Match Report

St Ives Town v Leiston  

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central  13-09-2022

This was a match which hinged on a single controversial incident in 70^th minute, With the game delicately poised at 1-1 Tyrone Baker weaved his way into the Blues penalty area where he was clipped by Jake Hutchings. Ives speedy winger went down and referee Ivaylo Kyosev blew his whistle, but it was not to award the anticipated spot kick, instead the inconsistent official deemed that there had been no contact and issued the bemused striker his second yellow card of the game for “simulation” to take the hosts down to ten men.

There was a slight feel of autumn in the evening air as the two sides entered the arena on the return to action following football showing its respect for the sad death of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A further emotional moment of reflection for the life of that remarkable lady took place before kick-off as a perfectly observed one minute silence was held.

When the action did commence it was the visitors who were first to threaten in only the second minute as Finlay Barnes found space in the centre of the park before picking out Seb Dunbar in acres of space cutting in from the left. Keeper James Goff came to Ives rescue as he spread himself well to block the Blues skipper’s crisp low drive from just inside the box with his body. 

Missing inspirational skipper Michael Richens and the experienced Greg Kaziboni Ives were struggling to get into their stride and it took an excellent defensive header from Jordan Williams to prevent Dunbar getting on the end of a teasing cross from the right delivered by overlapping full back Joe Marsden five minutes later.  

Referee Kyosev got into the action for the first time in 13^th minute as he deemed a heavy challenge by Ed Hottor on George Quantrell worthy of issuing his first of nine yellow cards on an evening where there was barely a bad foul in the game. 

The visitors continued to enjoy the best of the early exchanges although they were very fortunate to get their noses in front in 20^th minute. Nabil Shariff unusually for him was robbed in the centre circle by Adam Bailey-Dennis who fed the ball out to Adam Mills on the left his rising drive from 20 yards took a wicked deflection off covering defender Julien Saka and looped over the head of the unfortunate Goff into the net.

Going behind seemed to spark Ives into life and they thought that they had equalised four minutes later. Myles Cowling clipped a ball through trying to pick out the run of Jonny Edwards but the outstretched leg of Quantrell just prevented it getting through. The loose ball fell to Shariff who was onto it in a flash and lashed it into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. But the celebrations were cut short as Edwards had gone just to soon and the flag was up.

Although the game started to even up the visitors were still presenting plenty of threat with Barnes getting involved in the centre at every opportunity and Mills aided by Dunbar constantly causing Saka real problems on the right side of Ives defence. That route down the Blues left was used again to carve out another opportunity for the visitors in 39^th minute as Will Davies fed in Dunbar and his first time cross was met at the near post by Quantrell who directed his header inches wide of the mark.

Ives will perhaps consider themselves a little fortunate to go in at the break on level terms but they are always capable of finding themselves a goal and the new threat this season is Johnny Herd’s long throws. His one from the left in 41^st minute arced into the box and was initially half cleared by the visitors but Callum Milne kept the ball alive and cleverly pulled it back to the edge of the box where Shariff repeated his effort of early again finding the bottom corner with a crisp drive through the crowd. This time the goal stood.

The late first half equaliser meant that the momentum of the game had swung in favour of the hosts who enjoyed a very good fifteen minute spell at the start of the second half but they only managed to test visiting keeper Sam Donkin once during that period and on that occasion in 52^nd minute he did brilliantly to deny Baker and keep the scorers level. The Ives winger had cut inside from the left and gone past a couple of players before unleashing a peach of a shot from the edge of the box that was heading for the top corner until the fingers of the full stretch Donkin diverted it wide in spectacular fashion.

Having survived that spell of pressure the Blues began to get back into the game and another of referee Kyosev’s apparent inconsistencies appeared in 68^th minute and it could have cost Ives dear, but they got away with it. Almost everyone in the ground saw Quantrell clearly handle the ball as he burst through Ives back line on the left. His driven cross then hit the outstretched arm of Cowling as he tried to block it. Fortunately the match official seemed to decide on this occasion two wrongs did make a right. However that decision may have had influence on his next major call at the other end of the park two minutes later. 

Baker’s unfortunate demise came in the hosts next attack to take Ives down to ten men with twenty minutes to go. It took a fantastic save from Goff low to his right to prevent Barnes restoring the visitors lead in 78^th minute after the striker had capitalised on a slip from Jordan Williams to burst through the right channel. The keeper was however left completely exposed from the resulting corner which was initially half cleared then lobbed back into the box where the biggest player on the park Bailey-Dennis could not believe his luck as he found himself eight yards out and completely unmarked. He prodded the ball past the exposed Goff but the final decision on who will claim it will go down to the players themselves as Ollie Saunders arrived at pace to ram home the slowly rolling ball on the goal line.

To their great credit the ten men did not lie down and take it and Edwards twice went close to grabbing an equaliser in the remaining time. In 84^th minute he timed his run to perfection to get completely clear down the right. He was able to cut inside and tried to beat keeper Donkin from a narrow angle when the better option may have been feeding the unmarked substitute Andrew Osei-Bonsu in the centre. The final opportunity came deep in added time when he got on the end of a clever Dylan William free kick but his driven shot from just inside the box was deflected wide by a lunging defender. There followed two Ives corners in quick succession with keeper Goff a constant presence in the visitor’s box but sadly it came to nothing and the Blues can happily head off back to deepest Suffolk with the three points in the bag. 

Ives must learn from this defeat where they were outsmarted by a very streetwise opposition who had an advantage in that they knew how Mr Kyosev was going to react in various situations and were clever enough to use that to their advantage. Ives must now pick themselves up, dust themselves down and get back on track in the FA Cup at Canvey Island this coming Saturday. 

Final Score: St Ives Town  1  Leiston  2  

Goals: 

ST IVES: Shariff 41,

LEISTON: Mills 20, Saunders 79

Team Line Ups:

ST IVES: Goff, Saka (Lewis 50), Herd (Andoh 87), Cowling, J. Williams, Milne, Baker, Hottor, Edwards, D. Williams (capt), Shariff (Osei-Bonsu 80), Unused subs: Sheriff, Johnston

LEISTON: Donkin, Marsden (Hill 72), Dunbar (capt), Bailey-Dennis, Hutchings, Rossi Jarvis, Saunders, Quantrell, Mills (Fernandes 82), Barnes, Davies Unused subs: Spooner, Ryan Jarvis, Wright

Cards: Yellow: ST IVES: Hottor (13), Shariff (50), Milne (67), Edwards (86), Jordan Williams (88)         LEISTON: Saunders (52), Dunbar (89)

             Red: ST IVES: Baker 2 x yellow (29 & 70)

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH:  Ed Hottor

Attendance: 128

Match Report by Nigel Howlett.