Since his arrival, Jake Buxton has turned around Alfreton Town and has them pointing towards safety for what looks like the first time all season.
With eleven points in their last eight games, Alfreton fans are beginning to get excited about the prospects of them continuing in step two next year.
Buxton has used a large number of players in his Alfreton side, bringing in new names and leaning on old reliables, and it feels like he is now finding that perfect balance.
A former player for Derby, Mansfield, Burton Albion and even Alfreton Town in 2003, he arrived back at the Solana Stadium from Derby’s youth set-up as a senior transition coach, where he worked with integrating youngsters into men’s football.
This has been a key part of his approach since being appointed Alfreton boss in October of 2025, bringing in several loans from nearby academies, like Barnsley, Rotherham and of course Derby.
After a turbulent January with plenty of ins and outs, Buxton looks to have a settled squad for the final run-in for survival.
He said: “We keep talking about the belief and the spirit, we have goals in this team, we are a threat from set plays.”
Set plays have been a real key route to goal for Alfreton in recent times, scoring ten in their last ten outings.
So many of these have involved some of Jake’s new signings, especially Kieron Freeman.
The former Premier League and Wales international arrived on a free from Hednesford Town in February.
On Freeman, Buxton said: “He’s a player with unbelievable talent in terms of his delivery.
“It’s then just about your attitude and desire to go and put your head on it, and we have got some good characters and some good players who want to go and score goals.”
One player he may be mentioning is Jo Cummings, since arriving from Halifax Town in January, he has three goals from centre half, two of which are from corners.
It’s not just been the new signings that have driven this turnaround in form for Alfreton however, long-term Ofton staples Max Hunt, Adam Lund, and George Cantrill, who have a combined 470 appearances for the club, have also hugely contributed.
Buxton said: “I’m really pleased for George (Cantrill), his performances have been excellent since I have joined the club.
“Max (Hunt) and Lundy (Adam Lund) have been excellent also.”
Speaking on the squad as a whole, Buxton reassured fans that he is “over the moon with the group of players we’ve got.
“We just have to do a little bit more from open play, score goals when we are on top, we’ve been on top an awful amount and don’t quite get that goal.”
With just four goals from open play in ten games, it is something Buxton will need to address before the season ends.
He said: “It will go down to the wire this, we have to stay with it.
“Whether that means coming out of the bottom four, and it might mean us drop us back in, but we have to make sure we stay in it right until the very end.”
Alfreton are showing promising signs in recent weeks, and with four games in hand, only being three points off safety, they are very much “still in it” like the manager wants.
Thirteen games are remaining in Alfreton’s season, and they are thirteen cup finals if they want to continue playing in step two next season.
