Unfortunately, due to the adverse weather the pitch at Stratford has failed a morning pitch inspection so the first team match scheduled for today has been postponed. A new date for the fixture will be rearranged in due course.

Hear more from player of the match, Will Glennon as he bags a hat-trick to lead the Ives to a home win against Hitchin Town. The full interview can be viewed on our YouTube channel. The link is HERE

Ives manager Ricky Marheineke gives his thoughts as his team returns to winning ways following their 3-1 win against Hitchin Town. You can view the full interview on the Ives YouTube channel. The link is HERE

St Ives Town 3 v Hitchin Town 1

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central  30-11-2024

Nigel Howlett reports

Will Glennon’s hat trick claimed Ives first home win since early October and moved them up three places to tenth and back onto the coat tails of the play-off chasing sides. The hosts played well enough at times to have made this a comfortable victory over the struggling Canaries but as has been their way this season they gifted the visitors a goal midway through the second half to make life more difficult for themselves than it need have been.

Ives manager Ricky Marheineke made two changes following last weeks defeat at third placed Telford with skipper Alex Collard returning after serving his suspension at the expense of Albie O’Keefe and Kymani Skyers dropping out of the back three to be replaced by Ethan Creary. New Canaries manager Michael Jones, in the hot seat for his first game since taking permanent charge of the visitors made only one change from the previous game bringing in hard working striker Henry Snee in place of Joseph Chidyausiku who dropped to the bench.

The first half started in very open fashion with both teams looking to get the ball forward and attack at every opportunity. Ives were holding the early edge and Amir Hadi could perhaps have done better in the first dangerous move of the game in forth minute. Battling hard to get around the outside of Toby Syme he got to the bye line but failed to get the ball past Canaries keeper Seb Stacey at his near post with team mates arriving in the centre.

Ten minutes later it was Stacey who was left red faced as he allowed himself to be beaten low to his left by a well struck thirty yard effort from Glennon that skipped off the surface in front of him and bounced under his dive. But the keeper may have good reason to feel that his defenders were at least partially to blame as Glennon was given time and space to range forward with the ball before letting fly.

The power and pace of Hadi was still giving Syme problems and the Ives centre forward again battled past him in 18^th minute. But this time a well positioned Stacey held on well to Hadi’s fierce, rising, drive from the edge of the box.

The visitors enjoyed a good spell around the midway mark in the half with wing back Lewis Franklin firing wide with a powerful effort from the right hand corner of the box in 20^th minute. Only ninety seconds later it took a brilliant reaction save from home keeper Dan Wilks to preserve Ives lead. Franklin got fed in down the right by Luke Stokoe and delivered a cross to the near post where Snee met it cleanly. Wilks reacted smartly to turn the close range effort onto the crossbar and was relieved as Solomon Sambou following up screwed the loose ball wide.

The Canaries final opportunity in this purple spell for them came only two minutes after Wilks brilliance. This time Syme managed to hurl himself through the crowd to get on the end of Luke Stokoe’s in-swinging free kick from the left. But the visitors centre back met the ball a little to cleanly and powered his header wide.

Having survived that brief period of Canaries pressure Ives started to get back in the ascendency. Josh Allen almost burst through the centre on the half hour. But his surging run was halted illegally 25 yards from goal by the combined efforts of two visiting defenders. Johnson Gyamfi’s resulting free kick deflected off the Canaries four man wall and almost fell for Allen six yards out but the Ives striker failed to make sufficient contact on the spinning ball to beat Stacey.

Ives second two minutes before the break will probably be in the running for goal of the season and I would suggest that you all take a look at it on the website. Meade battled hard to win the ball off a defender by the left corner flag. A clever back heel put in Allen who had the presence of mind to look up and pick out his man with his low cross, a clever dummy at the near post by Gyamfi took out defenders and keeper and allowed the ball to roll on to the unmarked Gleeson arriving at the back post where he gleefully thumped it home.

Two nil up at the break Ives came out looking to kill off their visitors with a third early in the second half but the Canaries held firm without really creating anything of their own until the hosts needlessly gave them a route back into the game. Aaron Smith is capable of hurling the ball a long way along the touch line but inexplicably he chose instead to throw the ball back to the feet of Wilks who was forced to take a touch before attempting his clearance. The touch was enough to give the ever willing Snee chance to close him down and block the attempted punt. Even though the big striker was falling he was still able to get to the loose ball first and prod it home past the prostrate Ives keeper.

The goal lifted the visitors to renewed efforts but Ives, rallied by inspirational skipper Collard, held firm and the introduction of Peter Abimbola and David Adegbola to replace Gyamfi and Benji Mensah respectively gave them new legs to push forward again. A raking cross field ball from Abimbola put Allen away but the striker fired wide from the edge of the box in 76^th minute.

The goal that relieved any remaining nerves that Ives may have had and the one that completed Glennon’s hat trick came with ten minutes to go. Meade picked out Allen in space again down the right. This time the young striker used his pace to get around the tiring Enock Ekongo before unleashing a driven cross that keeper Stacey palmed out straight to the feet of Glennon by the penalty spot. The powerful midfielder did the rest, keeping his composure and side footing home to deservedly claim the match ball.

With the game now gone a quintet of Canaries substitutes and a trio for the hosts followed the goal to effectively break up the remaining time. A couple of opportunities for a second consolation goal did come the way of the visitors in the added five minutes. Snee managed to get the ball in the net in the first of those added minutes but the assistant’s flag had gone up some seconds before he fired home. The last action of the game saw substitute Chidyausiku volley wide from 20 yards after an Ives defensive header had dropped to him.

Despite their run of decent result during his time as caretaker manager the verdict must be that Jones has a tough job to lift the Canaries out of the bottom four. For Ives if they could find some consistency that has so far eluded them this season and string three, or four, results together they could suddenly find themselves genuine contenders for one of those top five spots.  

Final Score:  St Ives Town  3  Hitchin Town  1              Half Time  2 – 0

Goals:

ST IVES: Glennon 14, 43, 79

HITCHIN: Snee 67

Team Line Ups:

ST IVES: Wilks, Mensah (Adegbola 67), Smith, Meade (Skyers 83), Williams, Collard (capt), Gyamfi (Abimbola 64), Glennon, Hadi (Wilson 79), Allen (O’Keefe 87), Creary, Unused subs: none

HITCHIN: Stacey, Franklin (Dixon-Smith 79), Ekongo, Sambou, Syme, Jones (capt), Tearle (Barker 79), L. Stokoe (Bell 79), Snee, D. Stokoe (Chidyausiku 79), Titchmarsh (Gleeson 83), Unused subs: none

Referee:  Matthew Friend

Cards:  Yellow:  ST IVES:  Allen (77)     HITCHIN:  Franklin (48), Titchmarsh (49)    

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH:  Will Glennon

Attendance:  330

The online matchday magazine for our home clash with Hitchin today is now available to read. Inside our 43 page edition this week:

• We look back on our defeat at Telford last week
• An update from around the league
• We turn the clock back 12 months to our home game last season against Hitchin
• And our popular matchday quiz, ten to tackle returns.

PLUS lots more. You can download your free copy HERE

St Ives striker Silvano Obeng has moved to Rugby Town on dual registration.

Silvano signed for the Ives from Rugby in the summer, but has seen his game time restricted at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road. The move will see him get regular first team football, but as it is dual registration, it means he can be recalled back to the Ives squad at any time.

AFC Telford United 3 v St Ives Town 1

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central  23-11-2024

Nigel Howlett reports from the New Bucks Head Stadium

A poor start cost Ives this fixture as they were completely blown away by their host’s three goal burst in the first 25 minutes. But two of those goals have to go down as errors from two of the most experienced players in the visitor’s side. As it turned out Ives showed real character in the second half with Josh Allen opening his account five minutes after the restart to give them a sniff and it then took two superb saves from home keeper Brandon Hall to prevent them grabbing a very unlikely point.

With skipper Alex Collard serving a one game ban having clocked up five yellow cards manager Ricky Marheineke pulled Will Glennon back into the centre of a back three with youngster Albie O’Keefe returning into the centre of midfield. Even with Collard missing this still felt like a good time to face the inconsistent Bucks coming off two losses in a row and Storm Bert blowing a gale through the West Midlands.

Ives started with the gale and driving rain at their backs but it was the hosts who started on the front foot with Matty Stenson heading over Ricardo Dinanga’s clip from the right only ninety seconds in.

The visitors only real opportunity in what turned into a torrid first half for them came in forth minute. Allen tried to feed in Amir Hadi through the centre with the powerful centre forward being taken down clumsily just outside the box by Orrin Pendley. Johnson Gyamfi curled his free kick precisely around the hosts four man wall but with keeper Hall beaten the ball flashed inches outside his left hand post.

From that point on the Bucks took over and they went in front three minutes later. Remi Walker curled a dangerous cross from the right into the danger zone between keeper and defenders. Jordan Williams stretched to try and cut it out but only succeeded in knocking the ball onto his own post. Stenson was first to react to bundle the loose ball home from close range.

It was 2-0 in 17^th minute as Stenson timed his run to perfection to glance Walker’s near post corner past Dan Wilks from close range. Only sixty seconds later it probably should have been three as Stenson brought down a long ball and fed it into the feet of Dinanga on the edge of the box. He in turn shuffled it on to Jakub Kruczybski who beat Wilks from eight yards with a fierce drive that rebounded off the post.

Stenson was searching for his hat trick and it took a brilliant sliding block from Benji Mensah to stop him claiming it midway through the first half. The Bucks centre forward strode through the centre to latch onto a long ball over the top which held up on the breeze. He looked to be clear only for the speedy Mensah to come sliding in to bravely block the shot away.

A flowing Bucks move almost made it three in 24^th minute. The move ending with Walker playing Dinanga in through the left channel. It took an excellent diving save from Wilks to keep out the number ten’s crisp low drive from just inside the box. The big Ives keeper came out powerfully to punch away Jordan Cranston’s resulting corner but he was left red faced seconds later as Walker was allowed time and space to fire in an effort from fully thirty yards that squirmed through the keepers fingers and trickled over the line much to the delight of the home supporters.

The Ives stopper somewhat redeemed himself with an excellent save to prevent Dinanga making it four seven minutes before the break. Walker was again the provider as the visitors struggled to get the ball away. The silky midfielder threaded a pass through to put Dinanga in again but Wilks spread himself well to deflect the effort wide at point blank range.

The game looked over at the break with the hosts coming out for the second half with the wind and rain at their backs and their big home support spurring them on to more goals. But it was not to be as Josh Allen’s well taken goal five minutes after the restart quietened the home fans. Allen’s first goal since his move from Sudbury came at the end of a swift Ives counter attack after a Bucks corner. The ball was cleared to Gyamfi 30 yards from his own goal his run and pass picked out Hadi in the centre circle and he in turn fed the ball through into the well timed run of Allen who beat Hall at his near post with a low drive from just outside the box.  

Was a very unlikely comeback on? It began to look possible as Ives suddenly lifted their game and took it to the now stuttering hosts. Mensah fired a 25 yard effort just wide on the hour. Gyamfi was given time and space to range forward three minutes later but he to failed to hit the target from a similar distance three minutes later.

Now well on top but not able to find a way through Ives were still susceptible to the break and almost got caught out in 68^th minute as a wind assisted punt from keeper Hall was missed by Kymani Skyers allowing Stenson to get away down the right. Dinanga was arriving in the centre ready to side foot home his low cross but substitute Ethan Creary, who had only been on the pitch a few minutes, had other ideas and slid in to turn the ball over his own crossbar before Dinanga could force it home.

The first of Hall’s brilliant saves came with 15 minutes to go and had he been beaten at that point things could have ended very differently. Allen battled with Pendley to gain possession of Jernade Meade’s clip over the top which had held up in the breeze. Having robbed the big centre half Allen laid the ball into the path of the fast arriving Hadi. His fierce drive from 20 yards was destined for the top corner before the outstretched fingertips of the diving Hall deflected it around the post.

There was one more chance for Wilks to show his usual prowess again in 82^nd minute when Dinanga outmuscled Creary before cutting in from the left and slamming in a shot from 15 yards that a well positioned Wilks parried away.

Hall again showed his reactions and agility to deny Williams what would only have been a consolation at that point. Mensah’s ball in from the right bounced off a defender and fell to Williams by the penalty spot. He struck the ball cleanly and expected the net to billow but Hall reacted amazingly to leap high to his right and palm the shot away.

The result seeing the Bucks move into third place six points behind league leaders Kettering. Ives drop a place to thirteenth but in this season’s amazingly tight table that leaves them only four points above the bottom four, but also only five points off a play off place.

The visit of relegation haunted Hitchin Town to quattro tech Westwood Road next week will not be easy as the Canaries have hit a bit of form in recent weeks but it is looking like a vital game to get Ives back on track ahead of the very busy Christmas period which is now looming.

Final Score:  AFC Telford United   3   St Ives Town   1             Half Time  3 – 0

Goals:

TELFORD: Stenson 7, 17, Walker 25

ST IVES: Allen 50

Team Line Ups:

TELFORD: Hall, Piggott, Cranston, Storer (capt), Pendley, Whittall, Walker (Armson 74), Moore, Stenson (Brown 84), Dinanga (Styche 89), Kruczynski (Hilton 89), Unused subs: Jones, 

ST IVES: Wilks, Mensah, Smith (Adegbola 74), Abimbola (Meade 74), Williams (capt), Glennon, Gyamfi (Obeng 85), O’Keefe (Creary 59), Hadi (Wilson 78), Allen, Skyers, Unused subs: none

Referee:  Kieran Forrest

Cards:  Yellow:  TELFORD:  Storer (43)         ST IVES: Mensah (52)       

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Josh Allen

Attendance:  1012

The thoughts of Ives manager Ricky Marheineke after the 3-1 home defeat to Leiston is now available to view on the club YouTube channel. The link is below.

St Ives Town 1 v Leiston 3 

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central  16-11-2024

Nigel Howlett reports

Wing back Aaron Smith’s fierce early drive to net his first goal for Ives was the real bright spark of an afternoon where the hosts worked very hard but failed to find that little bit of extra quality that was needed to find a way to beat very resilient opponents. Ultimately it was Ives mistakes that ensured that it was the travelling Blues who took the spoils to stretch their unbeaten league run to seven games and take some small smidgen of revenge for last season’s thumping in this fixture.

Following last Saturdays win at play off chasing Bedford Ives went in search of more firepower and were pleased to bring in prolific marksman Josh Allen from AFC Sudbury who made his debut in this fixture replacing Albie O’Keefe who has returned to Stevenage where he is an integral part of their FA Youth Cup side. The only other change from last weekend’s successful line up was an enforced one with Jernade Meade away on international duty with Montserrat Peter Abimbola came into central midfield. Leiston manager Chris Wigger perhaps unsurprisingly named an unchanged side.

The match started in explosive style with Allen very quickly showing his prowess as provider for Smith’s opener only four minutes in. Fed into the bye line by Johnson Gyamfi’s threaded pass Allen had the presence of mind to pick out Smith in space at the back of the box with his pull back. Smith certainly seized the opportunity thumping his first time effort into the roof of the net past the despairing dive of Billy Johnson in the visitor’s goal.

Ives continued to press with Gyamfi and Will Glennon at the heart of their forward play. A 12^th minute interchange of passes involving those two and Amir Hadi ended with Allen firing a crisp low drive from the edge of the box that Johnson did well to keep out plunging low to his right to palm the ball away.

But the Blues were not about to lie down and allow themselves to be overrun during this early period and they carved out an excellent opportunity to equalise three minutes later. George Quantrell got away down the left and got to the bye line before picking out Jamar Loza with his pull back. Under little pressure from defenders Loza should have scored but much to Ives relief he blazed his first time effort over the top.

Back up the other end Allen again went close to a debut goal in 18^th minute. Glennon rose to flick on Dan Wilks punt and Allen pounced on to the loose ball before firing a left foot effort from just inside the box that was saved in unorthodox style by the feet of keeper Johnson.

Next came what proved to be the incident which may well have changed the course of the game as the attacking fulcrum in the centre of Ives midfield Gyamfi succumbed to an injury picked up in the visitor’s 15^th minute attack. Gyamfi was replaced by Ethan Creary with Kymani Skyers moving up into midfield. But Skyers is more a dynamic midfielder than a man to thread the crucial pass and as Gyamfi departed so did Ives attacking threat for the remainder of the first half.

From that point midway through the first half the Blues began to get on top and it was only a matter of time before they started to create opportunities. Ollie Saunders fired a 23^rd minute effort across the face of goal from the left corner of the box after he had latched onto Loza’s cross from the right. Four minutes later Quantrell and Loza combined well on the right with Wilks being forced to parry the latter’s fierce drive away. A 37^th minute Fraser Alexander free kick from the right was headed just wide at the near post by Ben Fowkes.

The equaliser did eventually arrive six minutes before the break as Quantrell and Loza again combined well through the right channel. But keeper Wilks will be a little disappointed as Loza’s eventual shot from just outside the box seemed to squirm under his dive on its way into the back of the net.

The second half started as the first had ended with the visitors on top. Wilks was called into action only forty seconds after the restart as he reacted well to parry Ismael Botelho Fatadjo’s fierce drive and his defenders came to his aid to block away Fowkes follow up effort. Wilks did well again three minutes later as he blocked Fowkes close range effort with his body after a corner from the right had dropped at the centre forwards feet at the back post.

Ives raids at this point in the game were sporadic but still threatening and it took a fantastic diving save from the acrobatic Johnson to keep out Skyers thunderbolt from fully thirty yards after a corner had been cleared to the powerful midfielder in 51^st minute.

Back at the other end it took a brave save from Wilks to save the blushes of Creary three minutes later. The defender’s attempted header back to his keeper dropped woefully short and Fowkes seized on the ball but Wilks was out swiftly and spread himself to make the block at point blank range. The Ives keeper was in action again three minutes later leaping high to his left to tip over Quantrell’s rising drive from the edge of the box after the Blues striker had been fed in through the left channel by Loza.

The Blues made their comeback complete by going in front on the hour but it is another goal that Ives will want to forget. Saunders and Quantrell combined down the left with the latter delivering a low cross into the centre that Wilks dived to claim only to have the ball taken away from him by a defender. Loza gratefully seized onto the gift and lofted the loose ball into the empty net.

Ives tried to lift themselves to get back on terms. Abimbola picked out Allen in space on the right and the pacy number ten cut inside before firing in an effort from the edge of the box that was straight at Johnson who made a comfortable save. But the visitors were still looking very dangerous on the break and in 67^th minute Wilks had to be alert to dash of his line and dive in at the feet of Loza to deny the striker his hat trick.

The 81st minute was packed with action at both ends of the park with Johnson again thwarting Ives efforts to grab an equaliser. He reacted brilliantly to tip over Glennon’s close range flick to Smith’s long throw from the left. Alex Collard rose highest to Smith’s resulting corner but the Ives skipper’s header was straight into the hands of the waiting keeper. Johnson’s quick throw out then puts Botelho Fatadjo away only for the speedy wide man to be denied by a brave close range block from Wilks.

With the clock ticking down manager Ricky Marheineke threw on all of the remaining attacking options from his bench with Coree Wilson replacing Abimbola and Silvano Obeng coming on for Creary. But even with four strikers now on the pitch Ives struggled to create any clear cut chances. The only one which came their way in the remaining time was in 86^th minute when Smith’s cross from the left deflected off a defender and fell at the feet of Collard at the back post. But the skipper got the ball stuck in his feet and the shot when it eventually came lacked sufficient power to beat Johnson.

With everyone being thrown forward in the vain search for an equaliser it was probably inevitable that the visitors would manage to kill the game off in added time. The Blues went close to that clincher in forth added minute when it took a full length diving save from Wilks to keep out Loza’s effort from the edge of the box and substitute Albie Armin fired his follow up effort wide. Two minutes later that final nail was driven into Ives coffin as Armin broke away down the left and cut inside before firing high past Wilks to ensure that the three points were on their way back to the Suffolk coast.

Final Score:  St Ives Town  1   Leiston  3                Half Time 1 – 1

Goals:

ST IVES: Smith 4,

LEISTON: Loza 39, 60, Armin 90+6

Team Line Ups:

ST IVES: Wilks, Mensah (Adegbola 70), Smith, Abimbola (Wilson 70), Williams, Collard (capt), Gyamfi (Creary 21, Obeng 89), Glennon, Hadi, Allen, Skyers, Unused subs: none

LEISTON: Johnson, Hill (capt) (Clements 80), Saunders, Ross Jarvis, Curtis (Manley 70), Jackson (Yun 70), Botelho-Fatadjo (Armin 87), Alexander, Fowkes, Quantrell, Loza, Unused subs: Ryan Jarvis

Referee:  Thomas Whay

Cards:  Yellow:  ST IVES:  Collard (37)     LEISTON: Loza (31)     

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Will Glennon

Attendance:  324

The official matchday magazine for the home league clash against Leiston is now available to download. Inside our 41 page publication this week:

• A match report from our last home game against Redditch
• The latest round-up from around the league
• A look back to last season when the Ives hit five against Leiston
• And we introduce the latest new signings Coree Wilson and Amir Hadi

PLUS lots more. The link to download the match programme is HERE

St Ives Town are delighted to announce the signing of Josh Allen. Josh is a centre forward, and arrives at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road from AFC Sudbury.

Josh, 20, started out at Luton Town as a youngster and was at Kenilworth Road for a total of 10 years. He first joined Sudbury on loan from the Hatters in February and scored eight goals between then and the end of the season as Sudbury avoided relegation on the last day of the campaign.

One of his last appearances for Sudbury was in a Suffolk Premier Cup tie where he scored a hat-trick against Hadleigh United. Josh will be available for selection for the Ives home game against Leiston tomorrow afternoon at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road.

Bedford Town 0 St Ives Town 3

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central  09-11-2024

Nigel Howlett reports from the New Eyrie

Another thoroughly professional performance saw Ives claim all three points off the play-off chasing Eagles. Every player did their job to ensure a third clean sheet out of four tough games on the road but the real eye catcher was debutant striker Amir Hadi who proved a real handful for the Eagles back line the only blot on his copybook being a needless yellow card for pulling back Scott Thomas in midfield with plenty of cover in place to deal with the hosts attack.

The game started with the previously free scoring Eagles on the front foot. Leon Lobjoit blazed a fourth minute effort inches over from the corner of the box and it took a brilliantly timed recovery tackle from Benji Mensah to prevent the host’s skipper Ryan Blake getting a run on goal three minutes later.

Ives were coping well with this early pressure with the back three of Kymani Skyers, Jordan Williams and skipper Alex Collard well backed up by team mates ensuring that keeper Dan Wilks was not really troubled until 16^th minute when he did well to cling onto a fierce drive from the edge of the box by Lobjoit. The chance arriving as the Eagles striker pounced on a wayward pass from Albie O’Keefe before powering forward.

Both sides had a long thrower in their armoury and the next two opportunities both came courtesy of the missiles that they were launching into the opposition box. Carl Mensah rose highest to get on the end of Sam Brown’s 23^rd minute howitzer for the hosts. But the big man up from the back failed to direct his header on target.

Five minutes later it was Aaron Smith’s turn to hurl one in for Ives. Collard won the flick at the near post to present Williams with a chance that he really should have scored. Three yards out with only the keeper to beat, directing the ball left, or right of him would have seen the ball in the net but the big centre back’s header bounced away of the chest of a much relieved Nathan Macdonald who had made his first save of the game without really knowing a lot about it.

Just after the half hour it was Wilks turn to earn his corn as he pulled off a remarkable double save to preserve his clean sheet. Lobjoit got on the end of Kyle Connolly’s teasing free kick from the left and directed his close range header downwards only to be denied by the outstretched leg of Wilks. Carl Mensah pounced on the loose ball and lashed it goalwards but Ives custodian was equal to the effort plunging low to his right he not only saved but hung onto the effort.

Ives took the lead in composed style ten minutes before the break. Hadi did well initially to take down a long punt from Wilks and there followed a series of passes across the face of the Eagles box before Benji Mensah eventually laid it into the path of Will Glennon in a little space 25 yards from goal. That space was just enough to allow Ives powerful midfielder to look up and pick his spot curling the ball into the top corner just beyond the outstretching fingers of Macdonald who was perhaps a little slow to react.

Now with their noses in front it was Ives who started the second half on the front foot. Only three minutes after the restart Jernade Meade’s threaded through ball put Hadi clear to the bye line. His pull back ricocheted across the box before falling to Smith 16 yards out at the back post. But the wing back snatched at the chance firing well over the top.

But the all important second did arrive for Ives in 53^rd minute. Wilks again played an important part in the goal. The keeper reacting brilliantly to keep out Ed Gyamfi’s powerful low drive from the edge of the box. From that save the ball was quickly channelled to the other end where half time substitute Peter Abimbola laid it into the feet of Hadi and his delicate clip over the top put Johnson Gyamfi clear. With defenders quickly closing him down the Ives midfielder still had a lot to do but he kept his cool and turned inside Carl Mensah before beating the exposed Macdonald low to his left from just inside the box.

Now two goals to the good the visitors were expecting to absorb a little more pressure and that did come with shots from Ed Gyamfi and substitute Albert Wood flying harmlessly across the face of Ives goal in a five minute spell just after the hour.

But as the hosts continued to press forward in search of a root back into the game it left them vulnerable to counter attacks from their pacy visitors. Substitute Coree Wilson should have made it three with ten minutes to go. Put clear by Abimbola he got his attempted clip past the fast advancing Macdonald just a little to close to the keeper who got just enough of a touch to divert the ball past the post.

Lobjoit was still looking the biggest threat for the Eagles and only ninety seconds later he forced another good save out of Wilks pouncing on a loose ball to fire in a rising drive from just outside the box that Ives custodian leapt high to his right to tip over.

But as time ticked down the hosts seemed to realise that it was not going to be their day and even the prospect of an added eight minutes did not seem to lift them. A frustrated Thomas took down Benji Mensah just outside the box in the first of those added minutes allowing quite a chunk of that time to be used up. Meade tried to curl the resulting free kick up and over the Eagles five man wall. The shot got over the wall comfortably but did not trouble Macdonald as it sailed over the crossbar.

However Macdonald quickly became a very troubled man three minutes later as under pressure from Wilson he made the huge error of handling Brown’s chipped back pass. Referee Neil Fyfield was right on the spot to see the mistake and was quick on the whistle. A whole lot more of those eight minutes was used up as the Eagles lined up their whole side on the goal line to try and keep out the indirect free kick from seven yards. They were unsuccessful as Meade tapped the ball sideways to Wilson who lashed it home as the crowd on the line broke up.

That goal perhaps not unsurprisingly prompted a mass exodus of home supporters from within the healthy crowd of over 800. It was the small contingent of travelling Ives fans who were left to celebrate this excellent victory with their heroes. The result knocks the Eagles out of the play off places and sees Ives move back into the top ten now only two points behind their hosts and four points off the top five.

Final Score:  Bedford Town   0   St Ives Town   3                Half Time 0 – 1

Goals:

ST IVES: Glennon 35, Gyamfi 53, Wilson 90+5

Team Line Ups:

BEDFORD: Macdonald, Odell-Bature (Soulya-Osekanongo 57), Brown, Thomas, C. Mensah, Green, Connolly (Wood 61), Simmons, E. Gyamfi (Hall 65), Lobjoit, Blake (capt), Unused subs: Dudley, Wilson-Braithwaite

ST IVES: Wilks, B. Mensah, Smith, Meade, Williams, Collard (capt), J. Gyamfi, Glennon, Hadi (Wilson 78), Skyers, O’Keefe (Abimbola 46) Unused subs: Creary, Adegbola, Obeng

Referee:  Neil Fyfield

Cards:  Yellow:  BEDFORD:  Connolly (51)     ST IVES: Hadi (61), Meade (80)       

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Amir Hadi

Attendance:  807

Supporters should note that the home Boxing Day clash against Royston Town has a new kick-off time. The clash with the Crows will now kick-off at 1:00pm at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road.

Elsewhere, the Ives have been drawn away to Eynesbury Rovers in the semi-finals of the Hunts Senior Cup. The match will take place at Hall Road on Tuesday 21 January 2025 with a 7:45pm kick-off.