Lowestoft Town 1 v St Ives Town 1
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 21-12-2024
Nigel Howlett reports from Crown Meadow
A battling performance on a heavy pitch finished with honours even at a goal a-piece. Both sides will feel that they could have won all three points as each shaded one half of the game. Ives spent most of the first half on top without testing Sam Blair in the hosts goal whilst the hosts failed to make best use of the direct runs down the right from Harvey Sayer in a second period where they provided most of the threat.
The visitors certainly finished feeling the most aggrieved as Alex Collard’s lob found the back of the net deep in added time but the whistle had already gone seconds earlier for a foul by the Ives skipper as he challenged two defenders for Greg Kaziboni’s chip into the box. However Ives failure to really test 17 year old substitute keeper Ronnie Yeo who had replaced the injured Blair six minutes before the break was probably where they failed to claim the maximum reward.
The game started in heavy rain with a strong wind straight down the pitch and Ives had these elements at their backs but it was the hosts who started on the front foot with Dan Wilks forced to parry away Gabriel Overton’s fierce drive from a narrow angle in the fourth minute. There quickly followed a trio of Trawlerboy’s corners that only ended when Harry Barbrook headed the final one over the crossbar at the near post.
Ives slowly worked their way into the game and could have gone in front with their first real opportunity in 17th minute. A perfect threaded ball through the left channel by Jernade Meade put Josh Allen clear he took the shot on first time, but Blair had been quick off his line to narrow the angle and made an excellent block. Jordan Williams rose highest to meet Meade’s out-swinging corner at the near post but powered his header over the top.
The visitors were by now getting on top and the ever willing Amir Hadi fed in Allen again through the left channel. Once more the striker took on his shot first time and this time he beat Blair with the effort but the ball flashed inches wide of the far post.
A 25th minute break down the other end saw the dangerous Joao Rangel cut inside from the left and curl in a powerful effort that had Wilks scrambling across his goal and finished up beating the keeper but also the far post as well.
Ives spent most of the remaining 20 minutes to half time moving the ball around well on the difficult surface but failing to hit the target with the chances that they carved out. The first of those just before the half hour was created, and missed, by Peter Abimbola. His initial surging run into the heart of the Trawlerboys back line allowed him to slip the ball to Hadi inside the box. His shot was blocked but rebounded into the path of Abimbola who probably should have done better but fired over from 15 yards.
Two more excellent chances came Ives way before the break. Two minutes after Abimbola’s miss it was Aaron Smith who failed to hit the target with an even better opportunity. The hard working Hadi drove into the hosts box and unleashed a shot that ricocheted across the face of goal to the unmarked Smith eight yards out. The wing back swung his right boot at it and made good contact, the effort flashed past the exposed Blair and clipped the outside of the post on its way wide.
But that was not the closest that Ives came to breaking the deadlock before the break. Meade’s 39th minute in-swinging free kick from the right curled into the crowd of players just outside the six yard box where Ethan Creary rose highest to get the flick that floated on and thudded the post before it was scrambled clear. Blair picked up an arm injury in the crowd of players as he attempted to battle through to get a fist onto the free kick and after lengthy treatment was replaced by young Yeo making only his third appearance for the Trawlerboys.
As in the first half, it was the hosts who did most of the attacking in the early period of the second. Rangel was still causing problems down the left and in 57th minute he combined well with overlapping full back Robert Eagle who saw his low, driven, cross very well claimed by the diving Wilks.
The hosts went even closer in 62nd minute as Joe Duffy latched onto a short back pass from Abimbola and tried to round Wilks, but the big keeper did well to force him wide allowing Collard to cover around behind him to prevent Duffy getting a shot away.
Ives then took the lead against the run of play with Hadi opening his account for the club in 64th minute. Meade played a perfect clip through the hosts back line that Allen latched onto. The number ten cut back inside and unleashed a fierce rising drive that looked destined for the top corner but young Yeo did brilliantly, hurling himself full length to his right to make a flying one handed save to keep the ball out. But with all the hosts defenders looking on in admiration at the fantastic save that their keeper had just made Hadi did what all good strikers do and bundled home the loose ball. A quick look across to the linesman to make sure that the flag had stayed down and Ives were in front.
But the visitors lead was to be short lived. They were given a massive scare only ninety seconds after scoring when the speedy Harvey Sayer set off on a run from almost half way that saw him outpace Smith before firing in a low shot from the edge of the box that the diving Wilks did well to deflect onto the post and away.
To try and nullify that tactic manager Ricky Marheineke quickly replaced Smith with the more pacy David Adegbola. But before the substitute had even touched the ball Sayer repeated his earlier feat this time to more devastating effect. He got past Adegbola and Williams at pace before cutting inside onto his left foot and unleashing a screamer from the edge of the box that gave Wilks no chance as it flew into the top corner of the net to level things up. Ives lead had lasted exactly five minutes.
Sayer was now the main route of attack for the hosts and only one minute later he tried to repeat the trick again. This time he got past Adegbola but was unceremoniously upended by Meade before he got close to the penalty area. Ives playmaker taking the inevitable yellow card for the team. Wilks bravely came through the crowd to cleanly punch away Charlie Norman’s curling free kick at the back post.
With Adegbola now sticking much closer to Sayer that route of attack seemed effectively nullified and Ives began to look more comfortable and started to create chances of their own again. It took a brave block from a defender to keeper out Williams fierce 76th minute drive after Meade’s hanging corner from the right had dropped at his feet by the penalty spot.
One more routine save from Wilks as he collected Duffy’s 84th minute 25 yarder saw the end of the hosts real threat and try as they might Ives could not really create another opportunity to test young Yeo until the second of four added minutes when Collard challenged Louis McIntosh and Dylan Ruffles for Kaziboni’s high ball at the back post. From my position behind the goal both defenders seemed to collide into each other with McIntosh going down. The ball dropped to Collard who cleverly hooked it home but the whistle had gone for a perceived foul by the Ives skipper well before the ball dropped in and defenders and goalkeeper had all stopped.
On a day of many draws in the Southern League Premier Central Division the point keeps Ives in ninth place only three points from the play-off places. The Trawlerboys will perhaps be the happier with their point lifting them out of the bottom four.
With four games to come in ten days starting with Ives home fixture against local rivals Royston Town on Boxing Day the picture in this very crowded division may look a little clearer early in the New Year.
Here is wishing all my readers a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Final Score: Lowestoft Town 1 St Ives Town 1 Half Time 0 – 0
Goals:
LOWESTOFT: Sayer 69,
ST IVES: Hadi 64,
Team Line Ups:
LOWESTOFT: Blair (Yeo 39), Norman, Eagle (capt), McIntosh (Haddoch 90+5), Ruffles, Barbrook, Soares Rangel (Aldous 82), Duffy, Overton, Sayer, Haylock, Unused subs: Murphy
ST IVES: Wilks, Mensah (Gyamfi 82), Smith (Adegbola 69), Meade (Skyers 89), J. Williams, Collard (capt), Abimbola, Glennon, Hadi (Wilson 64), Allen (Kaziboni 89), Creary, Unused subs: none
Referee: Emily Heaslip
Cards: Yellow: LOWESTOFT: Ruffles (34) ST IVES: Allen (29), Meade (70)
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Dan Wilks
Attendance: 386