Match Report

St Ives Town v Needham Market

Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central 22–02-2022

A highly entertaining game between two evenly matched sides ended in the right resultwould be the verdict of most neutrals in the crowd. Both sides playing in a very similar style each enjoyed a good forty five minutes during which they were on top but each conceded late on in their “good” half.

This was the fourth time that these sides have met this season with Ives yet to win one. The last meeting between the two was in late October when the visitors comfortably knocked Ives out of the FA Trophy at Westwood Road. Since that day the Marketmen have gone on an amazing run in that competition and now find themselves just two wins away from a visit to Wembley. Any hopes that home supporters may have had that the visitors may be resting a few players ahead of their quarter final tie against Stockport County were quickly extinguished when the two line ups were announced with both fielding their strongest available squads.

The visitors made their intentions of going home with another three points in their pockets very clear from the off pressing high on Ives back line. Ben Fowkes came within inches of opening the scoring in the fifth minute as arriving late at the back post he got on the end of a low driven cross from the opposite flank by Harvey Sayer. The left winger slid in and made good contact but only managed to hit the outside of the post with his close range effort.

Even at this early stage Tyrone Baker was looking the main threat for Ives going forward and the first of his direct runs almost brought reward in ninth minute as he cut in from the right and drove into the heart of the visitors back line beating Hugh Cullum before being forced away from goal by the covering Kieran Morphew. Baker’s shot when it eventually came flashed across the face of goal and a couple of metres wide.

That was one of Ives rare forays into the Marketmen’s box in the first 45 minutes as thevisitors began to enjoy good periods of possession and errors began to creep into Ives back line as the pressure grew. Even the normally cool under pressure Michael Richens was forced into a mistake in 13th minute. Sayer seizing on the loose pass inside Ives half before running forward and firing inches wide from just outside the box.

Centre forward Nabil Shariff was Ives hero on 20 minutes as a deep Sayer free kick was headed back across goal for Luke Ingram to clip it over Eddie Brearey in hosts goal fortunately the covering Shariff was in the right spot to head the ball off the line. Even then Ives struggled to get the ball away with another attempt bravely blocked at close range before the ball was finally cleared from the box.

The visitor’s best opportunity of the evening arrived two minutes later as Baker was robbed in the centre circle by Fowkes who slid the ball through the centre to put Ingram completely clear. Brearey was very swiftly off his line to close the centre forward forcing him to try and clip the ball over the exposed stopper. Fortunately for Ives he got a little bit to much on the effort and much to the relief of home supporters the ball sailed inches over the top of the empty net.

Ingram continued to be a thorn in Ives side and it took a brilliant save, and recovery from Brearey to deny him in 26th minute. He initially picked up a loose ball 30 yards from goal and ran at the defence before unleashing a fierce drive from just outside the box that Brearey flung himself to his left to palm away. Ingram again pounced on the loose ball but his follow up shot was blocked by Brett Solkhon at point blank range and Brearey reacted quicker than anyone else to claim the loose ball inside his six yard box.

Brearey was once more in action on the half hour as he again hurled himself full length to his left to fingertip away a fierce drive from the left edge of the box by marauding full back Patrick Brothers. The Ives keeper earned the little bit of luck that he got as Sayer kept the ball alive on the right and fed it to Ingram who deftly floated it over Brearey who could only watch as the ball hit his right hand upright and bounced away.

With half time approaching the Marketmen took their foot off the gas a little and the hard working Ives punished them in spectacular fashion. An excellent cross field ball picked out Baker in space wide on the right and he went for the early cross to the back post where a struggling Hugh Cullum tried to head it away from Liam Cross who was arriving at the back post. But Cullum did not get enough on his header and the ball fell to Ed Hottor on the edge of the box. His first time finish on the half volley was worthy of winning any game as the ball flew past the startled Marcus Garnham in the visitors goal, crashed into the underside of the crossbar and bounced up into the roof of the net to give the hosts a very unlikely half time lead.

Now with their noses in front it was Ives turn to press their opponents and just like their visitors in the first half the chances began to arrive. Four minutes after the re-start excellent high pressing saw Cross gain possession on the right. His teasing cross to the middle looked likely to be turned home by the fast arriving Dylan Williams but he tried to go with hisright foot and did not make clean contact.

Ives had an excellent claim for a penalty turned down in 51st minute as Shariff had his legs taken from under him by Morphew just as he was about to get his shot away after Williams had picked him out with a pull back. Referee Mark Stevens was in the right place to see the contact but his verdict went with the fortunate Marketmen’s skipper.

The search for a second goal that would certainly clinch the game continued. Richens struck a powerful 30 yarder that almost squirmed through Garnham’s fingers in 57th minute. Cross went on a mazy diagonal run across the eighteen yard box five minutes later but his shot when it finally came was just wide of the post. In 77th minute another Baker burst of pace this time down the left saw him cut inside and feed Shariff on the edge of the box but the centre forward’s well struck effort was straight at Garnham who held on well.

As the clock continued to tick down Ives made the fatal mistake of lifting their foot off the gas, lowering the pace of their all action style and dropping deep to try and protect their box. Perhaps it was a natural reaction to try and preserve what they had but either way it had the effect of lifting the Marketmen to try and get something from the game. A warning salvo came with seven minutes left on the watch when patient build up ended with Sayer teeing up Kyle Hammond for a 25 yard strike that had Brearey scrambling across his goal to cover as the ball skimmed inches wide.

The equaliser arrived with three minutes of the ninety left. Brothers delivered a deep cross from the left that Brearey did well to tip away from Ingram at full stretch. Sayer was again the man who kept the ball alive beyond the far post and he fed it back to substitute Taylor Clark on the edge of the box. Tiring Ives defenders were a little slow to close him down and his shot struck one of them and looped over the unfortunate Brearey and into the net.

There was an added five minutes long enough for a lot to happen judging by Ives previous game against Leiston and it was the hosts who picked themselves up and created two decent chances to grab all three points. In the fourth of the added five Baker managed to force his way into the visitor’s box between Morphew and Cullum but under heavy pressure from the pair he was only able to prod his effort from ten yards wide of the post. A final attempt seconds later saw Richens get to the bye line and fire across a low cross that just evaded substitute Ethan Johnston arriving at the near post.

One black mark on an otherwise entertaining game for Ives was a late, needless, yellow card for influential midfielder Richens as he fouled Brothers deep in Marketmen territory to pick up his fifteenth of the season which means he will miss three vital games that could define Ives season.

Final Score : St Ives Town   1   Needham Market 1  

Goals :

ST IVES: Hottor 41

NEEDHAM MARKET: Clark 87

Teams

ST IVES: Brearey, Flanagan, Solkhon (capt), Richens, Milne, Toseland, Baker, Hottor,Shariff (Davison-Gordon 90), Cross (Johnston 78), Williams, Unused subs : Goff, Kettle, Aiyelabola

NEEDHAM MARKET: Garnham, Dye, Brothers, Hammond, K. Morphew (capt), Cullum, Sayer, Collard (Maycock 65), Ingram, Fitzgerald (Clark 65), Fowkes (Chambers 75),Unused subs: none

Ives Supporters man of the match : Tyrone Baker

Attendance : 179

Report by Nigel Howlett.