Stamford 2 St Ives Town 1
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 22-10-2024
Nigel Howlett reports from the Zeeco Stadium
Ives battled hard and matched the high flying Daniels for long periods of this game but failure to take their chances and a slow start to each half ultimately cost them all three points at the Zeeco Stadium.
The visitors were caught cold inside ninety seconds as Tobias Liversidge got down the left and delivered a low cross to the near post where the lurking Richard Gergory got across his marker to thump the ball home from close range.
Ives first half chance arrived with their first corner of the game five minutes later as Jernade Meade’s flag kick was knocked down to Albie O’Keefe on the edge of the box. His attempted shot ricocheted to Alex Collard ten yards from goal but the Ives skipper’s first time effort was blocked by the body of a Daniels defender.
The game continued in open fashion with both sides trading blows. Liversidge was again involved in creating another opportunity of the hosts in 13th minute when he combined well with Lee Shaw down the left with the latter’s low, driven, cross just evading Gregory sliding in at the back post.
Back up the other end three minutes later Ives had a shout for a penalty turned down by referee Tom Bingley. Collard rose highest to flick on Aaron Smith’s long throw at the near post and the ball fell to the feet of Amaru Kaunda inside the six yard box but with his back to goal. As the youngster tried to turn to get his shot away he went down under challenge from James Blunden but the well positioned Mr Bingley waved the appeals away.
Dan Wilks in Ives goal was forced into his first real save of the night in 27th minute when Tendai Chitiza threaded a ball through into the run of Robert Morgan. The Daniels skipper let fly from the edge of the box but Wilks was equal to the effort and held on well. Only sixty seconds later and it was Ives who spurned two good opportunities to get level in the same attack. Initially the ball arrived at the feet of Silvano Obeng just inside the box but he took a touch to many and his shot was blocked away by a covering defender, the ball rebounded to Kaunda by the penalty spot. This time it was keeper Tom Jackson who was bravely off his line to smother the young striker’s attempt at point blank range.
The game then descended into a midfield battle with neither side able to create another real opportunity until the last minute of the half when full back Charlie Marzano combined well with Chitiza down the right before the winger picked out Gregory on the edge of the box. But the Daniels centre forward again failed to find a way past the well positioned Wilks.
As in the first half Ives were again slow out of the traps at the start of the second period and almost gave away a second goal only two and half minutes after the restart. A ball over the top was taken down inside the box by Gregory who went down under challenge from Smith. Referee Bingley initially saw no problem with the tackle and gave a goal kick. But he was summoned over by his flag waving assistant on the far side. A discussion of almost two minutes followed between the two officials before Mr Bingley allowed himself to be overruled by his assistant and awarded the spot kick. However the long wait perhaps proved a little to much of Daniels skipper Morgan who saw his kick saved by the diving Wilks.
But having survived that massive scare courtesy of an excellent save from their keeper the sleepwalking Ives still proceeded to ship a second only moments later with Chitiza sprinting away down the right before picking out Gregory with his precise low cross. This time the centre forward made a complete hash of his shot getting it so wrong that the ball rolled on across the box to the unmarked full back Bill Bennett who made no mistake beating the exposed Wilks from 10 yards.
But going two behind seemed to wake Ives from their slumbers again and Kaunda won them a free kick in a dangerous position two minutes later. The tricky Ives striker got the better of Jordon Cooke on the right hand corner of the box forcing the centre back to bring him down. Meade seemed to get caught in two minds with the resulting free kick and ended up curling it straight into the hands of keeper Jackson.
Back up the other end Shaw pulled another excellent save out of Wilks on the hour forcing the keeper to leap high to his left to hang onto a curled effort from 25 yards. That proved to be the hosts last real opportunity of the night as they decided to sit back a little to preserve their advantage allowing Ives to push forward and the visitors did not need a second invitation. Manager Ricky Marheineke took the opportunity to introduce his trump cards from the bench bringing on the pace of Benji Mensah, trickery of Johnson Gyamfi and guile of Greg Kaziboni replacing Smith, Peter Abimbola and Obeng respectively.
Those three started to create inroads into the otherwise resolute Daniels back line. The first chance to pull a goal back following their introduction came in 77th minute as Mensah fed Gyamfi in down the right. Gyamfi’s pull back picked out Paddy Casey arriving in space at the back of the box but the defender snatched at the chance and fired well over from 20 yards.
The threat down the right also included David Adegbola and six minutes later it was he who fed in Mensah to the bye line. The young substitute carefully lifted the ball over keeper Jackson to try and pick out Gyamfi arriving at the back post. But under pressure from Marzano and the recovering keeper Gyamfi was unable to hit the target from a narrow angle. But Ives did finally pull one back four minutes from time as Gyamfi got his first for the club. Mensah fed him in through the right channel and his first time effort from ten yards found its was through keeper Jackson’s legs and into the back of the net.
Eight added minutes went up on the board to give Ives hope and they pushed hard for an equaliser but the experience in the hosts side showed through as they turned down opportunities to break away in favour of running down the clock by taking the ball to the corner flag. One last opportunity to make them pay did come Ives way in the final added minute but with Wilks up to add his height to the threat substitute Evan Watkins flag kick was well claimed by keeper Jackson.
The result sees the Daniels move up to second only one point behind league leaders Kettering while the Ives slip a place to tenth in a crazily compact table where only seven points separates the sides in the play off places from the relegation spots. A trip to fellow mid table side AFC Sudbury awaits Ives on Saturday.
Final Score: Stamford 2 St Ives Town 1 Half Time 1 – 0
Goals:
STAMFORD: Gregory 2, Bennett 55
ST IVES: Gyamfi 86
Team Line Ups:
STAMFORD: Jackson, Marzano, Bennett (Hobbins 71), Offler, Cooke, Blunden, Chitiza, Morgan (capt), Gregory (Challinor 69), Shaw, Liversidge (Frew 88), Unused subs: Redfern, Butterfill
ST IVES: Wilks, Creary, Smith (Mensah 76), Meade (Watkins 85), Casey, Collard (capt), Abimbola (Gyamfi 67), O’Keefe (Skyers 58), Obeng (Kaziboni 67), Kaunda, Adegbola, Unused subs: none
Referee: Thomas Bingley
Cards: Yellow: STAMFORD: none ST IVES: none
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Dan Wilks
Attendance: 326