Match Report

St Ives Town U18 v March Town United U18

Thurlow Nunn Youth League – Western Division  16-09-20

Once they got over a slow start Ives kept their cool to record a comfortable opening league win against a very young Hares side. The first twenty minutes were fairly even but from the moment that the visitor’s keeper Kye Gilmour needlessly pushed over Ben Smith when the young striker was running away from goal and looking unlikely to keep a bouncing ball in play it became one way traffic. Skipper Zac Hope slotted home the resulting penalty to the left of keeper Gilmour.

Gilmour did much better three minutes before the break when he hurled himself high to his right to deny Hope scoring his second spot kick of the first half. This time the kick had been conceded by centre back Rob Shepherd who unceremoniously upended Fayed Rhaman deep in the box after the enterprising wing back had surged past two struggling defenders down the right before cutting inside and baring down on goal.

Having pulled off such a brilliant save Gilmour then found himself struggling to deal with the resulting in-swinging corner from Hope and under heavy pressure he only succeeded in punching the ball down into the box where Connor O’Donovan cleverly lobbed it back over the pack in the goalmouth to double Ives advantage.

The other highlights of an entertaining first half were Mihayl Mitkov robbing a dallying Riley Holland on the half way line on the half hour. The Ives left wing back raced forward to the edge of Hares box before letting fly with a skimming left foot drive that the diving Gilmour finger tipped around the post at full stretch. The lively Ben Smith had also gone close with an early near post flick to Rhaman’s low cross from the right in ninth minute.

Ives stepped up the pace in the early stages of the second half and it took further heroics from Gilmour to prevent Hope increasing the lead in 53^rd minute as he slid in to get on the end of a low cross from the busy Smith. The visiting keeper threw himself full length to just divert the ball away from the Ives skipper on the edge of the six yard box.

Gilmour was busy again three minutes later as he blocked a rasping drive from Rhaman with his legs after the full back had again appeared in the opposition box to get on the end of Kyle Brackley’s cross from the left.

The third goal was looking inevitable and it arrived just before the hour as a flowing move down the right was concluded perfectly with Rhaman feeding through an inviting pass into the perfectly timed run of substitute Lewis Taylor who finished emphatically into the bottom corner past the exposed Gilmour from twelve yards.

Kai Bradley in the home goal had enjoyed a very quiet evening up to this point but he almost had his clean sheet snatched away from him in 69^th minute as he was a little slow to come off his line and claim a through ball allowing Josh Williams to get to the ball at the same moment. It continued to roll goal wards but the young keeper was saved by the ever alert winger turned sweeper Joe Cobb who tidied up the danger.

Taylor claimed his second and completed the evenings scoring ten minutes from time. Once more he timed his run through a flat back line to perfection to latch onto a well weighted through ball from O’Donovan and again he gave Gilmour no chance from around the penalty spot.

The final action of the night almost saw Ives claim a fifth as Norton Spring outpaced his fellow substitute Nojus Konceigo down the right before delivering a low cross that bounced off a defender before falling to O’Donovan on the edge of the box. Unfortunately he was unable to match his cool finish from just before the break and only managed to screw his shot wide of Gilmour’s left hand upright with the keeper looking on.

There will be much tougher challenges to come but this game and the result will offer a nice pick up after the heartbreak of exiting the FA Youth Cup on penalties in their only other competitive game to date.  

Final Score  :  St Ives Town U18  4  March Town United U18  0 

Goals : Hope 24 (pen), O’Donovan 44, Taylor 58 & 79

St Ives team : Bradley, Fayed Rhaman (May 75), Mitkov, Cobb, Squire, Sulman, McDougald (Taylor 25), Brackley (Aubin 58), Smith, Hope (capt) (Spring 82), O’Donovan

Other substitutions (roll on roll off) : none

Unused Subs : Driver

Attendance  : 57