Staveley extended their winning run to eleven matches at the same time as putting a big dent in Heanor's title hopes with their fourth defeat in five games.
But the Lions had only themselves to blame as two catastrophic defensive errors in the last eleven minutes cost them dearly. The Lions went into the game with the best defensive record in the League having kept eight clean sheets.
A bobbly pitch following a morning of heavy rain did not deter the entertainment as first Heanor and then their hosts opened with spells of pressure. The lively Smith proved a handful fot the Heanor defence all afternoon, and he had a tenth minute shot deflected for a corner. Staveley won a number of early corners but Heanor defended stoutly, often hitting back with some decisive attacks of their own. Indeed, the Lions began to get a stronghold on the game and they went ahead after 17 minutes. Courey Grantham set Gary Ricketts clear down the right and his low cross was only half cleared to MATT RICHARDS who shot home from twelve yards for his first goal for the club. Staveley hit back immediately and a combination of Danny Booth and Ian Deakin kept the ball out following a corner, and as the game swung from end to end Heanor could feel decidedly miffed on 21 minutes when Hawes appeared to be brought down on the edge of the area and no free kick given. Staveley pumped the ball upfield and JAHMAL SMITH, looking yards off-side, ran on to beat Deakin for the leveller, the Assistant Referee suggesting that he was in his own
half when the ball was played. Must have eyes like a hawk! Should be in the Premiership! Heanor's appeals for a penalty from what looked like a 24th minute hand ball from Booth's cross were waved aside, but within a minute the balance of the game seemed suitable addressed when Sam Jones sent COUREY GRANTHAM away to the right of the penalty area for the Ilkeston loanee to
hammer in an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net to regain the lead for Heanor. Richards had a shot cleared for a corner by home skipper Steve Hernandez, and then Heanor wasted the first of a number of free kicks from around the edge of the penalty area after Ricketts was felled. Heanor were playing some delightful football on a difficult pitch but had to defend hard near to the interval when Deakin pushed a close range shot from Jordan Hodder for a corner and then came out quickly to toward Hodder again who was this time sent clear. Time wasting, perhaps another stressful decision by referee Watson, got the Heanor custodian a stoppage time yellow card. Deakin took a header from substitute Ellis Wall from under the bar at the start of the second half before the Lions broke three on two but Debrouwer wasted the crossing opportunity. There was much at stake and the game became scrappy with goalmouth action at a premium. In fact, the nearest we came to a goal in the second half was when Kurtis Morley raced in and hit a free ball over the bar. Sam Jones headed wide following a free kick for the Lions at one end and Jack Poulton put a free kick wide at the other with Deakin rooted to his line. Deakin though was sadly at fault with eleven minutes remaining when he raced un-necessarily from his goal towards the corner flag to meet Morley, who beat him and crossed low for ELLIS WALL to steer the ball into a gaping goal for an equaliser which had never looked on the cards. Heanor hit back and Hernandez punched the ball off the head of Kieran Wells from a Grantham cross and then saved a Debrouwer free kick from the edge of the penalty area. Adie Hawes was hurt clearing the ball with seconds of normal time remaining with Marc Strzyzewski coming on. Craig Fisher was booked for bringing down Ricketts and Heanor messed up the free kick again. But dreadful defending cost the Lions again in the first of five minutes of stoppage time when substitute Strzyzewski's back pass to Deakin never looked likely to reach its intended mark from the moment it left his foot and the ever dangerous JAHMAL SMITH took advantage of the slip to roll the ball past Deakin for a winner the home side scarcely deserved. It was an unhappy journey home for the large contingent of Heanor supporters in the bumper crowd. This goal was the 3,500th league goal conceded by Heanor Town since the War.