Match Report

Rushall Olympic v St Ives Town

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central  25-03-2023

In a season where bad luck has dogged Ives this game topped most others as the visitors found themselves beaten by the high riding Pics thanks to a goal that I think even the scorer Andre Landell will admit was a 27^th minute fluke. 

Going into this game on a run of eight games without a win Ives might have expected the worst as they were visiting a team unbeaten in five, almost assured of a play off place and very much hunting down a top three finish to assure themselves a home semi-final in those play offs. However the visitors had received a huge boost of their own ahead of the game with the deadline day signing of last season’s saviour Eddie Brearey from Oxford United. That good news was seriously dampened by the news ahead of kick off that Brearey, the only keeper that had travelled with the squad, had picked up a knee injury pre-game. There was even possibility that he may not be fit enough to start. But despite clearly being somewhat hampered by the injury start he did.

It looked like Brearey may get an early test as Jordan Williams brought down Leon Clarke 25 yards from goal in a central position in only the second minute. Fortunately Ives four man wall did its job staying big to deflect Sam Mantom’s effort wide for a corner. Alex Moore tried to drop the resulting corner in on top of the hobbling Brearey but his defenders came to his aid with Williams rising highest to head the ball clear.

Ives had started with their midfielders closing down Pics men all over the park and that tactic almost brought them reward in 15^th minute as Sam Whittall was pressured into a mistake his square pass being cut out by Tyrone Baker who sprinted down the left before a recovery tackle by the desperate Whittall stopped his progress at the expense of a corner. Greg Kaziboni’s in-swinging corner was delivered deep beyond the far post where Ashton Fox had ghosted in, unmarked, but the youngster tried to go for goal from a narrow angle and the ball bounced wide off the body of Whittall. Johnny Herd’s flag kick from the opposite side was met powerfully by Charlie Johnson by the penalty spot but his header flew over the top.

The Pics had the ball in the net in 20^th minute but that action only picked up a yellow card for Landell as the striker blatantly stuck out his left hand to knock home Jourdain Masidi’s cross from the right. However it was Landell who had the last laugh as he put the hosts ahead seven minutes later his attempted cross from the right arcing beyond the outstretched hand of the struggling Brearey and finding the top corner of the net. Mantom’s pass to put Landell away down the right was a good one but the striker looked as surprised as everyone else in the ground when his miss hit cross found the net.

But Ives did not crumble and in fact lifted their efforts to ensure that they prevented the smooth passing hosts adding to their lead. The epitome of that determination not to concede more was shown by youngster Luke Harris on the half hour as patient Pics build up had been finished by an incisive ball which had put Mantom clear but the Peterborough United loanee had tracked his man and flung himself across the shot when it came to deflect the ball wide.

Mantom went close again ten minutes before the break as the ball broke to him just outside the box at the end of what looked like a pinball session inside the Ives box with Clarke and Landell both having efforts blocked by the flying bodies of Ives defenders before Mantom fired his effort just over the top as the usually athletic Brearey struggled to get across to cover.

Ives had one half chance to get level before the break a couple of minutes later but keeper Jacob Weaver got down bravely to claim Michael Richens low cross from the right at the feet of Nail Shariff.

Brearey succumbed to his injury at the break and the spectators returned from their half time refreshment to see Ben Toseland proving that he has yet another string to his bow as a utility player and donning the gloves to go between the sticks in a fetching green outfit.

But it was Ives who had the first attempt of the second half only three minutes after the re-start when Shariff got on the end of Herd’s deep cross from the left but the striker failed to hit the target from a narrow angle, and even if he had found the net the assistant’s upraised flag would have chalked it off.

Toseland had the first opportunity to show his ability as a keeper five minutes later and he did very well to quickly leave his line and close down Mantom after the midfielder had been fed through the left channel by Moore. Having got into the right spot the stand in keeper did well to bravely block the shot at close range.

The guys in front of him were also doing their bit working like trojans to ensure that Toseland was not going to get tested to much. In 56^th minute Clarke and Mantom combined well just outside the box to set up a shooting opportunity for Landell but Herd put his body on the line to block the shot at point blank range.

Kaziboni came within inches of copying the feat of Landell on the hour. Fed in down the right by Paddy Casey the right winger hung up a cross into the centre that had beaten the fast back peddling Weaver, but the luck was not with him and instead of finding the corner of the net the ball bounced to safety off the top of the crossbar.

At the other end the hosts went close twice inside sixty seconds around the 68 minute mark. Initially Moore played what looked like the perfect ball to set up Clarke just inside the box. But the big centre forward got everything wrong and ended up executing a complete fresh air, the ball then hitting his standing foot to allow Ives to clear. The clearance resulting in the visitors winning a throw well up the pitch but Herd’s long throw was cleared and Clarke looked like his was getting away clear. As Toseland came to meet him the striker unselfishly tried to pick out Landell which just allowed Harris to slide in and block the ball.

A couple more Pics corners followed which again they tried to drop right in on top of the stand in keeper but Toseland did well to get a fist on one of them and Johnson rose powerfully to clear the other to keep the deficit to a single goal.

As time ticked on into the last ten minutes Ives managed to build a little bit of pressure without really testing Weaver. Herd fired a 25 yard free kick into the host’s four man wall in 78^th minute. In the last few minutes two Ives corners and two Herd long throws added to that pressure but a clear cut chance did not materialise and the hosts were somewhat relieved to claim the three points at the final whistle.

Fortunately for Ives none of the teams around them picked up a win. This battling performance still gives hope of finding those vital couple of wins which could lift them to a potential point of safety but with the next two games against the top two the most important people in the next seven days could be the physio at Oxford United who we will all hope can work a miracle to get Brearey fully fit and Ives physio Jardaine Patel-Joseph who needs to do a similar job to get Jonny Edwards fit after the Ives leading scorer spent the afternoon on the bench nursing a hot water bottle on a back injury that prevented him joining the fray.   

Final Score:  Rushall Olympic  1  St Ives Town  0      

Goals: 

RUSHALL: Landell 27

ST IVES: 

Team Line Ups:

RUSHALL: Weaver, Green, Mitchell, Moore, Brown, Whittall, Mantom, Clarke (Cook 79), Landell (Coyle 79), Batchelor (capt) (Shorrock 70), Masidi, Unused subs: Fletcher, 

ST IVES: Brearey (Toseland 46), Casey, Herd, Richens (capt), J. Williams, Fox, Baker (Johnston 85), Harris, Shariff, Kaziboni (Higgs 70), Johnson, Unused subs: Edwards, Hottor 

Cards: Yellow:  RUSHALL: Landell (20)          ST IVES:  none

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Ben Toseland 

Attendance: 462 

Report by Nigel Howlett.