fans pub, The Dog House?
Let's try the Crossroads Tavern with a promise of Dancing Duck ales.

Crossroads Tavern (100 High Street, Alfreton, DE55 7HH)
An 'interesting' pub. Modern, bright, functional.
Three blokes sat around the edge of room when I arrived, all engrossed in phones.
The cheery staff member had a devil of a time trying to pour my 'Nice Weather' copper coloured session ale.  It was apparently the fault of the 'wrong glass', by which I think she meant a half pint one, which made little sense.  The advice of the landlord was sought: "e's ordered one of 'em real ales."

"Almost nothing left in those barrels," the landlord confirmed.  I was wondering if skipping that John Smiths Smooth may have been a mistake.
It kind of got there, eventually.  
To be honest, it's a surprise to see the cask in somewhere with karaoke corner, disco lights and advertisements for 'DJ Mark 7.30-late'.  It's great they're giving the Dancing Duck beers a go ('Dizzy' also on and also confirmed as having a nearly empty barrel; a 'Beaky Blinder' being pulled through during my visit).  And the chaps who followed me in also opted for cask (the only place I'd actually see anyone else drinking the real ale during my afternoon).

Moving on, I headed towards Alfreton's second micro pub which was scheduled to open at 2pm.  It's located in the area betwixt town centre and train station where there is little of any interest and nowhere else to stop for a drink.  You'll certainly have no joy at the Railway, looking good in the sunshine, but closed since 2014 and converted to flats.

Sadly, the Prospect Street Micro won't be an option for much longer either, as it's scheduled to close at the end of April.  In a rare turn of events, I'm not arriving just at the right time to be able to visit.

Prospect Street Micropub (55 Prospect Street, Alfreton, DE55 7GY)
It wasn't 2pm yet, but the doors were open and the first couple of customers were settled with drinks, intentions to arrange the outdoor tables abandoned due to wicked gusty winds.
Here's the beer list...a lesser-seen Irish stout, exotic lager, Devon cider, and three varieties of pale crafty ales.

Just the one cask available from three hand pumps, but it's a good 'un - Mexborough's Imperial Brewery 'Another Round', a 3.9% twiggy brown bitter.  I wasn't sure I liked it on first sip, but it was oh-so morish and I'd happily have returned to the bar for another if time had permitted.  Priced at a cost-of-living-crisis-friendly £3.40 a pint.

The pub filled up quite nicely whilst I was there, dad and young son playing darts, a couple admiring the murkiness of the Wiper & True 'Kaleidoscope', several football fans squeezing in a pre-match pint on the way to the ground.
What a shame it's closing.

The clock had ticked by very quickly to 14:30, meaning it was time to make the short walk to the North Street stadium, currently branded The Impact Arena.

Alfreton Town date back to 1959 when the Miners Welfare and United clubs realised the mining town wasn't big enough for two football teams and merged together. Most of their 21st century years have been spent in the 6th tier, with four seasons in the heady heights of the Conference Premier between 2011 and 2015.  An 11th placed finish in 2014 proved to be their best, in a season where Luton Town and Cambridge United were promoted from the same division.

I passed the main entrance next to the social club and did a trip around the ground, through a park and up Alma Street where you'll find a small mound which affords good views of the pitch without the bother of actually paying to get in.
At the bottom of that mound, obscured from view, is a less salubrious second entrance.

I thought the fire brigade may need to be called when that chap in front of me got stuck trying to squeeze through the turnstile - not helped by going in sideways and leaving the backpack on.
He made it...and we were in, standing on the Tin Shed terrace, the part of the ground allocated to away supporters if segregation is in place.

Oxford City started strongly and scored before I'd finished my chip butty: Jack Newell bending in a superb shot on 7-minutes.  City produced some decent football and looked to have this match in the bag, especially with the boost of an Alfreton Town red card near the end of the half.  But it didn't quite go to plan.

Little Oxford City don't warrant segregation, so we did the half-time switcheroo, the 50-or-so City fans taking their places on the uncovered seating behind the goal, Alfreton's most vocal support making a bit of noise under the Tin Shed.
They had something to cheer when Dylan Youmbi equalised from close range.  Then cheered some more when the linesman incorrectly put his flag up to rule out a legit Oxford goal, ruled as offside despite being inadvertently put into the back of the net by an Alfreton player.

The nerves were jangling at the end for both sets of fans.  City made some good attacking moves but couldn't get the final ball right.  Alfreton kept threatening with a succession of wickedly long throw-ins which bounced around the six-yard box and could have gone anywhere.

Honours-even at the end - a point better than a loss, but not elevating either team towards safety.  So, good luck one-and-all with the final games of the season.

I love these grounds in the Conference and really should travel to more.  Although I guess just once to Alfreton may be enough.