Match Report

Rushall Olympic v St Ives Town

BetVictor League Southern Premier Division Central 14-09-19

An amazing game that had everything in it again ended in frustration for the Ives. A wonderful first half performance saw them more than double their previous tally of league goals for the season but it  was completely undone by some slack defending which allowed the league leading Pics to not only get back into the game but eventually claim all three points with a late winner after Charlie De’ath had seen red for two silly yellow cards only seconds before.

Ives showed no respect for their high flying hosts or their immaculate new 3G surface as they tore into them from the off. Matt Foy on his League debut for the Ives drew a foul out of Orrin Pendley in only the second minute giving Ben Seymour-Shove chance to deliver the ball into the box. His initial kick was knocked out to Jarvis Wilson beyond the far post but the centre back’s curled cross to the back post was headed back into the mix by Tom Wood where Mitchell Clarke did just enough to prevent De’ath heading it home.

Clarke showed that he provided a very potent weapon for the hosts as he hurled a throw into the centre of the box only three minutes later. Pendley rose highest but flicked his header wide of the post.

Ives pace and movement up front was causing the hosts back line a lot of problems in these early exchanges and they continued to threaten. Seymour-Shove won a corner off Pendley in eleventh minute Jack Snelus’s delivered to the near post was knocked back to him. He took a touch and fired in a crisp low drive from a narrow angle that cannoned off keeper Jon Flatt’s legs. The rebound fell to Ben Jackson on the opposite edge and his powerfully struck first timer stung the hands of the fast recovering Flatt as he pushed the ball away. 

Ives early pressure continued and three minutes later Charlie Johnson powered a clean header straight at Flatt from ten yards after he got on the end of De’ath’s cross from the right.

This open early period also saw the Pics carve out a few opportunities and they went close twice in two minutes just after the quarter hour. The powerful Levi Rowley found himself in a little bit of space 25 yards from goal and curled in an effort that required a save from Martin Conway. Ninety seconds later the same player found space on the right and delivered a cross to the back post where a stretching Jon Letford could only steer his effort wide.

The opening goal arrived in somewhat controversial circumstances in 24^th minute as a long Conway punt almost fell to Foy. The ball rebounded off a defender to Snelus who tried to turn Pendry only to be wrestled to the ground just inside the box. Referee Liam Corbett decided that the challenge had been unfair and pointed to the spot much to the dissatisfaction of the home supporters. Robbie Parker emphatically despatched the resulting spot kick sending Flatt the wrong way much to the delight of Ives travelling faithful.

That delight turned into euphoria four minutes later as Foy doubled the advantage Seymour-Shove cleverly played the ball into his run across the box and ex Cambridge City striker showed his quality as he took a touch before smashing the ball beyond the diving Flatt and into the roof of the net from 20 yards.

To give them confidence Ives needed to hold onto their two goal advantage until half time if possible but that was not to be as the first half entertainment racked up to a new level with three more goals in the remaining fifteen minutes. The two goal cushion only lasted four minutes as De’ath was spotted by referee Corbett grappling with Dan O’Callaghan as the pair waited for a Pics corner in 32^nd minute. The eagle eyed official decided that warranted the award of his second spot kick of the afternoon. Rowley made no mistake from the spot beating Conway low to his right to halve the arrears. 

Ives advantage disappeared completely three minutes before the break as a cross from the left by Asa Charlton was knocked out to Shaquille Leachman-Whittingham on the right. His low ball into the centre seemed to get tangled in the feet of Letford eight yards out but the visitors defence and goalkeeper all seemed to freeze giving the big striker time to turn and slot the ball home.

Having got level the hosts probably thought they were going on to win this game easily but Ives had other ideas and straight from the kick off they stunned the Pics again as the tricky Snelus jinked his way through before teeing up Parker who unleashed an unstoppable effort from 25 yards that saw the startled Flatt clawing at air high to his right again as the ball flew past him to billow the back of the net and put Ives back in front.

The other noteworthy moment in the run up to the break was a foolish booking for De’ath for kicking the ball away, this was to prove a pivotal moment much later in the game.

Coming out for the second half Ives knew that their job was to keep the Pics quite for the opening 20 minutes, they failed dismally to do that as they allowed the hosts to level things up again only ninety seconds after the re-start in the simplest fashion. Another long throw from Clarke was headed back out to him and his first time clip to the back post picked out an unmarked O’Callaghan who had the simple task of heading home from six yards.

The goal raised the hosts and they lifted themselves again in search of the winner. Three minutes later the overlapping Checkaine Steele managed to get around the outside of Mark Coulson on the right before driving in a cross that rebounded off an Ives defender and fell to Rowley in the centre of the box. His effort was blocked and Leachman-Whittingham following up fired the loose ball wide from a good position.

In spite of conceding a lot of possession Ives were defending well and managed to prevent their hosts from carving out any more chances until twenty minutes from time when another Clarke long throw was headed back to him and in almost identical fashion to the third goal he curled a ball into the centre to pick out Pendley who got between defenders to get in a close range header that flashed wide.

That was a let off for the Ives and they had another lucky escape six minutes later as a Ben Lund snap shot from 25 yards caught out Conway and beat the keeper’s late dive at his near post he was very fortunate that the effort cannoned to safety off the upright.

The visitors had very few forays into enemy territory in the remaining time and their one half chance to grab an unlikely winner came nine minutes from time when Snelus delivered a dangerous in-swinging free kick from the left that was just flicked off Foy’s head by a stretching Clarke.

With time ticking down Ives were trying to manage the game but De’ath took things a little to far as he dallied to long for Mr Corbett’s liking over a throw in right in front of the visitor’s dug out. The official decided that warranted a second yellow taking them down to ten men for the remaining few minutes.

With De’ath trudging disconsolately to the dressing room leaving Ives now one man down in their defensive line the final long throw of the game in the last few seconds delivered deep into the box by Clarke had an added danger. Yet again the visitor’s dealt well with the initial throw but only succeeded in knocking the ball back to the big centre back who had time and space to deliver the ball into the danger zone. O’Callaghan was again the target and his challenge knocked the ball down into the mix where the evergreen Charlton pounced to knock the ball home from point blank range and break Ives hearts. There was just time to kick off again before the final whistle blew on a gut wrenching defeat for Ives. 

Final Score : Rushall Olympic  4  St Ives Town  3     

Goals :  Parker 24 pen, 43, Foy 28

Team : Conway, Jackson, Coulson, Johnson, Jarvis Wilson, De’ath, Wood, Parker (capt), Foy (Forde 89),, Snelus, Seymour-Shove (Bailey 77, Snaith 86) 

Unused subs : Woodward, Ward, 

Supporters man of the match : Matt Foy

Attendance : 223

Report by Nigel Howlett. Video by Dave Hook. Photos by Louise & Gemma Thompson.