A testing month finished with joy as Mansfield Town ended their winless streak.
Vs Oldham Athletic, D 1-1. Watch highlights by clicking here.
Vs AFC Wimbledon, D 0-0. Watch highlights by clicking here.
Vs Oldham Athletic, L 1-4. Read the match report by clicking here.
Vs Accrington Stanley, L 2-3. Watch highlights by clicking here.
Vs Rochdale, L 0-3. Watch highlights by clicking here.
Vs Cheltenham Town, W 2-1. Watch highlights by clicking here.
December began with a trip to Oldham Athletic in the Second Round of the FA Cup and our team produced a valiant display to earn a 1-1 draw thanks to a stunning free-kick from Sam Clucas.
With mighty Liverpool – and a glittering visit to Anfield – awaiting the winners in the Third Round, our chances of progressing in the subsequent replay looked good when Ross Dyer headed home an early opener.
However, Lee Johnson’s men fought-back and struck four goals in quick succession after the re-start saw the Latics achieve an ultimately comfortable 4-1 win infront of the live BT Sport cameras.
In Sky Bet League Two action, we ended a six-match losing run with a 0-0 draw at AFC Wimbledon, but would have collected all three points had it not been for the excellence of Dons shot-stopper Ross Worner.
A week later, in our last match before Christmas, we looked destined to finally earn three much-needed points as centre-back John McCombe headed home two goals to put us into a 2-1 lead going into injury-time against Accrington Stanley. But in the cruellest of circumstances imaginable, James Beattie’s men scored two quick-fire goals deep to turn the match on its head and subject us to agonising heartbreak.
A disappointing 3-0 reverse at Rochdale followed on Boxing Day, before we concluded 2013 with a trip to the Abbey Business Stadium to face in-form Cheltenham Town.
Goals by Anthony Howell and Matt Rhead put us into a half-time lead over the Robins, before a resolute defensive display saw us register a 2-1 win and finally end our long winless streak.
In other news, midfielder Adam Murray returned to One Call Stadium at the start of December, following his loan at Evo-Stik Premier Division outfit Worksop Town.
Chairman John Radford and wife Carolyn, our Chief Executive Officer, celebrated the birth of their first child. Hugo Radford was born on Thursday 18 December at precisely 3.38pm.
Our youth team also secured their first silverware of the season with a fantastic 1-0 win over Blidworth Welfare. Dan Fletcher was the scorer with a spot-kick.
