Match Report

Royston Town 1 St Ives Town 2

Evo-Stik League South Premier Central Division – 27-08-18

Ives excellent start to the season stepped up another notch as they finally cracked their Garden Walk hoodoo with a thoroughly professional come back win against their local rivals in a pulsating Bank Holiday encounter.

As is so often the case in this type of fixture the game started at a frantic pace with both sides effectively denying their opponents any time on the ball or chance to create even a half chance. Things finally began to settle down midway through the first period.

The first opportunity of the game came the way of the visitors as Jarvis Wilson picked out Ben Seymour-Shove wide on the left. The Ives winger who was making his first start of the season very effectively side stepped his marker and delivered a cross to the near post when another man making his first start Dylan Wilson got between the two Crows centre backs but directed his flicked header just wide of the far post.

The opening goal arrived on 26 minutes in simple fashion. Jarvis Wilson was perhaps a little unlucky to be adjudged to have fouled Jhai Dhillon wide on the left when he appeared to win the ball. Josh Castiglione delivered an in-swinging free kick into the box where the giant figure of Crows centre back Ben Martin rose above the crowd to force the ball home from close range.

Undaunted by the set back Ives continued to enjoy the majority of the possession and they went close to an equaliser ten minutes later. A flowing move into the hosts box saw George Bailey play in Seymour-Shove on the right, his cross was half cleared to Ollie Snaith on the left corner of the box. Snaith’s attempted clip into the box deflected off a defender and fell to the feet of Tom McGowan who blazed over the top from a very narrow angle.

The pace of Dylan Wilson was troubling the big Crows centre backs and in 38^th minute he had a hopeful shout for a penalty turned down as he chased down a clip through the middle by Seymour-Shove only to be bundled over by Adam Murray inside the box.

Ives continued to press for an equaliser and three minutes before the break Dylan Wilson and McGowan combined well to put Seymour-Shove away down the right. He delivered the perfect teasing cross into the corridor of uncertainty between keeper and defenders but unfortunately Snaith arrived just a little to late to force the ball home at the back post.

The last minute of the first period saw the visitors grab a deserved leveller from another training ground free kick. This one was awarded by the referee as Robbie Parker ran at the centre of the Crows defence and took on Murray who hauled him down just outside the box. Parker again delivered the ball into space where in a variation on Saturday’s cunning ploy against Needham Market Seymour-Shove found space on the left. His low driven effort beat keeper Harry Smart and was already on its way into the net before it was helped over the line by Murray.

Stung by the late equaliser the Crows came out firing at the start of the second period and won a corner in the first thirty seconds. It was clever delivered from the right by Castiglione who picked out Rohdell Gordon in space on the corner of the box but fortunately for Ives the Crows winger screwed his shot horribly wide.

Four minutes later another Royston corner this time from the left caused chaos in the Ives box. This time Castiglione delivered into the centre of a packed six yard box where an under pressure Tim Trebes just managed to knock the ball off the head of Martin. The loose ball fell to Vance Bola beyond the far post. Snaith bravely hurled himself in to effectively block the shot and fortunately the howls from the hosts players and bench alike that the ball had struck Snaith’s arm were waved away by the referee.

The third Royston corner in the first ten minutes of the second period again caused problems for Trebes against the giant Crows pairing of Martin and Murray. Once more the keeper just did enough knocking the ball away from the Crows pair and McGowan completed the clearance hacking the loose ball away from inside the six yard box.

The Crows went close again in 65^th minute as a decoy run by Martin created space for Dhillon to deliver a deep free kick to pick out Murray in space at the far post. The host’s centre back only succeeded in steering his free header into the side netting when he should really have done better.

Martin was only involved in the game for another three minutes. The big centre back who had picked up a yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Bailey in 64^th minute foolishly clattered through the back of the same player only four minutes later. The inevitable second yellow card was brandished by referee Brian O’Sullivan instantly followed by the red.

With Royston now lacking their man mountain at the back they were suddenly vulnerable down the middle and that is exactly where Jarvis Wilson delivered the resulting free kick. With Crows defenders all looking at each other the ball was allowed to bounce and Parker ghosted in to beat keeper Smart to the ball. His acrobatic effort hooked the ball over the keeper but also inches over the crossbar.

The hosts quickly made a change to shore up their back line sacrificing Castiglione to bring on a replacement centre back in Callum Ellesley. But Ives winner came from a move down the centre only five minutes later. Bailey won a crunching tackle in the centre of the park and knocked the ball off to Parker who threaded a perfectly weighted ball into the well time run of Seymour-Shove who outpaced Ellesley and rounded the exposed keeper Smart before gleefully clipping the ball into the empty net.

Now they were in front Ives had something to defend and they lifted their pace yet again to ensure that the hosts had no time on the ball as they were hounded all over the park. The ten men hosts tried to exert pressure but struggled to build up a real head of steam. Substitute Joe Hankins squandered their best two opportunities. In 84^th minute he almost capitalised as he got onto a loose ball inside the box, but Trebes was down smartly to block his effort at close range. In 90^th minute Murray who was by now an emergency centre forward got on the end of a long ball into the box and nodded it down to the feet of Hankins, but the Crows striker snatched at his effort under heavy pressure from Ives defenders and fired over from ten yards.

There were an added six minutes, plus two more accrued for an injury to Charlie De’ath but Ives were very effective in killing this time to claim a memorable victory at a ground which had always previously been a graveyard for them.

Once again this was a fantastic result against another of the fancied sides in this division. It was however a well deserved three points won by yet another thoroughly professional performance. Holidaying manager Ricky Marheineke was no doubt following the game on twitter and kicking every ball on the beach whilst lapping up the sunshine. Bully and the boys did you and the large Ives travelling contingent proud!!

Result :  Royston Town  1  St Ives Town  2 

Goals : Seymour-Shove 45 & 75

Team : Trebes, Hood, De’ath, McGowan (Leslie 81), Cartwright, Jarvis Wilson, Snaith, Parker (capt), Dylan Wilson (Wallis 64), Bailey (Rogers 76), Seymour-Shove 

Unused subs : Sundire

Man of the match : Ben Seymour-Shove

Attendance : 361

Report by Nigel Howlett