Match Report

Ilkeston v St Ives Town

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central  04-10-2022

A hard-fought win on the road saw Ives get their league season back on track after a few stuttering performances in recent weeks. But this Tuesday night victory at the home of the pre-season title favourites did not come without cost as leading scorer Jonny Edwards, Tyrone Baker and Kane Lewis all limped out of this game at various stages. Edwards injury looked the more worrying as he left the ground on crutches still in obvious pain more than two hours after landing awkwardly when defending a corner inside his own box.

Manager Ricky Marheineke made only one change from Saturdays history making FA Cup side with Tyrone Baker coming in on the right and Greg Kaziboni dropping to the bench. The Robins, who had enjoyed a weekend off, whist Ives were making history named an unchanged side from their first home win of the season seven days earlier against Stratford.

Ives were eager to show that there was going to be no hangover from Saturday’s cup win, or the celebrations that followed, as they went at their hosts straight from the off with Enoch Andoh winning a corner inside the first minute. That was only cleared far enough to present Johnny Herd with the opportunity to hurl a long throw into the box. Jordan Williams rose highest to meet the projectile, but his header lacked power and presented a comfortable save for home keeper Ollie Battersby.

These early stages were very open and Robins winger Dempsey Arlott-John was already showing that he presented just as much threat as Andoh and Baker for Ives. His first run at Kane Lewis in fourth minute resulted in a free kick wide left that Joe Wilson swung into the box where Kieran Fenton met it well but directed his header wide.

Back at the other end keeper Battersby got an early test as Andoh seized an opportunity to unleash a screamer from thirty yards that moved wickedly in the air forcing the young keeper into a spectacular diving save high to his right. The Grimsby Town loanee was not so fortunate as Ives went in front in tenth minute. Lewis delivered a teasing cross from the right a stretching Marshall Willock only succeeded in heading the ball up into the air Andoh outjumped the much taller Wilson to win the dropping ball and nod it down to Edwards by the penalty spot, he spun and got his shot away but would be honest enough to say that he made far from a clean contact but it was enough to beat the off balance Battersby as the bobbling ball found the bottom corner.

Falling behind sparked the hosts into action and five minutes later Ives keeper James Goff made a very good claim of a ball into the box from the right by Declan Eratt-Thompson as he was under heavy pressure from centre forward Chris O’Grady. Shortly after that came Edwards injury and it was clear that it was a bad one as after lengthy treatment the big striker limped off supported by two colleagues. Ethan Johnston came on to replace him. 

Losing their talisman did not damper Ives eagerness to add to their lead and skipper Michael Richens came within millimetres of doing just that in 27^th minute as he bustled his way through the centre before unleashing a bullet of a drive from fully 35 yards that beat the desperate dive of Battersby but flashed just the wrong side of the post.

Straight back up the other end Arlott-John was again causing problems as he tried to ferret his way through the centre of Ives back line and was taken down by Myles Cowling inside the D. Robins skipper Fenton curled the resulting free kick over Ives wall but just over the top. Johnston was working very hard to ensure that the hosts were not being allowed to play out from the back very easily and he pressurised Reece Hutchinson into conceding a corner in 31^st minute. Dylan Williams flag kick was powerfully met by Jordan Williams but his header flew harmlessly over the top.

With half time looming the hosts enjoyed a good spell and it took an excellent block from Williams to prevent O’Grady levelling things up from an Alex Troke cross in the 35^th minute. The equaliser when did come arrived in the last of the four added minutes for the injury to Edwards. Wilson delivered a ball in from the right and O’Grady had somehow managed to ghost in at the back post to arrive completely unmarked and divert it home.

Buoyed by their late equaliser in the first half the hosts came out in very positive mood for the re-start and it took a brave diving block from Jordan Williams to prevent Tom Solanke firing home Arlott-John’s pull back after the winger had wriggled his way past Lewis and Callum Milne to get to the bye line in 47^th minute. Four minutes later Robins substitute Dan Bradley fired inches wide from 25 yards with almost his first touch of the game having been introduced as a replacement for Wilson only moments earlier.

Having weathered that early second half storm it was Ives turn to inflict a little more pressure on the hosts back line. A 54^th minute Herd long throw caused more problems for the Robins as it bounced around the box before falling to Milne but his shot lacked the power to trouble Battersby. The visitors had a claim for a penalty waved away three minutes later as Dylan Williams was bundled over in the box by Hutchinson. The Ives midfielder bounced back up and still managed to flash a cross through the six yard box with no one able to get a touch.

Ives did manage to get their noses back in front on the hour with probably the move of the night as they moved the ball around well on the slick 3G surface. The decisive pass coming from Richens who put Baker clear and the Ives number seven made no mistake firing past the advancing Battersby to restore the lead. Ives were showing no signs of tiring following the weekends cup exertions and Milne went close to increasing the lead as he got on the end of a deep Richens free kick in 65^th minute but his header was straight at the home keeper. 

Baker limped out of the game to be replaced by Ed Hottor with 20 minutes to go, but Ives were still searching for the third goal to kill the game. In 76^th minute Herd seized an opportunity to get forward down the left and exchanged passes with the hard-working Johnston before getting a shot away that was deflected for a corner. The resulting flag kick came to nothing.

With ten minutes to go Lewis limped out of the game to be replaced by Owen Sheriff and manager Marheineke chose to take the opportunity to try and hold on to what they had got putting Richens in at right back to fill in for Lewis with Sheriff slotting into the centre of a back five. But almost instantly the plan was undone as the dangerous Arlott-John, who had generally been very well marshalled by Lewis all evening, grabbed his opportunity to run at the stand in right back. He left Richens in his wake as he burst into the box before pulling the ball back to substitute Remayne Campbell who teed the ball up for his fellow replacement Jamie Ward to slam home. 

With the scores back level most of us, remembering our previous trip to Derbyshire this season where we shipped two late goals to lose from a winning position at Mickleover, probably thought the worst. But this Ives side only do positive and rather than sit back they went in search of the winner and found it. In 89^th minute Herd went forward to hurl a long throw into the box from the right, as had been the case on a few occasions earlier in the evening the hosts struggled to deal with it. The ball was eventually fed back to Herd on the right hand corner of the box and he carefully curled a left footed effort through the crowd and past the unsighted Battersby into the bottom corner of the net to spark wild celebrations amongst the small travelling contingent behind the car park end goal.

Two goals in two games both excellently taken by Johnny Herd assured him of the man of the match award but Kane Lewis pushed him very close for the excellent way that he kept the very dangerous Arlott-John quiet throughout the evening.

Final Score: Ilkeston  2  St Ives Town  3       

Goals: 

ILKESTON: O’Grady 45+4, Ward 82

ST IVES: Edwards 10, Baker 60, Herd 89

Team Line Ups:

ILKESTON: Battersby, Wilson (Bradley 49), Hutchinson, Thomas (Ward 80), Willock, Fenton (capt), Eratt-Thompson, Solanke, O’Grady (Campbell 80), Troke, Arlott-John, Unused subs: Brown-Hill, Turner 

ST IVES: Goff, Lewis (Sheriff 81), Herd, Richens (capt), J. Williams, Milne, Baker (Hottor 70), Cowling, Edwards (Johnston 18), D. Williams, Andoh, Unused subs: Sandiford, Kaziboni

Cards:  Yellow:  ILKESTON:   none     ST IVES: Baker (45+1)

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH:  Johnny Herd

Attendance: 442

Report by Nigel Howlett. Video by Ollie Jones & Dave Hook

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