Match Report

Hednesford Town v St Ives Town

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central  14-01-2023

Ives let what would have been a hard earned three points slip from their grasp as the Pitmen’s new signing from Kettering Stephan Morley found the top corner with a peach of a free kick just thirty seconds from the end of the added four minutes to snatch the hosts a point. A goal in front inside the first five minutes thanks to a wonder strike from fully thirty yards by Jonny Edwards and two in front just before the half hour courtesy of a well taken Kieran Higgs goal. Ives then squandered further excellent opportunities to put the game to bed before their hosts got themselves back in it from a corner eight minutes before the break. The tide then turned in the second half with the relegation haunted Pitmen throwing everything at their visitors but it looked like they were going to get no reward thanks to an excellent rear guard action and another solid goalkeeping display including a penalty save from James Dadge only for all of the hard work to be undone by Morley’s well taken free kick.

The game started in spectacular fashion as Edwards opened the scoring after just four minutes and 50 seconds with a spectacular strike from thirty yards that swerved in the breeze and beat the hosts West Bromwich Albion loanee keeper Ronnie Hollingshead high to his left. Hollingshead redeemed himself four minutes later as he plunged to his right to push away Tyrone Baker’s first-time effort from the edge of the box. Baker’s opportunity had come from a low cross from the left by Kieran Higgs that had got through the crowd in the centre and arrived at Baker’s feet.

But it was by no means all one-way traffic in this very open game played at a good pace and the Pitmen came within millimetres of an equaliser in 13^th minute. Player manager Danny Glover held the ball up well before feeding in James McQuilkin cutting from the left. He unleashed a fierce rising drive from the corner of the box that beat the diving Dadge and thumped the crossbar before rebounding to safety.

Back up the other end it was Ives turn to come agonisingly close to a second, an excellent turn away from two men by Edwards allowed him to slide in Nabil Shariff through the left channel. He tried to carefully place his effort in the bottom corner from just inside the box, but the diving Hollingshead did just enough as his outstretched fingers diverted the ball just past the post.

As is often the case Johnny Herd’s long throws were causing the hosts a few problems and his 26^th minute missile was flicked on at the near post before bouncing around the box and Shariff went for the spectacular trying an overhead kick as the ball dropped to him with his back to goal. He made good contact but unfortunately the effort was straight at Hollingshead. But the young stopper was beaten again two minutes later. Another Herd long throw was only half cleared to the edge of the box where Higgs struck a crisp low drive through the crowd that Hollingshead saw late. The keeper managed to get a hand to the effort low to his right, but he could not keep it out.

Now two in front Ives plan had to be to keep things tight until the break but that plan was undone eight minutes before the interval as the visitors conceded a goal from a dead ball situation that they will be disappointed to let in. Glover managed to get in front of his marker to glance on Kyle Bennett’s in-swinging corner from the left at the near post and Cole O’Sullivan got between players to prod it home from close range.

But Ives should still have gone in at the interval two goals to the good as Baker spurned a glorious opportunity to restore that advantage only two minutes later. Higgs burst clear and cut in from the right as defenders and goalkeeper closed on him, he unselfishly rolled the ball square to Baker who looked like he simply had to roll the ball home but inexplicably he decided to take a touch and it was a poor one which allowed the defensive hoard to descend upon him and dispossess him before he could get his shot away. 

The Pitmen made a change at the interval and it was a positive one throwing on wide man Niah Payne in place of centre back Harvey Portman and they made their intentions clear from the start with Todd Parker letting fly from 25 yards only forty seconds after the restart. Fortunately the effort was straight at Dadge who held on well. The young keeper was in action again in 51^st minute. A slip by Ben Toseland allowed O’Sullivan a sight of goal and he fired in a low shot from just outside the box that Dadge held well low to his right.

The Northampton Town loanee’s best save of the day came only sixty seconds later. A mistake by the usually reliable Paddy Casey saw him lose possession on the edge of the box to Payne. To compound his error Casey then pulled back the substitute inside the box in full view of the referee. Player manager Glover took responsibility from the spot and although he struck his effort well it was to close to Dadge who had guessed the right way and blocked it well. Even more amazingly the keeper somehow managed to spring up and bravely smother the loose ball to prevent Glover forcing it home.

After that penalty save the momentum swung again and it was Ives turn to create more opportunities to kill the game. A 54^th minute slip by Morley allowed Baker to race clear down the right he cut inside before unleashing a powerful effort from just inside the box that Hollingshead proved equal to leaping to his right to palm the ball away.

Five minutes later some suicidal defending by Pitmen’s skipper Lewis Ison allowed Higgs to rob him as he tried to dribble the ball out of his own box. The Ives winger sized up his options as he was closed down and tried to bend the ball around two defenders to find the top corner but clipped it just a little to high.

A clever 62^nd minute free kick from Michael Richens created another half chance for the visitors as Toseland got in front of his man to clip it towards goal at the near post but Tom Thorley was on hand to block the effort out for a corner.

The introduction of Enoch Andoh to replace the tiring Higgs in 67^th minute caused more headaches for the hosts defence and he came oh so close to increasing Ives lead just seven minutes after joining the fray. He picked up the ball just inside the Pitmen’s half before setting off on one of his trademark mazy runs. It took him past three defenders and clear with only keeper Hollingshead to beat. The Ives substitute did everything right beating the keeper low to his left with a shot that looked destined for the bottom corner only for it to hit the inside of the post and bounce across the face of goal before being scrambled away.

With time ticking down Ives had two more chances to finish off their hosts. In 83^rd minute Andoh managed to lose his marker to get on the end of Richens deep free kick but his first touch was not quite good enough allowing Hollingshead to claim the ball off his toe. Three minutes later and Ives other two substitutes combined well to work a way through the hosts back line. Kellan Hickinson and Ed Hottor exchanged passes with the latter running onto the return ball inside the box but screwing his shot wide from a good position.

With time ticking down the desperate hosts were forced to throw caution to the wind to try and gain something from a game that they really needed to win. They had a decent shout for a penalty turned down in the second of the added four minutes as Herd got on the wrong side of O’Sullivan and gave the Pitmen’s striker a substantial nudge in the back to prevent him getting on the end of a deep cross from Morley.

But it was the Pitmen’s debutant left back who had the last laugh as he slotted his perfect free kick just seconds from the end to gain the hosts a precious point and deny the Ives a deserved victory. The free kick had been awarded 25 yards from goal when Baker covering back had taken down Bennett from behind as the hosts winger had tried to wriggle his way through. Morley managed to get his free kick over the Ives four man wall and into the top corner just out of reach of the despairing dive of Dadge to break Ives hearts.

The result sees Ives remain in a respectable 14^th place whilst their big spending hosts have a mountain to climb if they are going to escape the drop as they currently sit ten points away from safety with sixteen games to go and realistically need promotion form to get themselves out of danger. 

Final Score:  Hednesford Town   2  St Ives Town  2  

Goals: 

HEDNESFORD: O’Sullivan 37, Morley 90+4

ST IVES: Edwards 5, Higgs 28

Team Line Ups:

HEDNESFORD: Hollingshead, Ison (capt), Morley, Thorley, Redfern, Portman (Payne 46), Bennett, Parker, Glover (Tilt 64), O’Sullivan, McQuilkin (Kaninda 77), Unused subs: Augustien, R. Williams

ST IVES: Dadge, Casey, Herd, Richens (capt), J. Williams, Toseland, Higgs (Andoh 67), Cowling (Hottor 50), Edwards, Shariff (Hickinson 79), Baker, Unused subs: Johnson, Milne 

Cards: Yellow:  HEDNESFORD:  Tilt (88)      ST IVES: Higgs (40), Herd (73) 

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH:  Jordan Williams

Attendance:  436

Report by Nigel Howlett. Video Highlights by Ollie Jones.