Match Report

St Ives Town v Peterborough Sports   

Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central 20-11-2021

When the League’s worst defensive record comes up against the division’s leading scorers there is only likely to be one outcome and ultimately that is the way it turned out but Ives did show great character in this game as having gone two down just after half way through the first half they fought back to be on level terms before the break. An excellent ten minute period at the start of the second half saw them create three good opportunities to get their noses in front but a quick fire double from Jordan Nicholson put the Turbines back in the driving seat. Any hope they had of repeating the first half comeback was extinguished when Camron McWilliams picked up two needless yellow cards in a two minute spell when he lost his head. The visitors then exploited the gaps in the Ives back line to add three more in the last ten minutes.

The home side made one change from Tuesday evenings defeat at Rushall with recent signing Tyrone Baker replacing Urijah Gordon-Douglas for his first start in Ives colours. The visitors were unchanged from their success over Royston on the same evening.

Baker almost made a dream start to his home debut as he got on the end of a Brett Solkhon flick to Michael Richens free kick and got the ball in the net after only four minutes. But the assistant’s raised flag denied him that perfect beginning. The debutant was again involved in setting up another Ives opportunity in tenth minute as Dylan Williams found him with a ball out to the right. His low cross was turned on by Williams into the path of Ben Toseland who blazed over from the edge of the box.

The visitors first real chance arrived only seconds later and it took a brilliant saving header from Solkhon to prevent Michael Gash getting onto the end of Nicholson’s cross from the left. The towering Ryan Fryatt rose highest to the resulting corner and thumped his header against the upright.

Having just survived that scare Ives should have known that they needed to try and avoid giving the opposition chance to deliver balls into their box but a mix up between White and Solkhon lead to another corner being conceded in 18^th minute. Again Fryatt was the target for Dan Lawlor’s inswinger and this time he made no mistake burying his powerful header into the net from ten yards.

The open nature of the game meant that chances continued to come at both ends. Williams came within inches of levelling things up for Ives in 22^nd minute. Baker again burst down the right before threading the ball into the run of Nabil Shariff. Rather than shooting he unselfishly slid it back to Williams just inside the box. The Ives number ten’s shot took a big deflection off a Turbines defender and looped over keeper Lewis Moat but skipper Richard Jones got around behind his custodian to head the ball off the line.

Having gone so close to getting level Ives then found themselves two behind in 26^th minute as Dion Sembie-Ferris played a one, two with Gash. The return ball putting the speedy winger clear into the box and he made no mistake thumping the ball low past the diving White’s left hand.

To their great credit Ives heads did not go down and Baker continued to get joy down the right. In 32^nd minute he got to the bye line before feeding into the feet of Shariff who brilliantly pivoted and got his shot away but it was inches over the top. Four minutes later and the hosts halved the arrears as Williams did brilliantly to keep a long ball from Callum Milne in play. His low cross into the box took a deflection before arriving at the feet of Ben Toseland at the back post who drilled home to put Ives back into the game.

The same player levelled things up five minutes later as he beat keeper Moat low to his right with a well placed right footer from the edge of the box. The chance had been created by a perfectly weighted pass from the centre of the park by the hard working Michael Richens who picked out Williams on the left. His pass inside found Toseland who did the rest to take the two sides in at half time level.

Having finished the first period on top Ives came out for the restart looking to complete their comeback by getting in front. They carved out three decent opportunities to do just that as in 51^st minute Toseland got on the end of Kyle Davison-Gordon’s cross from the left but blazed over from a good position. They went even closer twice in thirty seconds four minutes later. Initially McWilliams got down the right and picked out Williams in space on the edge of the box with his pull back but the Ives man completely missed his kick. The ball was half cleared to the left where Davison-Gordon delivered it back into the box. It ended up at the feet of McWilliams 20 yards out. It took a diving save low to his left by Moat to keep out the full back’s powerful drive.

White in the home goal had also been called into spectacular action at the other end making a tremendous double save to deny both Nicholson and Josh McCammon in 52^nd minute. Those two saves had come after Dan Jarvis had rattled the keepers right hand upright with a fearsome strike from 25 yards that rebounded into the path of Nicholson.

Ives good period came to an abrupt end just before the hour. Toseland lost possession to Sembie-Ferris on the halfway line. He picked out Jarvis in space and his inch perfect through ball picked out the run of Nicholson who slotted past the exposed White to put the Turbines back in the driving seat. The visitors doubled their lead five minutes later as Nicholson was allowed to pick up a loose ball 30 yards from goal and run through the Ives back line before firing past White into the far corner from just inside the box.

Now two behind again there were feint hopes amongst Ives faithful of a second comeback but they were all but extinguished three minutes later as McWilliams foolishly picked himself up two yellow cards in very quick succession for squabbling with first Jarvis and then Nicholson who made a lot of the push he received to ensure McWilliams dismissal. With the hosts now down to ten men the visitors pace and movement began to pull apart their fragile back line.

Jarvis went close to adding a fifth goal in 73^rd minute as he exchanged passes with Nicholson before flashing a shot across the face of goal from just inside the box. Substitute De-Carrey Sheriff was next to go close as he turned a low cross from the right by Nicholson inches wide with his first touch of the game three minutes later. That fifth goal did arrive with ten minutes to go as Jarvis and McCammon exchanged passes on their way through the centre of a struggling Ives back line. The move finishing with McCammon firing past White’s right hand into the bottom corner from just inside the box.

The sixth and the Turbines 50^th league goal of the season arrived five minutes later as substitute Maniche Sani outpaced Solkhon to get on the end of a clip over the top by Nicholson. The same player combined with Sembie-Ferris moments later and it took a brave block from White to deny Sembie-Ferris his second from close range.

The visitors saved the best until last as recent signing Sheriff opened his account for the Turbines with a spectacular overhead kick to fire Nicholson’s cross from the left past the shell shocked White in the third minute of added time.

The win ensures that the high scoring Turbines remain second in the table and very much in the hunt for the title. Ives also clocked up a half century in this game as the visitors seventh was the 50^th goal that they have conceded in the league this season a far cry from the frugal season that saw us promoted to step three. The defeat drops the Ives back into the relegation zone but it is still very tight at the bottom of the table and a couple of wins could still catapult them up to half way. They must pick themselves up, dust themselves down and go again on Tuesday when Bromsgrove visit Westwood Road.

Final Score : St Ives Town  2  Peterborough Sports  7       

Goals : 

ST IVES: Toseland 36 & 41

PETERBRO’ SPORTS: Fryatt 19, Sembie-Ferris 26, Nicholson 58 & 63, McCammon 80, Sani 85, Sheriff 90+3

Teams

ST IVES: White, McWilliams, Davison-Gordon, Richens, Solkhon (capt), Milne, Baker (Rhaman 82), Hottor (Hicks 86), Shariff (Gordon-Douglas 81), Williams, Toseland, Unused subs : Heath, Agemoh-Davies

Ives Supporters man of the match : Ben Toseland

Attendance : 321

Report by Nigel Howlett. Photos by Louise Thompson.