Match Report

AFC Rushden & Diamonds v St Ives Town

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central  02-01-2023

If Ives were looking to avoid entering into their annual battle to stay out of the relegation places then on paper this was a must win fixture with the Diamonds in turmoil as new manager Chris Nunn looked to undertake radical change to his side who came into this game in rock bottom place and on a run of seven league defeats in a row. Sadly for Ives games are not played on paper and the playing surface for this one was something resembling a peat bog which had perhaps been fortunate to pass a mid-morning pitch inspection. This type of surface may be alien to Ives latest crop of players thanks to the wonderful 3G surface at Quattro-Tech Westwood Road but it is something that experienced players must quickly adjust to and there is the famous saying that it is “the same for both sides”.

With a side on a run like Diamonds any small level of confidence gleaned from the arrival of a new manager is still likely to be very fragile and the last thing that a visiting side wants to do is bolster that confidence in any way. Sadly that is exactly what Ives did gifting the hosts a goal in tenth minute as keeper James Goff was found out by an unnecessary back pass and miss-hit his attempted clearance straight at Jenson Cooper just outside the box. The striker had time to steady himself and roll the ball into the empty net.

They should have learnt their lesson as inside the first minute an attempted back pass had held up in the mud and it was only the speed of reaction from Goff that allowed him to just beat Cooper to the ball and hack it away.

After that early scare Ives enjoyed a good spell with the recalled Tyrone Baker looking dangerous down the left. In fourth minute he outpaced former Ives man Eniola Agemoh-Davies to get to the bye line picking out Dylan Williams with his pull back. Williams in turn teed up Nabil Shariff for a shot that took a deflection off a defender to make it a much easier save for Dean Snedker in Diamonds goal.

Another player recalled into Ives starting eleven was midfield dynamo Myles Cowling and he set up a brilliant chance for Williams with one of his trade mark runs through the centre just seconds before the Diamonds were gifted the lead. Cowling’s flick to Williams inside the box gave the Ives skipper chance to get his shot away which beat Snedker but deflected over off the top of the crossbar but had it gone in would have been chalked off as the assistant’s flag on the far side was raised for offside.

Even with their noses in front the hosts back line still looked shaky and a 12^th minute Johnny Herd long throw set up another shooting opportunity for Ives but Jonny Edwards failed to make clean contact with his effort from by the penalty spot allowing Snedker to make another routine save. Baker was still getting enjoyment down the left and he tested Snedker a little more three minutes later stinging the keeper’s hands with a fierce left footed effort from just inside the box that the big stopper was happy to palm away. 

But chances were also appearing at the other end and Goff almost spilled a long range floated effort from Courtney Lashley in 16^th minute. Three minutes later Cooper combined well with Connor Tee getting on the end of the number ten’s return ball on the edge of the box and unleashing a powerful drive that may well have found the bottom corner but for a brave sliding block from Ed Hottor. 

The latter stages of the first half became more of a war of attrition with both sides battling hard but struggling to create any real opportunities but just when it looked like Ives were going to go in at the interval a goal in arrears they were gifted an equaliser in the most unlikely fashion. An excellent move down the left involving an interchange of passes between Baker, Edwards and Herd ended with the latter hanging up a cross into the centre that looked like a comfortable catch for the usually reliable Snedker but inexplicably the keeper let the ball slip through his hands. As ever Shariff was lurking and despite the efforts of Lashley to keep it out he was just able to force the loose ball over the line.

Ives made an early change in the second half bringing off the strangely out of sort Dylan Williams and replacing him with Kieran Higgs but it was the hosts who carved out the first opportunity of the second period. Substitute Andy Mandjoba got past Herd on the right forcing the Ives full back to take him down just outside the box. Tee’s initial free kick was a poor one, but the ball was fed back to him and his second clip to the near post was met by Mandjoba who failed to hit the target with his header.

After that Ives enjoyed a good spell during which they created a number of chances to win the game but failed to take any of them. In 67^th minute a long Callum Milne free kick was knocked down in the box to Shariff who fed in Jordan Williams but Snedker was equal to his effort diving to his right to push the shot away.

Baker was pulled down by Lashley wide on the right in 71^st minute. Herd delivered an in-swinging free kick that came off a defender and fell to Higgs but his close range effort was deflected off a defender and went inches wide of the post. Probably Ives best opportunity to get in front came in 79^th minute as Higgs wriggled his way through on the left, as Snedker came to meet him he tried to square the ball across the six yard line to the fast arriving Enoch Andoh but the ball was slightly behind him and the Ives substitute could only manage to deflect it wide of the gaping goal.

With time ticking down both sides were still going in search of a winner and it was the host’s turn to go close in 81^st minute as Cooper robbed Milne to set up an initial shooting opportunity for Mandjoba whose effort was blocked by the covering Herd but the ball rebounded to Tee who coolly curled it over the melee of players in front of him and over the outstretched fingers of Goff and was unlucky to see it rebound off the crossbar. Mandjoba then showed a lot less composure as he lashed the loose ball well wide.

Snedker came to his side’s rescue again two minutes later as he denied Baker after the winger had been cleverly fed in down the left by Higgs following Herd’s low free kick into the box. That save proved even more influential with three minutes left on clock Hottor lost possession in the centre of the park allowing Mandjoba the chance to run at the heart of Ives back line he drew in defenders before laying the ball off to Tee who sent a low ball across the box to pick out Miguel Ngwa unmarked at the back post and the winger does the rest lashing the ball home to set the Hayden Road crowd rocking.

There were still opportunities for Ives to get something from the game as only moments later Andoh got clear onto a Shariff flick only to be denied by another brilliant save from Snedker who leapt high to his left to get just enough on the effort to deflect the ball onto the post. Luck stayed with the big keeper as the rebound just evaded the fast arriving Williams. It was Ives centre half turned centre forward who had the final opportunity to grab the visitors a point deep in stoppage time, another Herd long throw was flicked on to him in the centre of goal but the ball bounced off his shins allowing Snedker to drop on it to claim the hosts first maximum return since Guy Fawkes Night.

The poor Christmas return of no points from their two Bank Holiday games leaves Ives sitting only three places and five points above the drop zone and definitely in amongst those team scrapping to avoid finishing in the bottom four. But to put things into perspective that is a position the Diamonds would gladly swap as although the win has lifted them off the bottom they are still eight points from safety and probably need at least play-off form for the rest of the season to give themselves a chance of a miraculous escape.  

Final Score:  AFC Rushden & Diamonds  2   St Ives Town  1 

Goals: 

DIAMONDS: Cooper 10, Ngwa 87

ST IVES: Shariff 42

Team Line Ups:

DIAMONDS: Snedker (capt), Agemoh-Davies, Lashley, Dawkins, Hughes (Mandjoba 61), Massingham, Ngwa, White, Cooper, Tee, Abimbola, Unused subs: Black, Corden, Grey, Connor

ST IVES: Goff, Casey, Herd, Cowling, J. Williams, Milne, Shariff, Hottor (Johnson 83), Edwards (Andoh 74), D. Williams (capt) (Higgs 53), Baker, Unused subs: none  

Cards: Yellow:  DIAMONDS: Lashley (71), Ngwa (86)       ST IVES: J. Williams (70)       

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH:  Paddy Casey

Attendance:  436

Report by Nigel Howlett. Match highlights by Ollie Jones.