St Ives Town put their FA Cup exploits to one side tonight as they resume their league programme with a trip to Ilkeston Town.

Andrew Dunn talks to Ricky Marheineke after the Ives make history to book a place in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round for the first time.

“It was the perfect start with Jonny Edwards getting the first goal for us inside the opening minute.  I’ve always said that if you score first that you must build on the early momentum that gives you.  I felt that we didn’t necessarily do that, and as a result we allowed Chasetown to come back into the contest.

Their goal came from a succession of corners and sustained pressure.  Although they were having this spell, I was never really fearful or anxious that they would score from it as I would like to think we have enough defensive presence to deal with it.  So, to concede like we did was disappointing.

We said to the lads at half time that we felt Chasetown had thrown a lot at us in the first half and may well have peaked, but equally we needed to do better.  We needed to do the basics right and we felt we were playing at about 60% of our ability and we asked them to collectively raise the tempo of their performance.

So, in the second half I was delighted with how we put in a much more controlled performance and took a grip of the game.  Obviously, we took the upper hand when Enoch Andoh put is in front.  I thought it was a great finish, and all round he had put in an excellent shift for us.

At 2-1, I felt reasonably comfortable with things as I just didn’t think we would concede.  When you look at it, we’ve come close when we hit the bar, there’s been a goalmouth scramble and we looked like we would create more of the opportunities.  The icing on the cake to our second half performance was the strike from Johnny Herd.  It was a great strike and worthy of securing our path to the next round.

Getting to the fourth qualifying round is massive for us.  The financial reward and the publicity it brings is brilliant, and the crowd we had on Saturday was fantastic.  I’ve said it before, but if we can get somewhere even near that on every matchday it makes things a lot easier and will enable us to compete more at the level of football that we are currently at.

As for the next round, well who knows what that will bring.  I really want to get to the first round proper but I am mindful that there are all the National League teams coming into the hat on Monday and we will need to get lucky if we are to progress.  We could get a Wrexham or a Notts County away and benefit from the gate receipts or we may get the lowest ranked team at home.  Whatever it is, we will take it as it comes, prepare for it, and enjoy it.

We do need to focus on Tuesday though and our trip to Ilkeston.  We need to get back to winning ways in the league and we are also mindful that we have a busy programme coming up with a lot of away games.  Julien Saka is currently out injured.  He got a knock to his ankle in the game at Mickleover last month and he is not 100% so he needs some time out to fully recover and get match fit again.  We’ve bought in Greg Sandiford who is a defender on an open-ended youth loan from Cambridge United, and we are grateful to them for letting us have him as that has given us a bit more cover defensively.

But yesterday was a great day for the club and there is a real buzz around the place which only the FA Cup can bring and we wait with anticipation as to who we will get in the next round”.

The FA Cup is all about stories and making history and this Saturday St Ives Town have a chance of doing just that as they host Chasetown in the third qualifying round of the competition.

The Ives have never got past this stage before, the closest they came was in 2018 which was their only other appearance in the third qualifying round and that ended in defeat at York City.  

Whilst the league form of the hosts has been a bit patchy of late with one point from the last nine available, they have convincingly beat Barking and Canvey Island in the previous two rounds of the competition.  With home advantage, and being a league higher than Chasetown, it may point to the Ives having the edge but the visitors, who have previously reached the third round of the competition, despatched AFC Telford United from the National League North in the previous round.

The Ives go into the game fresh from a 1-1 draw at Hitchin on Monday night.  Tyrone Baker returned from suspension to put the Ives ahead only for ex-Histon player Finley Wilkinson to equalise for the hosts.  The good news is that Greg Kaziboni and Michael Richens have returned from injury and will be available for selection.  Jonny Edwards and Nabil Shariff look set to be the striking partnership in a game that is arguably the biggest to be played at Westwood Road since May 2016 when the Ives beat AFC Rushden & Diamonds in a play-off final to gain promotion.

The Opponents

Chasetown were Formed in 1954 as Chase Terrace Old Scholars Youth Club.  However, it was in season 2005/06 that they shot to fame as they drew Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup First Round.  In front of the TV cameras, the Scholars held their football league opponents to a 1-1 draw but lost the replay 4-0 at Boundary Park.

A more memorable FA Cup run was to follow in 2007/08 when they beat Team Bath in the first round before eliminating Staffordshire neighbours Port Vale.  This set-up a clash with Championship side Cardiff City and despite Chasetown taking the lead, the Welsh side eventually secured a path into the next round courtesy of a 3-1 victory.

Chasetown are currently 13^th in the Northern Premier League Midlands, and have won one, drawn four and lost one of their opening six league games.  They came close to gaining promotion last season only to lose out in the play-off final to Belper Town, who the Ives will face in the FA Trophy next weekend.

Their FA Cup progress has seen them beat Coleshill Town, Stone Old Alleyans and AFC Telford United.

One to watch – Look out for striker Joey Butlin.  He scored two of the goals in the second qualifying round victory at AFC Telford United. 

Matchday information

The club is appealing for local football fans to come out and give the Ives their support as they bid to make history.  Season tickets are not valid for the match, so it is pay on the day at the turnstiles.  The admission prices are:

Adults – £11
Concessions (Over 65) – £8
Military Discount (with ID Card) – £5
Students (With ID Card) – £5
U16’s to 12 – £2
U12’s – Free (Accompanied with an adult)

Kick-off at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road is at 3:00pm.

Our programme is online only. (Click here to view / download it).

St Ives Town continue their league action on Monday night as they make the short trip to Hitchin Town.

The Ives will be keen to return to winning ways after two straight league defeats.  The latest coming courtesy of a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Redditch United on Saturday.

Whilst St Ives were losing at home to Redditch, Hitchin lost 3-0 at Stourbridge, a result that saw the Canaries drop to 14^th in the table.  Their season to date has seen them win three, drawn two, and lose three of their opening eight games.  The Stourbridge game was their third successivve 3-0 defeat coming on the back of a loss to Bedford and a reverse at Heybridge Swifts in the FA Cup.

The Ives make the trip with both Greg Kaziboni and Michael Richens returning from injury, and could be given more game time after both coming off the bench against Redditch on Saturday.  Tyrone Baker will miss out as he serves his second match of suspension following his sending off against Leiston almost a fortnight ago.

There is a full midweek programme in the Southern League Premier Division Central this week, and victory for the Ives would see them possibly climb to fourth for at least one day – depending on results elsewhere.

Going to the game
Hitchin Town FC
Top Field
Fishponds Road
Hitchin
Herts SG5 1NU

Kick-off at Top Field is 7:45pm.  Please note that admission is via online ticket only, which can be purchased via the following link.  Hitchin Town v St.Ives Town | Southern League | Hitchin Town Web (ktckts.com)

Last Season:
19/10/21: St Ives 1 Hitchin 0
15/01/22: Hitchin 4 St Ives 0

Keep up to date with all the latest on the game via twitter @stivestownfc

St Ives Town return to league action tomorrow as they welcome Redditch United to the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road.

It’s been 10 days since the Ives were last in league action.  That was a Tuesday night defeat against Leiston, the first home league reverse of the season.  Since then, the Ives have recorded an excellent 3-0 win at Canvey Island last Saturday to progress to the Third Qualifying Round of the Emirates FA Cup and a home game against Chasetown.

But the focus is very much on the match against Redditch who currently sit seventh in the table having won three, drawn two, and lost two of their opening seven league matches.  Their last league outing was a 1-0 win at Bromsgrove Sporting and that was part of a three-match winning sequence which included a 3-0 win at Stourbridge and a 4-1 victory at Rushall Olympic in the FA Cup.  On Tuesday night, Redditch were eliminated from the FA Cup as Peterborough Sports beat them 1-0 in a Second Qualifying Round replay.

Last season, Redditch hovered around the top ten in the league to start off with before their form took a tumble and finished in 15^th position, one place below the Ives.

The hosts go into the game with Tyrone Baker likely to start his suspension following his sending off against Leiston.  Elsewhere, Nabil Shariff and Jonny Edwards will lead the line as the home side bid to remain in the top four.

Last season, the Ives won 2-1 at Westwood Road whilst the away fixture ended in a 1-0 defeat when Redditch grabbed a last-minute winner.

Admission Prices
Adults – £11
Concessions (Over 65) – £8
Military Discount (with ID Card) – £5
Students (With ID Card) – £5
U16’s to 12 – £2
U12’s – Free (Accompanied with an adult)

Kick-off at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road is at 3pm.

Our programme is online only. (Click here to view / download it).

Fixture Update

Ives striker Johnny Edwards talks to Andrew Dunn about his excellent early season form and how he used to train with Harry Maguire.

“I’m really enjoying it”.  They were the first words from St Ives striker Johnny Edwards when asked to describe how his time at the club was going.  His early season form of topping the leading scorers in the division with seven goals has been a big factor in the Ives sitting in third place in the table.  But the good news for Ives fans is that you get the impression there is more to come “My initial aim was to get to double figures so hopefully when I get there I can then push on and get a few more”, said Edwards.

The 25 year old signed from FC Romania in the summer where he scored 12 goals in 26 appearances for the Southern League Division One Central outfit.  However, it was connections at St Ives that attracted him to the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road.  “Ricky Marheineke has tried to sign me before, but I am also good mates with club physio, Jardaine Patel-Joseph and I also know Michael Richens from our time together at Peterborough,” he said.

Prior to moving to Posh he was also a youngster at Stevenage. “I was offered a Scholarship by Stevenage, but I refused it.  I then went for a trial match at Peterborough and ended up signing for them,” he added.  Arguably, his links with St Ives started during his time at Posh as ex-Ives striker Conor Washington was playing for Peterborough at the same time, and it was Washington that Edwards replaced as substitute to make his first football league appearance in April 2015.

A number of loan spells followed during his time at Peterborough before signing for Hull City in 2016 following some successful games in their under-21 squad.  Edwards looks back at his time at the MKM Stadium with fond memories.  “I can remember going to training sessions and the first team would be in attendance, so you would get to train with the likes of Harry Maguire, and it was a fantastic experience as little did I know that he would go on be the player he is today”, said Edwards.

It was at Hull that he was loaned out to Accrington Stanley.  The time at Stanley was one of the highlights for Edwards.  “I scored my first football league goal at Accrington” Edwards said.  “It was against Doncaster and to get on the scoresheet was great”.  Research points to the goal being a header in the 81^st minute which secured Accrington a point against the then league two leaders.  Another highlight was an FA Cup fourth round appearance for Stanley as they were drawn away to Middlesbrough.  The hosts won the tie 1-0, but it was still a great experience for Edwards.  “I was on the bench, and unfortunately didn’t get on, but to experience the Riverside Stadium and a crowd of over 20,000 was brilliant”, he added.

After being released by Accrington, Edwards has played for a number of non-league teams including FC Halifax, Maidstone, Biggleswade and Royston.  So, at 25, does Edwards have any aspirations to return to the league game?  “I’ve got a good job away from football right now, and you never say never, but it’s all about enjoying it, and that’s exactly what I am doing at the moment so long may it continue”.

St Ives Town return to league action on Tuesday night when they host Leiston at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road.

It will be the first league action for the Ives since August Bank Holiday Monday when they beat AFC Rushden & Diamonds to go third in the table.  The scheduled league action at Ilkeston was postponed on Saturday due to the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

The break in matches will hopefully see some of the players who were injured and missed the FA Cup victory against Barking.  So, it’s hoped that Kane Lewis and Johnny Herd will come back into contention whilst Michael Richens will also be available for selection again.

Leiston arrive currently 12^th in the table having won two, drawn two and lost two of their opening six matches.  Their last league game was against Kings Langley on Bank Holiday Monday which ended in a 2-1 defeat.  They exited the FA Cup 10 days ago with defeat at the hands of Needham Market in the First Qualifying Round.

Admission Prices
Adults – £11
Concessions (Over 65) – £8
Military Discount (with ID Card) – £5
Students (With ID Card) – £5
U16’s to 12 – £2
U12’s – Free (Accompanied with an adult)

Kick-off at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road is at 7:45pm

Our programme is online only. (Click here to view / download it).

Andrew Dunn speaks with Ives boss, Ricky Marheineke as he gives his thoughts on the FA Cup draw and the win over Barking on Saturday.

“I was delighted with the result on Saturday, but an away match at Canvey Island in the next round will be tough.  They got promoted last year, so are at the same level as us and have made a decent start to the season.  We will do our homework on them, and no doubt they will do homework on us and I expect a close and competitive game.  Ideally, I would have preferred it at home, but we have played them before so we know what to expect, but equally we will be looking to get a positive result.

Looking back on Saturday, there was added pressure with the game as there was high expectations that we would win.  So, with that in mind, it was important that we started well, which we did and it was equally important that we got the first goal which we did.  Then to get the second and go on and win the game comfortably was great because the match was a definite banana skin for us as they had 2 good results in previous rounds.  I thought first half we were fantastic but throughout the game we did a professional job.

Nabil Shariff was outstanding for us.  They were 3 well taken goals, and he could have got a fourth too.  Nabil brings a lot to the team.  He knows where the back of the net is and he and Johnny Edwards have started the season magnificently for us.  Nabil was subject to an approach from another club recently, but he has decided to stay with St Ives which is fantastic for the club.

We were forced to make a few changes, specifically with the defence as Kane Lewis and Johnny Herd were injured.  So, Owen Sheriff made his debut, and I thought he did really well for us.  Julien Saka played but he is not fully fit yet, and I would put him at about 60% but he once again proved what an excellent player he is.

It was good to see Ethan Johnston on the scoresheet.  Ethan is an excellent player, but he has just been unlucky in that his game time has been very limited simply due to the fact that Shariff and Johnny Edwards have been on fire and have formed an excellent partnership.

Looking ahead to Saturday, and the Ilkeston game will be tough.  They got an excellent result against Matlock in the FA Cup at the weekend.  They have made an indifferent start to the season and have had some changes in squad personnel recently so we will need to be on our guard.  The line-up will not feature Michael Richens as he is away so that’s why he missed Saturday but I’ve said before that the squad is in a good place right now and we will make the trip with high hopes of bringing back the points”.

St Ives Town take a break from their league programme on Saturday as they host Barking in the Emirates FA Cup 1^st Qualifying Round.

The visitors are currently 14^th in the Essex Senior League and have progressed to this stage of the competition having beaten higher grade opposition in the shape of Coggeshall Town in the Extra Preliminary Round.  Then in the Preliminary Round, they dispatched Leighton Town from the Spartan South Midlands Premier Division.  Both of their cup ties so far have gone to replays.

The Ives go into the game fresh from the Bank Holiday victory over AFC Rushden & Diamonds.  Goals from Tyrone Baker, Ed Hottor and Johnny Edwards ensured 3 points for the hosts that moved them to third place in the Southern League Premier Division Central.

Ives boss Ricky Marheineke will assess the fitness of striker Nabil Shariff who was forced to miss the clash with Rushden due to injury.  Meanwhile, right back Julien Saka could be back in contention for a starting place after he also missed the game on Monday with injury.

Last season, the Ives were eliminated by Needham Market at this stage of the competition and the year before lost at Brantham also at the first qualifying round stage.  So tomorrow, there will be fresh hopes that they can make some progress in the competition.

Please note that season tickets are not valid for this game as gate receipts have to be shared as per FA requirements.

Admission Prices
Adults – £11
Concessions (Over 65) – £8
Military Discount (with ID Card) – £5
Students (With ID Card) – £5
U16’s to 12 – £2
U12’s – Free (Accompanied with an adult)

Kick-off at the Quattro-Tech Westwood Road is at 3:00pm.

Our programme is online only. (Click here to view / download it).

It’s August Bank Holiday weekend and there is a double header of football for St Ives Town.

The action starts on Saturday as the Ives make the trip to league newcomers Mickleover.  Nicknamed Sports, they are based in a suburb of Derby and move across from the Northern Premier League for the current season.

Mickleover are still looking for their first victory of the season having drawn two and lost two of their opening four matches.  Their latest match was last Saturday against Leiston which ended in a 3-1 defeat.  Sports are currently two off the bottom of the table with just Stourbridge and AFC Rushden & Diamonds below them.

As much as Mickleover have struggled at the start of the season, St Ives have been in excellent form from their opening four games of the campaign.  Just one defeat so far, and last Saturday the Ives record a fine 2-0 win over previously unbeaten Kings Langley.

The only fitness concern that boss Ricky Marheineke has is over midfielder Dylan Williams but he looks set to recover from an impact injury that saw him leave the field early last Saturday.

After Saturday, the focus will switch to the home game against AFC Rushden & Diamonds on Monday afternoon.

GOING TO THE GAME:

Mickleover FC
The Don Amott Arena
Station Road
Mickleover
DE3 9FB

Keep up to date with all the latest on the game via twitter @stivestownfc

St Ives Town FC are very proud and delighted to confirm an enhanced renewal of their great partnership deal with Cambridge Sensotec Ltd and their Dynascan division as First Team Home kit sponsor. For the 2022/23 season the fantastic news is that both companies will become sponsors for all First Team players on a block basis.     

SITFC Commercial Director Mark Taylor commented ‘We have had Cambridge Sensotec as a great partner/supporter for many years now and with all the current very challenging economic and financial issues/worries that everyone is having to face, it is brilliant news that they are able to both carry on providing the critical foundations for the club to continue to operate in its current  structure but also to expand their invaluable support.’

Mark Swetnam Cambridge Sensotec’s Manging Director added “Once again we are pleased to renew our sponsorship with St Ives Town at an enhanced level.  It is important that we grow the relationship as Sensotec grows as a business.  As we enter our fifth consecutive year as First Team shirt sponsors, we look forward to another great season after finishing the last one on the front foot and climbing into the mid-table.  The players have now settled into playing at the new ground on the 3G pitch and the team has responded well during the recent pre-season friendlies.  The standard of the football played now is way better than when I first started following the club and it is a joy to see how both the club and the players have transformed themselves over recent seasons.  Once again I want to thank Chairman Gary Clarke and his board of Directors for overseeing this amazing progress in the club and look forward to another uninterrupted season this year.  We are lucky to have retained many quality players and I know the Gaffer, Ricky, and his new support team have already been busy in the transfer market and the new signings certainly made their mark at our first away game of the season beating Bromsgrove 2-1 after going behind in the first half.  Let’s hope that we get more great results like this again & again. As always, we would like to wish Ricky Marheineke and his squad all the very best for the 22/23 season and look forward to seeing everyone old and new at the ground soon.  Up the Ives!”

Ives club captain Michael Richens with Cambridge Sensotec’s managing director Mark Swetnam