Alfreton Town beaten by unlucky late goal on opening day at Brackley Town

Shef Murombedzi’s hopeful shot from 20 yards took multiple deflections to finally beat debutant keeper Jack Atkinson six minutes from time.

Heath said: “We’re disappointed, but as you know in this game you don’t always get what you deserve.

“l said to the players the main thing today was everyone working hard, everybody was pushing and everybody stuck together.”

Heath said he could not fault the effort and commitment on the opening day of the National League North campaign.

“We carried on from where we were at pre-season. It was a very tight game and we definitely deserved at least a point.

“l always thought it was perhaps going to go down to a goal from either side. A couple of deflections on the way, probably but for that Jack [Atkinson] saves it. But that’s the way it’s gone for us. We deserved something from the game.”

In first half added time a Danny East corner was met by Josh Thacker’s ferocious header that home keeper Danny Lewis somehow managed to palm against the bar.

Amari Morgan-Smith, Danny Clarke and Josh Wilde all went agonisingly close as Alfreton sought to control the second half.

A late Ben Tomlinson cameo saw the striker go close to earning a point with a shot and a header.