Andrew Dunn speaks with Ives boss, Ricky Marheineke as he gives his thoughts on the FA Cup draw and the win over Barking on Saturday.
“I was delighted with the result on Saturday, but an away match at Canvey Island in the next round will be tough. They got promoted last year, so are at the same level as us and have made a decent start to the season. We will do our homework on them, and no doubt they will do homework on us and I expect a close and competitive game. Ideally, I would have preferred it at home, but we have played them before so we know what to expect, but equally we will be looking to get a positive result.
Looking back on Saturday, there was added pressure with the game as there was high expectations that we would win. So, with that in mind, it was important that we started well, which we did and it was equally important that we got the first goal which we did. Then to get the second and go on and win the game comfortably was great because the match was a definite banana skin for us as they had 2 good results in previous rounds. I thought first half we were fantastic but throughout the game we did a professional job.
Nabil Shariff was outstanding for us. They were 3 well taken goals, and he could have got a fourth too. Nabil brings a lot to the team. He knows where the back of the net is and he and Johnny Edwards have started the season magnificently for us. Nabil was subject to an approach from another club recently, but he has decided to stay with St Ives which is fantastic for the club.
We were forced to make a few changes, specifically with the defence as Kane Lewis and Johnny Herd were injured. So, Owen Sheriff made his debut, and I thought he did really well for us. Julien Saka played but he is not fully fit yet, and I would put him at about 60% but he once again proved what an excellent player he is.
It was good to see Ethan Johnston on the scoresheet. Ethan is an excellent player, but he has just been unlucky in that his game time has been very limited simply due to the fact that Shariff and Johnny Edwards have been on fire and have formed an excellent partnership.
Looking ahead to Saturday, and the Ilkeston game will be tough. They got an excellent result against Matlock in the FA Cup at the weekend. They have made an indifferent start to the season and have had some changes in squad personnel recently so we will need to be on our guard. The line-up will not feature Michael Richens as he is away so that’s why he missed Saturday but I’ve said before that the squad is in a good place right now and we will make the trip with high hopes of bringing back the points”.