St Ives Town 1 v Kettering Town 2
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 09-09-2024
Nigel Howlett reports
A gallant second half rearguard action did not prove quite enough for Ives who eventually ended up with no reward against a very good looking Poppies. The visitors made excellent use of Ives 3G surface fizzing the ball around in entertaining style but for a long time it looked like Ives defence expertly organised by skipper Alex Collard and keeper Dan Wilks were going to hold on to a lead gleaned from a brilliantly taken Greg Kaziboni goal seven minutes before the break.
Ives suffered a pre-match blow with centre back Jordan Williams succumbing to an injury picked up in Saturdays 1-0 reverse at Bishop’s Stortford Johnny Herd coming into the side to replace him forcing manager Ricky Marheineke to change his formation and go with a flat back four. Poppies introduced two new signings to their starting line up with a return to their fold for centre back Lewis White and a surprise at centre forward where ex Newcastle United centre forward Nile Ranger also made his debut for the visitors.
The game started at one hundred mile an hour with both sides closing each other very quickly all over the park and little early pattern to the play. Ranger had the first real shot of the night in eighth minute and his powerful strike from 20 yards appeared to strike the arm of Paddy Casey and deflect away causing the large gathering of Poppies fans behind the car park end goal to scream for a spot kick but referee Chris Poole remained unmoved.
The visitors went close again two minutes later as a Tyree Wilson did well to keep alive a deep cross from the right. His ball back into the centre was teed up by Ranger and Andi Thanoj’s shot deflected off a defender and looped inches wide with Wilks scrambling across to cover.
The first save of the game for either keeper did not come until midway through the first period when Wilks made a comfortable save to hold onto Ben Hart’s low drive from the right hand corner of the box. But by this point Ives were also begining to carve out opportunities of their own and only moments later Theo Alexandrou robbed a dallying White 40 yards from goal. The Poppies debutant took the obvious yellow card that he knew was coming as he pulled back the Ives speedy striker just as he was about to sprint clear.
Ex Ives striker Kai Fifield was looking dangerous for the visitors in a roving role up front and Ranger got on the end of his 27th minute cross from the right but could only steer his header wide of the near post under pressure from Collard. Collard then got action at the other end of the park two minutes later. Kobe Chong won Ives a corner as he cleverly turned a defender to set off on a jinking run through the visitors box that only ended with his stabbed shot from a narrow angle turned around the post by keeper Dan Jezeph. Collard rose above the crowd to meet Chong’s flag kick but could only power his downward header wide.
White’s centre back partner Connor Johnson joined him in referee Poole’s notebook on the half hour for a challenge just as cynical as his team mate. Speedy wing back Benji Mensah completely deceived Johnson with a flick over his head and was sprinting away when he was taken down by the Poppies number five. Johnson’s action was proved right as the resulting Herd free kick came to nothing.
The hosts then suffered a blow ten minutes before the break with powerful midfielder Peter Abimbola pulling up before limping off to be replaced by Kaziboni. But the early introduction of the tricky wide man proved the catalyst as he scored a wonder goal to put Ives ahead less than 90 seconds later. Jonny Edwards battled hard to keep possession down the right before feeding the ball on to Chong he in turn danced into the box before laying the ball off to Kaziboni who curled his first time effort into the top corner past the onlooking Jezeph.
Now in front Ives enjoyed a good spell up to the break with Alexandrou forcing a save out of Jezeph at the end of a clever Ives move. Wilks clipped free kick found Edwards well timed run down the left he in turn fed the ball on to Alexandrou who got to the bye line but with no one arriving in the centre he was forced to go for goal from a narrow angle allowing Jezeph to make the save.
As was perhaps to be expected the Poppies came out charged up at the start of the second half and tore into Ives back line. Collard put his body on the line to deflect over Devon Kelly-Evans fierce drive in 51st minute and Wilks did well to cling onto Thanoj’s powerful 25 yarder two minutes later.
But at the other end Ives were still creating chances to give themselves a bigger cushion. Edwards spurned a golden opportunity to double the lead on the hour. Chong created the opportunity pulling defenders to him before picking out Edwards in a little bit of space ten yards from goal by the back post. But the striker chose to take a touch and was quickly closed down by a defender forcing him to drag his shot which beat Jezeph but struck the outside of the post.
Fifield was still looking the main danger for the visitors and he did well to keep alive a deep free kick before turning past Mensah and firing in a low drive from the left edge of the box that Wilks held well at his near post. The keepers excellent distribution carved out another golden opportunity for Ives to score that vital second goal. Alexandrou got away down the left again and cut inside before unleashing a shot from just outside the box that deflected off a defender straight into the path of the fast arriving Mensah but the young wing back failed to make clean contact with his first time effort and could only watch in anguish as the ball rolled inches wide of Jezeph’s left hand post with the keeper beaten.
Those two spurned opportunities to increase their lead came back to haunt Ives as the battling Fifield won the visitors a penalty in 69th minute. He got past Mensah on the left before being taken down clumsily by Collard inside the box. Referee Poole was in the perfect position to make the decision and Fifield picked himself up to beat Wilks low to the keepers left with his spot kick.
Now on level terms the Poppies went for the jugular and increased the pressure on Ives back line as they went in search of all three points. It took a brilliant save from Wilks to keep out Fifield’s deflected effort in 73rd minute. The big keeper back peddled furiously before leaping to claw away the effort that looked like it was going to loop in over his head.
The Kettering fans behind the goal were by now roaring home their team and they raised those voices even higher in 78th minute when Collard flung himself across the line of Jarvis’s fierce drive from 25 yards. Those behind the goal in the red and black were convinced that Collard had deflected the ball away with his arm but referee Poole was again in an excellent position and decided that it was the body of Ives skipper that did the job.
Wilks made another good save to turn away Kelly-Evans 25 yarder in 86th minute but all of Ives hard work came to nothing as they failed to clear a long free kick into their box from the right. The ball eventually fell to White who fired past the diving Wilks from ten yards much to the delight of those supporters behind the Green Leys end goal.
There was still time for Ives to carve out one late opportunity to get some reward for all of their efforts as substitute Ethan Creary ghosted through the crowd to get on the end of Aaron Smith’s 94th minute long throw but his header lacked power and simply loped into the grateful hands of keeper Jezeph.
After last season’s dismal showing this was a vastly improved Poppies side that are comfortably the best team to visit quattro tech Westwood Road this season and they look like they will play a big part at the right end of the table this term. On a positive note for Ives they can say that they matched these worthy opponents for long periods of the game and had one of those two excellent chances early in the second half gone in they could well have claimed a victory as it is they must lick their wounds and prepare for a vital FA Cup tie when they entertain Berkhamsted on Saturday.
Final Score: St Ives Town 1 Kettering Town 2 Half Time 1 – 0
Goals:
ST IVES: Kaziboni 38
KETTERING: Fifield 70 (pen), White 88
Team Line Ups:
ST IVES: Wilks, Mensah (O’Keefe 90), Smith, Lawrence (Creary 87), Herd, Collard (capt), Alexandrou (Adegbola 77), Abimbola (Kaziboni 36), Edwards, Chong (Obeng 83), Casey, Unused subs: none
KETTERING: Jezeph, Hart (capt), Powell, Kelly-Evans, Johnson, White, Jarvis, Thanoj, Ranger, Wilson, Fifield, Unused subs: Atcha, Mbayo, Miller, Kawimbi, Enovon
Referee: Christopher Poole
Cards: Yellow: ST IVES: Alexandrou (45+1), Collard (69) KETTERING: White (24), Johnson (30), Jarvis (78)
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Alex Collard
Attendance: 471