Match Report

St Ives Town v Barwell

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central  25-02-2023

Ives left it late to grab a winner against the Canaries in their last home game. They left it even later to claim a well deserved and vital point against a different group of Canaries in this game. Both of those vital goals came from captain courageous Michael Richens, his header against Hitchin was celebrated to the rafters but although this 97^th minute goal only claimed one point it was a true wonder strike from 30 yards that anyone who left a little early to try and beat the traffic down Westwood Road will be hugely disappointed that they missed.

With James Dadge picking up an injury on Tuesday evening James Goff was recalled between the sticks for the hosts. Myles Cowling also made a reappearance after injury replacing Peterborough United loanee Kellan Hickinson who dropped to the bench.

The visitors made three changes to their starting eleven following last Monday evenings 1-1 draw in the clash of the Canaries at Hitchin. Ben Hart and Oisin Gallagher came in for the injured Janos Bodnar and Josh Tomlinson respectively and Micah Edwards gave way to Dominic Brown-Hill in centre of midfield.

Ives started off very slowly and the early chances all fell to the visitors at the car park end. Two opportunities arrived in quick succession in tenth minute. The hosts initially struggled to deal with a long throw into their box the ball falling to Brady Hickey whose effort from just inside the box was deflected wide for a corner. Gallagher’s resulting corner was half cleared to Melis Bushaj who also saw his shot from 25 yards deflect wide off an Ives defender.

The very mobile and tricky Beck-Ray Enoru was causing problems down the flanks and two minutes later he combined well with Hart before firing in a low shot from the corner of the box which Goff got down well to save at his near post.

Ives first real venture into Canaries territory in 17^th minute saw Kieran Higgs win the hosts first corner of the game. But Kyle Rowley rose above the crowd to powerfully head Johnny Herd’s flag kick away from danger.

At the other end the visitors were clocking up their corner count much more quickly and their fourth of the game in 20^th minute was delivered to the back post from the left by Gallagher where Brown-Hill rose highest but could not keep his header down under pressure from Ives defenders.

Ives first effort at goal arrived just before the half hour courtesy of Ed Hottor. This hosts midfielder exchanged passes with Jonny Edwards before unleashing a long range pile driver that flew about a metre over Andy Wycherley’s crossbar with the keeper looking on. 

At the other end Enoru was still looking the main danger for the visitors and three minutes later he showed his pace to get around the outside of the covering Hottor and drill in a dangerous low cross that flashed across the face of Goff’s goal evading everyone in the centre.

But that was the visitors last attempt before the break as Ives finished the first half with a very strong ten minutes. In 35^th minute Richens tried to go for the spectacular to force home a clip into the box that was falling behind him, but his attempted bicycle kick flew well over the top. From the resulting goal kick Hottor robbed Brown-Hill high up the park and tried to feed in Edwards but his pass was a little to fierce and the ball bounced off Ives centre forward and was hacked clear.

Patient build up saw Herd force keeper Wycherley into his first real action of the game seven minutes before the break. Higgs and Cowling combined well deep in Canaries territory before the latter teed up Herd whose curled effort from just outside the box forced the visitor’s keeper to leap high to his left to paw the ball away.

The nearest either side came to breaking the deadlock inside the first 45 minutes was when Edwards met the resulting corner at the back post with a powerful downward header that bounced up, hit the unknowing George Ward on the goal line and went over the crossbar.

Having finished the first half well Ives came out and took the game to their opponents straight from the restart. Less than sixty seconds in Tyrone Baker tore down the left and delivered a low cross across the face of goal that was only just out of reach of Edwards arriving at the back post. Five minutes later Richens curled a 25 yard free kick over the top.

But that bright start was quickly extinguished as the Canaries applied a bit of pressure and got their noses in front. In 52^nd minute Hart delivered a dangerous ball into the box from the right that picked out Hickey arriving at the back post. The visitors skipper stooped to direct the dropping ball at goal but failed to hit the target with his header. The reprieve was only very short lived for Ives as less than sixty seconds later the visitors did find the back of the net. Enoru fed in Hickey through the right channel and his fierce rising drive from just inside the box beat Goff but rattled the crossbar. With the hosts defence in disarray the ball was fed back into the box where Connor Taylor dived in to head it home at the back post.

Now in the driving seat the Canaries looked to push home their advantage and it took a brave save from Goff to prevent Enoru doubling the lead three minutes later. Hickey was again the provider delivering a ball in from the left that the keeper did well to dive in and prevent the Canaries number seven heading it home.

Richens picked up his customary yellow card in 74^th minute as he slid in on Gallagher forcing the wide man out of the game to be replaced by Julian Donnery. The usually deadly Hickey failed to hit the target with the resulting free kick from just outside the box. There were still a couple of hairy moments for Ives before they really lifted themselves to put on that barnstorming finish. Hickey and Enoru were again involved in 80^th minute as the two combined down the right, the move ending with a fierce shot from a narrow angle by Enoru that Goff did well to push away. But the keeper was almost left red faced seconds later as he allowed a much tamer shot from the same player slip through his fingers. Fortunately, the keeper’s blushes were saved by Paddy Casey who covered behind his custodian to hack away the loose ball.

Manager Ricky Marheineke had made a couple of changes in 65^th minute to try and freshen up his attack and it was the two substitutes who combined to spark the hosts to life in 84^th minute. Centre back Ben Toseland won the ball well in the centre of the park and strode forward before slipping the ball to substitute Hickinson who in turn played a perfectly weighted pass into the run of his fellow replacement Enoch Andoh who finished with aplomb only to be frustrated by the assistant’s upraised flag.

That move was the catalyst which sparked a period of real pressure from the Ives but it looked like the dogged Canaries back line was going to hang on as try as they might the hosts just could not find a way through. But the visitors time wasting tactics came back to bite them in the bum in the end. An added six minutes going up on the board lifted the Ives supporters and they roared on those on the pitch to even greater efforts. They almost found a route through four minutes into added time as Richens fed in Edwards down the right and his ball into the near post was met by Ethan Johnston sliding in. But Wycherley spread himself bravely and blocked the substitute’s effort with his body. The resulting corner bounced around the Canaries box before Toseland fired it wide and it looked like the chance had gone. But a substitution and a few more delaying tactics in added time meant a further added minute which was just long enough for skipper Richens to send the quattro tech Westwood Road into raptures as he put his right foot through the ball from fully thirty yards out. It swerved in the air just out of reach of the sprawling Wycherley and into the net via the inside of the post. There was just time to kick off again before the final whistle blew. 

Final Score:  St Ives Town  1  Barwell  1

Goals: 

ST IVES: Richens 90+7

BARWELL: Taylor 53

Team Line Ups:

ST IVES: Goff, Casey, Herd, Richens (capt), Williams, Toseland, Higgs (Andoh 63), Hottor (Hickinson 63), J. Edwards, Cowling (Johnston 86), Baker, Unused subs: Kaziboni,

BARWELL: Wycherley, Hart, Bushaj, Kerr, Rowley, Ward, Enoru (Nassuncolu 90+2), Brown-Hill, Taylor (Davisdon-Miller 85), Hickey (capt), Gallagher (Donnery 74), Unused subs: Master, M. Edwards 

Cards: Yellow:  ST IVES:  Casey (40), Hickinson (67), Richens (74)      BARWELL: Bushaj (62), Brown-Hill (77), Davidson-Miller (90+5)

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Michael Richens  

Attendance:  301

Report by Nigel Howlett. Interview by Andrew Dunn. Video by Ollie Jones. Photos by Louise Thompson.