PHOTO | Riece Bertram heads the winning goal (Pic: Mike Smith)

This time the Nailers had to do it the hard way. It had already been a tremendous achievement to finish in 5th place and claim their right to take part in this season’s play-offs, but no-one could have really anticipated what was to come in a remarkable week since clinching their last win of the regular season against Corby.

Stamford had finished 11 points clear of the Nailers and were understandably supremely confident of despatching a Belper team whom they had easily defeated in the regular league season.

Grant Black’s side confounded the odds and produced the perfect performance to shock the Daniels inside their own stadium.

When the celebrations of that excellent win had died down, a late penalty had seen Chasetown emerge from their visit to Halesowen as Belper’s opponents in the final to be held at their Scholars ground last Saturday.

The ground was filled to capacity with at least 500 travelling supporters swelling the numbers to 2,500 which created a brilliant atmosphere and set the stage perfectly for the final.

And talking of numbers, despite finishing in 4th place Chasetown had surpassed Belper points total by 9 and suggested that the Nailers would start as the underdogs once again.

If this was the case on paper, there was nothing on the field that suggested that Belper were affected by final league positions, and they continued to play in the same manner that they had finished in at the Zeeco Stadium a few days earlier.

The Nailers started the game in their customary fashion and pressed the Chasetown defence in the early moments, but the hosts squandered two opportunities inside the first 20 minutes with firstly. Scholars’ skipper Daniel O’Callaghan shooting straight at Lewis Gwilliams.

A much better chance fell to Jack Langston in the 17th minute when he put a header wide of the target after having the freedom of the penalty area with no Belper player within 10 yards.

It was a lesson quickly learned by the Nailers defenders and the Belper defence went on to produce a virtually faultless display for the remainder of the game.

There was a short break while a spectator was given treatment, then the business of the afternoon started in earnest once again.

It was a tough battle for both sides and not necessarily pleasing to the eye and the best of the first half action was when Brodie Litchfield’s good work in probing the Chasetown defence earned a corner kick.

O’Callaghan closed the first 45 minutes with a shot that drifted harmlessly over the bar and both teams left the field seemingly content with a goalless scoreline.

The second period started tentatively but in the 49th minute, Belper supporters were in raptures when the Nailers easily opened up the Scholars back line.

On the break and with good passing movement, Kyle Dixon had time to look up and deliver the perfect cross for Riece Bertram to nod home at the far post.

It was dreamland time for everyone connected with Belper Town and the question on everyone’s lips was; could the Nailers shut out Chasetown in a similar way that they had done at Stamford.

The hosts tried to be patient in their build-up knowing they had plenty of time to get back in the game, but the harder they tried the more successful the Nailers were at soaking up everything they could throw at them.

The closest they came to getting an equaliser came in the 69th minute when their top goal scorer Jack Langston found the narrowest of gaps in a forest of Belper legs and almost squeezed the ball in just inside the post.

Lewis Gwilliams came to the Nailers’ rescue with a fine diving save to match those that he made at Stamford, and ensured that his team remained on course for promotion.

Inevitably gaps started to appear in the Chasetown half as they increased pressure on the Nailers and Litchfield fashioned an opportunity on 73 minutes although his shot was saved by Curtis Pond.

However Belper almost capitalised when Nathan Curtis looked to have escaped only to have the ball taken off him with a timely Joshua Mansell tackle, and then Prince Mancinelli found himself in a similar position in the 80th minute and with the goal beckoning, it was Mansell again who saved the hosts from conceding a second goal.

The scenes at full time were a joy to behold as the Nailers had achieved what many away from the club thought was highly unlikely, but the bond that has been forged between the players and coaching staff has seen them through, not only the two play-off games but the season as a whole.

Manager Grant Black has been the driving force behind Belper’s success on the field this season, and club chairman Ian Woodward very much the driving force off the field and their combined reactions at the full time whistle said everything about what this achievement means to them.

There have been many other directors and volunteers that have played their part in Belper’s successes this season too, and once the reality of what has happened fully sinks in there will be plenty to think about as the Nailers prepare for next season.

Chasetown: Pond, Mansell, Evans, Cox, Wynter, Hayward, Melbourne (Reid 67), Langston, Butlin, O’Callaghan, Lund (Perry 75). Unused subs: McGinnell, Burroughs, Cunningham.

Belper Town: Gwilliams, Rhodes, Muggleton (Woodcock 61), Wilson, South, Jordan, Robson, Mancinelli, Bertram (Peterson 65), Litchfield, Dixon (Curtis 84). Unused subs: Wright, Benjamin-Potts.

Referee: Shaun Taylor

Attendance: 2,500