Match Report

St Ives Town v Peterborough Sports

BetVictor League Southern Premier Division Central 12-10-19

It was a happy return to Westwood Road for former Ives legend Jimmy Dean as his Sports side executed an almost Ives like game plan to take all three points from an entertaining and competitive Cambridgeshire derby in front of a good crowd on Non-League day.

Ives dressing room these days is looking more like an episode of Casualty that a football squad and once again there were six probable starters missing on the treatment table with skipper Robbie Parker and Aaron Phillips joining those missing out. Once again manager Ricky Marheineke was forced to shuffle his cards with Jarvis Wilson returning from suspension in an unfamiliar centre midfield role and Tom Wood taking over the armband. 

The bench was made up of the walking wounded, the evergreen Dan Moyes plus a very welcome return to the squad for the first time since his serious injury over two years ago from fans favourite Josh Dawkin. 

Despite all of their troubles the hosts started the game well with Dylan Wilson firing a twenty yarder into the boards in the fourth minute. Ben Jackson should probably have done better as he picked up a Matt Foy knock down in a little bit of space just outside the box on the quarter hour but the full back tried to steer his effort just inside Lewis Moat’s left hand post and missed by a couple of feet.

Any team managed by Dean is always going to be hard working and despite being under the cosh in the early stages the Turbines weathered the storm and slowly started to work their way into the contest. They created their first opportunity in 18^th minute as Maniche Sani battled his way through the middle before feeding in Cameron Johnson cutting in from the left. Johnson burst into the box only to be denied by an excellent covering block from Jackson.

Dylan Wilson was always looking dangerous and was involved in most of the creativity coming out of the Ives, he carved out what turned out to be their best opportunity of the half only sixty seconds later as he picked up the ball in the centre of the park and ran at the heart of the visitors defence. He nimbly skipped past two tackles before drawing in other defenders and feeding the ball into the run of Ben Seymour-Shove in space just outside the box. But the Ives wide man got the ball tangled in his feet and had to turn forcing him to try his luck with a curler from the edge of the box which sailed inches wide with Moat looking on.

As has happened to Ives a couple of times recently they miss a good chance at one end and then almost instantly find themselves behind at the other. On this occasion the protagonist was Sani who used his pace and strength to battle his way to the edge of the D before feeding in Josh McCammon. Home keeper Finley Iron was alert to the danger and raced from his line to bravely block McCammon’s effort at point blank range but the ball ran loose to Johnson who coolly rolled it into the empty net.

Going in front seemed to lift the Turbines and they enjoyed their best spell of the game for the next twenty minutes. To their credit Ives battled well in spite adding to their mammoth injury list as they lost Ollie Snaith to what looked like a bad shoulder injury in 27^th minute. He was replaced by a patched-up Ty Ward and whilst they were reorganising the visitors went close again. The tricky Dion Sembie-Ferris combined well with full back Mitch Griffiths down the right. The latter delivering a teasing cross that Johnson looked likely to nod home at the back post by Jackson used his strength and did just enough to prevent the Turbines striker making a clean contact.

The visitors went close again ten minutes before the break as Paul Malone got on the end of a Dan Lawlor corner from the right. Iron did well to keep out his powerful header from eight yards but the keeper was relieved when referee Abi Byrne decreed that Malone had fouled his man just as the Turbines centre back was shaping to prod home the loose ball.

Ives did create one opportunity to get level just ninety seconds before the break as a Mark Coulson throw down the left was flicked inside by Wood and the ball fell perfectly to Ward on the edge of the box. The substitute struck his half volley cleanly but the shot was straight at the well positioned Moat who held on at the second attempt.

After an uplifting half time team talk from manager Ricky Marheineke the hosts came out fired up and with a desperate desire to get on level terms, but unluckily for them they found a goalkeeper in inspired form as Moat denied them three times in the opening fifteen minutes of the second period. His heroics started only 45 seconds after the restart. A Jackson long throw was flicked on by Wood the ball falling to Coulson on the edge of the box. The full back cracked in a rising drive that was going to scream in under the crossbar but for the intervention of keeper Moat as he hurled himself full length to his left to fingertip the effort over the top.

His next save five minutes later was a little more routine as Seymour-Shove kept alive an overhit cross from the right by Jackson. He fed the ball back to Coulson who curled in the perfect cross picking out Foy who had drifted in between the Turbines centre backs. The Ives centre forward should have done better as although he got power behind his free header he only succeeded in directing it straight into the grateful arms of Moat from eight yards out.

Although Ives were well on top during this period of the game they still had to be aware of the danger posed by the livewire Sembie-Ferris and he almost created something out of nothing for the visitors in 56^th minute as he picked up a ball on the right and ran at the hosts defence beating his man before feeding the ball inside to Jim Stevenson on the edge of the box. Fortunately he did not hit his shot cleanly thus giving Iron chance to get across low to his left to make the save.

The inspirational Moat again showed his quality as he made an amazing save to deny Wilson and keep his team in front on the hour. A cross from the left by Seymour-Shove evaded everyone in the centre but was kept alive by Wood on the opposite flank, his return cross into the mix skimmed off the head of Malone and fell to Wilson just outside the six yard box. It looked like he must score as he hit his first time effort powerfully on goal but Moat had anticipated where it was going and launched himself to his right the ball crashing into his body in such a way that he managed to not only make the save but also hold onto the ball to prevent the lurking Foy knocking it home.

Failing to put that chance away seemed to knock the Ives a little. Their confidence then took another huge blow nine minutes later as a poor pass out of defence by Charlie Johnson was cut out by Sembie-Ferris who seized the invitation to run at the hosts defence which almost unbelievably seemed to part in front of him. He simply kept going into the box before sliding the ball home low past the left hand of the exposed Iron.

Two minutes later and the game was all over as Turbines substitute Josh Moreman raced past Jackson down the left to get to the bye line. His pull back picked out Sembie-Ferris at the near post who probably should have scored but instead slammed his shot into the foot of the post. The loose ball ran across the face of goal to Stevenson who had the simple task of rolling it into the empty net.

There was still time for the battling hosts to create two good opportunities for a consolation goal in the remaining twenty minutes. In 76^th minute a long hanging Coulson free kick should really have been claimed by keeper Moat but he stayed rooted to his line allowing Foy to get a free header on the end of it. He knocked the ball down to the feet of the usually composed Kelly on the six yard line in the centre of goal. But on this occasion the centre back fluffed his lines as he completely missed his kick allowing the ball to run to safety off his standing leg.

The final chance for Ives fell to Wood only one minute later as he got on the end of an excellent driven cross by Seymour-Shove just outside the six yard box. But his contact on the ball was a little to good and he only succeeded in powering the ball away from goal.

The visitors successfully managed to see out the remaining time to claim a hard earned three points but there were blows for both sides ahead of important games coming up in those last few minutes, and one very sentimental moment. Ives lost substitute Ward to a knock thirteen minutes from time and he was replaced by Dan Clifton. At the same time Seymour-Shove left the field to be replaced by Dawkin for his long awaited comeback into step 3 football. 

Much more concerning for the Turbines was Sembie-Ferris limping off in added time and the final action of the game saw Coulson involved in a clash of heads with Marshall Willock which could rule the Ives full back out of Tuesday’s must win trip to rock bottom Leiston. 

Final Score : St Ives Town  0  Peterborough Sports  3     

Goals :  none 

Team : Iron, Jackson, Coulson, Wood (capt), Kelly, Johnson, Seymour-Shove (Dawkin 77), Jarvis Wilson, Foy, Dylan Wilson, Snaith (Ward 27, Clifton 77) 

Unused subs : Moyes, Patrick

Supporters man of the match : Dylan Wilson

Attendance : 285

Report by Nigel Howlett. Photos by Louise Thompson.