Match Report

St Ives Town v Bedford Town

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central  15-04-2023

After the two fantastic Easter performances and results Ives had given themselves a huge push up the ladder to safety and it left them going into this, their last home fixture of the season against already doomed Eagles needing only a single point.

On paper they could not have asked for better opponents for this fixture as their struggling visitors are on the sort of form that no club ever wants to be on with not a single win in 2023 and having not scored a goal in their last eight games.

Often things do not work out in reality as they appear that they should on paper but on this occasion they certainly did as Ives claimed a very comfortable two goal victory without ever really getting out of second gear.

The Eagles spent the first five minutes moving the ball around well without ever looking likely to penetrate Ives back line and when the hosts were presented with their first chance to deliver the ball into the visitor’s box in 7^th minute they should really have scored. Johnny Herd’s deep free kick from the right arrived on the head of the unmarked Michael Richens at the back of the six yard box but rather than direct the ball back into the centre where three other players were waiting to knock it home he went for goal from a narrow angle and only found the side netting.

Having survived that scare the Eagles again reverted to knocking the ball around well without real purpose. The nearest they came to threatening James Dadge’s goal was in 12^th minute when Connor Furlong got down the right and delivered a teasing cross that just evaded Carlos Lyon at the back post.

Jonny Edwards should have put Ives in front in their next meaningful attack in 25^th minute as he was fed clean through the centre by a clever touch from Greg Kaziboni. He drew keeper Lewis Elsom towards him and seemed to be waiting for the stopper to commit himself before dinking the ball past him. But Elsom made it difficult for him staying upright and eventually making the save as Edwards dink went straight into his hands.

With Ives looking very comfortable at the back and likely to score at any time when they went forward what happened in 27^th minute was completely unexpected. Richens picked himself up a needless yellow card for fouling Kirkpatrick on the half way line and Ives manager Ricky Marheineke picked the wrong moment to vent his frustration at the decision of referee Graham Swanton. With the stadium unusually silent at the moment, everyone in the ground heard his opinion. The only question as the official walked over to the dug out was what colour the card would be. It was red and a humbled Marheineke took his place in the grandstand for the rest of the game.

Almost immediately after the re-start Ives did get their noses in front. Edwards was looking to get on the end of another perfectly weighted clip over the top from Kaziboni when he was unceremoniously bundled to the ground inside the box by Ben Tomkins. Referee Swanton was again the perfect position to see and had no hesitation in awarding the spot kick. Cool as ever Edwards waited for Elsom to go to his right before dinking the ball down the middle.

The Eagles responded well and Dadge was called upon to make his first save of the day ten minutes later as a patient build up was ended with Joe Butterworth playing in Lyon through the right channel. The big striker unleashed a powerful drive from just inside the box that the keeper saved well plunging low to his left.

The second unexpected flashpoint in an otherwise quiet first period came a couple of minutes before the break. Kaziboni was leading an Ives breakaway and looking likely to get clear when he was taken down cynically by George Thorne on the half way line for what would be a routine yellow card. But a melee then developed in front of the dugouts involving most of the players on the pitch. When the dust settled a discussion between referee Swanton and his assistant lead to a straight red card being issued to Eagles Edward Gyamfi his crime was grabbing Charlie Johnson around the neck, fortunately Johnson was wise enough not to react.

Already a goal down and now also a man down the visitors were rocking and Ives twice went close to increasing their lead before the break. A Herd long throw from the left was flicked on by Johnson and it took a brilliant flying save from Elsom to keep out Edwards header from six yards as he got on the end of the flick. Richens also had a close range shot blocked by a defender from the resulting corner.

There was still time before the break to Dadge to show his abilities. In third added minute Johnson upended Connor Tomlinson just outside the box. Thorne went for power from the resulting free kick forcing Dadge to leap to his right to push the ball away.

Ex professional Thorne did not come out for the second period and was replaced by the even more experience ex Peterborough United man Renee Howe. But it was Ives now looking comfortable who effectively killed off the game with a second goal in 57^th minute. Johnson bundling home Herd’s in-swinging corner at the back post. 

With any small flicker of confidence that the visitors may have had now completely drained Ives began to knock the ball around as comfortably as the Eagles had in the first period. The difference was that the hosts looked more like scoring when they went forward. Kaziboni burst through the centre before firing over the top in 71^st minute. Two minutes later substitute Myles Cowling rode a couple of tackles just outside the Bedford box before teeing up Edwards who matched Kaziboni before him by firing about a metre over the crossbar.

Ives were now comfortably running down the clock in a professional manner and their next couple of chances did not arrive until three minutes before the end. Substitute Nabil Shariff almost repeated his feat at Royston on Easter Monday as he had the ball in the net within moments of joining the action. But this time he was denied by an assistant’s flag as he turned in the rebound after Elsom had done well to block Edwards initial shot. Kaziboni had set up the shooting opportunity for Edwards and only a minute later the winger himself went close as he turned inside Butterworth before trying to curl an effort inside the far post. But Elsom was equal to it flinging himself high to his right to fingertip the ball away.

With the game now decided as a contest the only remaining question was could the visitors break their long goal drought. They did have a couple of chances in added time. In the first added minute D’Sean Theobalds fired in a fierce effort from a narrow angle that Dadge did well to cling onto with Lyon waiting to pounce on any slip and with the last kick of the game Furlong weaved his way through the centre of Ives defence before letting fly with a left footed effort from just outside the box that curled away from the diving Dadge but just wide of the post.

All in all a very good day at the office for Ives who take their winning run to three and go to promotion chasing Nuneaton for their final game now safe and looking to cause an upset. The despondent Eagles on the other hand have only one aim left this season and that is to find the back of the net before the time since they scored a goal ticks past the thousand minute mark. After this, their ninth blank in a row, that clock is now up to nine games and 844 minutes, we wish them well.

Final Score:  St Ives Town   2  Bedford Town  0  

Goals: 

ST IVES: Edwards 30 (pen), Johnson 57 

BEDFORD:  

Team Line Ups:

ST IVES: Dadge, Casey, Herd, Richens (capt) (Hottor 61), J. Williams, Fox, Kaziboni, Harris (Cowling 69), Edwards, Johnson, Andoh (Shariff 85), Unused subs: Toseland

BEDFORD: Elsom, Dreyer (capt), Tomkins, Theobalds, Tomlinson (Donnelly 68), Butterworth, Kirkpatrick, Furlong, Thorne (Howe 46), Lyon, Gyamfi, Unused subs: Keeble, Sheriff, 

Cards: 

Red: ST IVES: Marheineke (manager) (28), BEDFORD: Gyamfi (44)

Yellow:  ST IVES:  Richens (27), Johnson (45+3)   BEDFORD: Tompkins (29), Thorne (43), Kirkpatrick (62), Butterworth (67)

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH:  Jonny Edwards 

Attendance: 383

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