Belper boss Grant Black takes heart from Ilkeston Town draw

The 2-2 draw (see details above) followed a 2-1 loss at Halesowen Town 48 hours earlier and came despite Belper leading twice.

But Black felt it was a good point for his side.

He said: “We’d have taken a point if offered it before the game when you look at what Ilkeston have got in terms of squad depth – even those on the bench could have got in any team in the league above let alone in this league.

"Obviously when you’re leading with five or ten minutes to go it becomes a little less sweet to get that point but it shows how far we’ve come as a club and team that we can draw against a team like Ilkeston who are in a different league financially from us and given the players they have to choose from.

"People have to realise the effort our lads put in to compete against teams like this and it shows where we're at.”

The Nailers now prepare for an FA Cup tie at in-form local rivals Matlock Town on Saturday, with Black adding: “We’ve got to be realistic – Matlock are way above us in football terms. That’s not making excuses, it’s how it is and fair play to them.

"So it’s a bit of a free hit for us in some ways as they can afford to get players that are dropping down from several levels above us, so every player we put out has to be fully switched on for 90 minutes, put their bodies on the line and hope that we can have a bit of quality or something from a set piece that can see us through or bring them back here for a replay on Tuesday night.”