St Ives Town v Redditch United  

Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Division Central – 13-04-19

Ives first home win since mid-January kept them on track for a record breaking best ever finish in the Club’s history. The win came courtesy of a deflected Andrew Osei-Bonsu strike ten minutes after half time. However the home supporters also need to compliment their, as ever, mean defence who kept their sixteenth clean sheet of the season and debutant eighteen year old goalkeeper Shay Griffiths who played his part in ensuring the back line was not breached.

Owen Wallis who has been exemplary since his return to the side at Stourbridge once again showed his quality and rightly took the supporters man of the match award. The young centre back showed excellent composure as early as the eighth minute when Danico Johnson bustled his way into Ives box and threatened to get clean through. Wallis initially held him up and then timed his tackle to perfection to take the ball off his toe and move it away to safety.

Griffiths heroics started six minutes later with two excellent saves in less than sixty seconds. Robbie Bunn was initially allowed to much space to run at the Ives defence and he seized his opportunity to go for goal unleashing a fierce drive from 25 yards that the young keeper did very well to keep out hurling himself low to his left to push the ball away. But the hosts struggled to get the ball clear and it almost immediately came back into the box with Josh Hawker getting a snap shot on target from fifteen yards that Griffiths did well to get a hand to low to his right. The young stopper rode his luck a little as the ball ricocheted off his right hand upright before it was eventually scrambled clear.

The in form Reds continued to press forward at every opportunity and Griffiths was Ives saviour again in 28^th minute when a flowing visitors move was completed by Rob Evans playing the ball into the feet of Bunn on the edge of the box. He in turn teed up Richard Batchelor for a strike from 20 yards that the number eleven hit well but again Griffiths was equal to it plunging to his right to turn the ball around the post.

The Ives keeper was perhaps a little more fortunate in 31^st minute as he somewhat miss timed a sprint from his line to try to claim a bouncing ball through the right channel and was always struggling to get to it ahead of Bunn. Both players collided just inside the box and went down in a heap, with Reds players all appealing for a penalty it was with much relief to Ives supporters and players alike that referee Thomas Cooke deemed that Griffiths had just won the race and had thus been fouled by the Reds midfielder.

In spite of the hard work of Ives front players throughout the first half it took until 39^th minute before the hosts carved out a real opportunity to test visiting keeper Reece Francis. Ollie Snaith won the ball in the centre of the park and picked a pass to Ben Seymour-Shove in acres of space on the right. With an opportunity to sprint for the bye line and try to pick out a colleague in the centre or cut in and go for goal the usually decisive wide man seemed to get caught in two minds and did neither eventually simply rolling a tame cross into the hands of the grateful custodian.

Having battled hard to stay in the game without much possession in the first period Ives needed to lift themselves to ensure that they could turn another potential home draw into their fifth home win of the season. They did just that wrestling control of the game away from their opponents straight from the off. Osei-Bonsu set the pace tricking his way past James Brown down the right wing in 49^th minute. The striker got to the bye line before picking out the run of Snaith on the front edge of the six yard box. The young striker had his back to goal but carefully rolled the ball back to Robbie Parker on the edge of the box. The Ives skipper tried to pick his spot in the bottom corner but just missed the target with the ball eluding the diving Francis but rolling inches wide of the post.

The goal that settled it came five minutes later thanks to a flash of individual brilliance from Osei-Bonsu. The silky striker picked up the ball on the right hand edge of the box, shimmied past Brown before opening his stride and unleashing a fierce drive that took a wicked deflection off the luckless Hawker and completely deceived Francis flying into the net to the keepers left as he moved to his right.

The hosts continued to push forward in search of another and Morgan Penfold was very unlucky not to claim his elusive first Ives goal in 59^th minute. A Seymour-Shove corner from the left was half cleared to Osei-Bonsu inside the box. The off balance striker hit a bobbling first time shot from fifteen yards that Francis spilled, Penfold reacted instantly to prod the loose ball home only to have his celebration cut short by an assistant’s flag.

Osei-Bonsu’s pace, strength and movement continued to cause problems for the Reds back line and he set up another opportunity for Penfold in 63^rd minute as his break a pace down the right gave him the opportunity to deliver a low cross that Penfold looked favourite to force home at the back post only for the Peterborough United loanee to allow Lewis Wright to get back and take the ball off his toe.

In a desperate effort to get back into the game the Redditch manager Paul Smith made a double substitution in 64^th minute Throwing on Leam Howards and Harry Franklin to replace the strangely ineffective Shaquille Leachman-Whittington and Batchelor. The move almost worked as within thirty seconds of entering the field Franklin rose highest to Bunn’s right wing corner but failed to keep his header down under pressure from Wallis.

Griffiths had had a relatively quiet second half but he needed to be on his toes in 80^th minute as Ives struggled to clear another Bunn corner, this time from the left. An attempted clearance rebounded off Johnson and fell to Andrew Parsons deep inside the box, the Reds skipper looked like he had the goal at his mercy eight yards out. But Griffiths was on him in an instant narrowing the angle and forcing the centre back to snatch at his effort and fire across the face of goal.

With the clock ticking down Ives did not sit back but instead continued to go in search of the second goal to kill off the contest. An 86^th minute corner was fed back to Munashe Sundire by Seymour-Shove, rather than simply deliver the ball into the centre the right back cleverly got his head up and spotted George Bailey inside in space 25 yards from goal. The substitute took a touch before rifling off a stinging effort that forced Francis into a spectacular diving save as the big keeper leapt to his right to fingertip the effort over the top.

Referee Cooke somehow found five added minutes in a half with six substitutions but otherwise barely a stop. The final of those minutes brought a flurry of noteworthy action as initially a long Brown throw was knocked down inside the box to Hawker who saw his well struck shot deflected for a corner. This allowed Francis to join the pack of players inside Ives box. Wood rose highest to head the corner away and the ball was fed out to Penfold who was breaking over the halfway line with the open goal looming only to be halted by the referee blowing for time. 

Overall an entertaining game that those put off from attending by the hailstorm in the run up to kick off will be disappointed to have missed. Make sure that you do not miss out on the record breaking Ives final home game of the season at 3.00pm on Easter Monday when struggling local rivals St Neots will be the visitors.  

Final Score : St Ives Town  1  Redditch United  0  

Goals :  Osei-Bonsu 54

Team : Griffiths, Sundire, Coulson, Wood, Wallis, Jarvis Wilson, Penfold, Parker (capt), Osei-Bonsu (Newman 84), Snaith (Bailey 79), Seymour-Shove (Baker 90)

Unused subs : Patrick, Ward

Supporters man of the match : Owen Wallis 

Attendance : 179

Report by Nigel Howlett. Photos by Louise Thompson

St Ives Town v AFC Rushden & Diamonds  

Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Division Central – 06-04-19

Six points off the play-off places with games fast running out this was a must win game for Diamonds but they were out fought and at times outplayed by an Ives side missing a few regulars. With regular right back Ben Jackson injured and his first choice replacement Owen Wallis pressed into action in the centre of defence regular midfielder Munashe Sundire found himself recalled into the side in the number two slot. He looked at home in the role from early on winning a number of important tackles and headers and as the game wore on he found opportunities to roam forward and show his normal creative style. The stand in full back was the only man who forced a real save out of either goal keeper as he tested Ben Heath in the Diamonds goal with a low left footed drive in 64^th minute.

The visitors showed early promise and their leading scorer Tom Lorraine got on the end of a third minute corner delivered from the left by ex Ives man Declan Rogers. The big striker got in front of his marker and made good contact from eight yards but only succeeded in steering his header over the top.

Ives supporters eagerly welcomed back Morgan Penfold. The Peterborough United youngster had won himself a professional contract following his successful loan spell with the Club in 2016 and it was quite clear that the 20 year old had filled out and strengthen up in those intervening years. He showed that he had also lost none of his pace as he powered through the left channel to get on the end of a deft clip over the top by Andrew Osei-Bonsu in 14^th minute, unfortunately the youngster took one touch to many and his shot when it did come flashed harmlessly across the face of goal.

Penfold went close again five minutes later as he got on the end of a move which saw the Diamonds defence stretched but not broken. Tom Wood delivered a dangerous ball into the box that was half cleared to Mark Coulson 30 yards from goal on the opposite side of the box. Rather than just pump the ball back into the box he cleverly slid it through to pick out the run of Ty Ward. Ward got to the bye line and picked out the fast arriving Penfold with his pull back but the ball just would not fall right for the youngster to hit it and his mishit shot was scrambled away.

The host’s centre back pairing of Owen Wallis and Jarvis Wilson were doing an excellent job of keeping the Diamonds strikers quiet. Wilson showed that he has learnt a lot as the season as gone on when in 28^th minute he found himself up against the tricky Rogers one v one on the edge of the box. Where earlier in the season the youngster may have dived in on this occasion he stood his ground well and cleanly took the ball off Rogers toes when the midfielder tried to go around him.

Another good opportunity went begging for Ives six minutes before the break with Penfold again heavily involved as he picked up a ball by the corner flag before wriggling his way past Alex Collard in his run along the bye line. He showed good composure in getting his head up and picking out Ward on the edge of the box but the ball took a wicked bobble just in front of the Ives man and he screwed his shot wide of the target.

There was one scary moment for Ives supporters just before the break as Conway was almost caught out by the firmness of the pitch. He came to take a long Sam Brown punt into the box only for the ball to bounce twice as high as expected forcing the keeper to stretch up one handed to just get enough on the ball to stop it bouncing over him. His team mates came to his aid to scramble the loose ball clear.

As we know Osei-Bonsu is capable of spectacular individual goals and he went close to adding to his tally of those in 53^rd minute as he picked up a ball on the half way line and drifted right with it before standing up Brown and then cutting inside him before unleashing a rising drive from the corner of the box that flew past the outstretched hands of Heath but went agonisingly inches over the crossbar.

Play swung to the other end and two minutes the two Diamonds full backs combined to carve out a half chance. Zack Reynolds went down the right and delivered a deep cross that found Brown in a little bit of space beyond the far post. Wilson was again in the right place to block Brown’s shot but at the expense of a corner. Rogers delivered the resulting flag kick into the centre where Lorraine rose highest and directed a downward header on target but Conway was down smartly to block and the ball was scrambled clear.

Ives continued to look more likely to break the deadlock and went close twice in a five minute spell around the hour mark. In 59^th minute Wood picked out Osei-Bonsu with a crisp pass from just over the half way line. The skilful striker clipped a perfectly weighted pass into the run of Ward but again the Ives number eleven failed to hit the target from just inside the box. Heath’s only real save of the match came five minutes later when in a well worked corner routine Ward picked out Sundire in space with his lay back. The speedy stand in full back went past a man before striking a low left footed effort from 25 yards that was creeping in the corner before the outstretched fingers of the diving Heath turned it around the post.

The firm surface was again involved when the hosts suffered a scare in 72^nd minute as both Lorraine and Wilson were deceived by the bounce 35 yards from Ives goal allowing Jack Bowen to get away down the centre. But skipper Robbie Parker came to the rescue doing what he does so well as he read the situation and got back to cleanly take the ball off the Diamonds striker before he could get a shot away. 

Ben Seymour-Shove was introduced to the fray in place of Ward with fifteen minutes to go and his first touch almost brought him a goal. Osei-Bonsu played a consummate cross field ball to pick out the substitute in space beyond the far post. The usually clinical winger’s touch let him down on this occasion as his heavy contact forced him wide giving Diamonds skipper Liam Dolman chance to get across and block his effort.

Seymour-Shove went close again three minutes later as a mishit Conway clearance fortunately found Coulson in space on the left touchline. His ball to the edge of the box picked out the Ives substitute whose fierce left footed effort from the corner of the box did not trouble Heath as it hit the side netting.

With time running out on their play-off hopes Diamonds through Dolman forward to add extra height to their attack, but Wallis and Wilson continued to deal admirably with everything throw into their box including the long throws of Brown. Ives were still looking for every opportunity to break forward but were just unable to pick the killer pass to break down the equally resolute Diamonds back line.

Once more Ives have matched and at times bettered one of the play-off chasing sides and they continue to show that they are a match for all teams in this Division. The result means Ives stay thirteenth with four games to go and a best ever finish in the Club’s history remains a distinct possibility. His all action display earned Sundire an almost unanimous man of the match award from sponsors and supporters alike.

Final Score : St Ives Town  0  AFC Rushden & Diamonds  0  

Goals :  none

Team : Conway, Sundire, Coulson, Wood, Wallis, Jarvis Wilson, Snaith, Parker (capt), Penfold, Osei-Bonsu, Ward (Seymour-Shove 77)

Unused subs : Bailey, Baker

Supporters man of the match : Munashe Sundire 

Attendance : 372

Report by Nigel Howlett. Photos by Louise Thompson.

St Ives Town v Alvechurch

Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Division Central – 23-03-19

An early goal in each half from the play-off chasing Church was sufficient to complete a hard earned double over the battling Ives and into the bargain the visitors lifted themselves into the all important fifth spot.

In an effort to improve Ives poor home form manager Ricky Marheineke chose to stick with the starting eleven that performed so well to claim an excellent win at Leiston on the previous Saturday. Unfortunately all of the careful planning was undone very early on when the visitors went in front in the simplest fashion after only six minutes. Tom Turton won a ball in midfield and fed it wide to Josh Ezewele and the Church full back delivered a teasing cross to the back post where Kyle Morrison came between dithering Ives defenders to rise majestically and power home a header from eight yards giving Martin Conway in the Ives goal no chance.

The Church had started very positively and even prior to the goal they had forced Conway into action. In only the third minute a free kick from the left edge of the box was half cleared to Turton who curled it back into the box from 25 yards forcing Conway to make an excellent claim under heavy pressure from Aaron Lloyd.

Having got in front the visitors showed their quality by generally bossing the centre of the park although their threat was limited to a variety of long throws into the box by Tom Tonks. These were delivered in true Rory Delap style from anywhere within thirty yards of the hosts goal and came in either as low flat missiles aimed at the near post or more looping howitzers which could reach as far as the far post. Ives showed their mettle in defending these and although at times stretched the combined defensive line up were very successful in winning the first header wherever the shells dropped.

As the half wore on the hosts began to show a degree of threat and Church keeper Dan Crane was called into action to make two smart saves to keep his side in front in the ten minutes before half time. The first of these in 37^th minute came from a trade mark break at pace from their own half. Ty Ward won the ball thirty five yards from his own goal and fed it forward into the feet of Jake Newman inside opposition territory. Newman held the ball up well and fed it into the pacey run of Ben Baker cutting in from the right. The Ives winger was quickly closed down but managed to unleash a well struck drive from 20 yards that looked like it was straight at keeper Crane but the ball must have taken a slight deflection on the way through as the keeper almost misjudged it and was forced into a scrambling save low to his right. A defender came to his aid scrambling the loose ball away at the expense of a corner. 

The resulting flag kick from the right was cleverly taken short by Ward to Baker who curled in a cross to the back post that just beat everyone. Tom Wood was first to react and hooked the bouncing ball back into the near post where Ben Jackson came within millimetres of beating Crane to the ball the keeper bravely claiming it off his toe.

Crane’s second vital save came just seconds before the half time whistle as a Ben Seymour-Shove corner from the left was half cleared to Ward on the corner of the box. The young midfielder showed excellent technique as he took on the dropping ball on the volley. He struck his shot almost to well and unfortunately straight at Crane. The keeper just had time to close his fists to punch the vicious effort away from goal.

These two efforts were dissected by a good shout for a penalty from the visitors in 38^th minute as Kieran Cook’s run into the box was halted by a well timed challenge from covering defender Robbie Parker. There was some contact with the Church wide man but the excellent referee Jordan Cushen was in the right place to get a clear view of the incident and he concurred with most Ives fans that Parker had won the ball fairly much to the chagrin of the visitors management team who needed a word from the referee before they calmed down.

Coming back out looking for a route back into the game it was critical that Ives started the second period much better than they had started the first. Unfortunately they were undone by the best pass of the game only three minutes after the restart. Centre back Morrison belied the number five on his back as he threaded an exquisite pass between centre back and full back to pick out the perfectly timed run of full back Ezewele. The overlapping full back claimed his second assist of the game as he got to the bye line before laying the ball back to give Tonks the simple task of side footing the ball home from close range past the exposed Conway.

In a valiant effort to change the course of the game Marheineke made a double change on the hour replacing his two somewhat ineffective wide men Seymour-Shove and Baker with Andrew Osei-Bonsu and Munashe Sundire but it took an excellent save from Conway prevent the score line worsening four minutes later as he bravely spread himself at the feet of Cook to make a point blank save to deny the tricky winger after he had got clear onto a through ball from Turton.

The Ives keeper was almost caught out in 68^th minute as Lloyd closed him down on a clearance and the stoppers usually reliable distribution let him down his attempted clearance arrowing straight to Josh March inside the centre circle. The Church leading scorer took careful aim and launched his return over the stranded Conway who was very pleased to see the effort sail a couple of feet wide of his right hand post.  

To their great credit Ives continued to battle to try and find a route back into the game and Gavin Hoyte went close to reducing the arrears in 73^rd minute. A long Parker free kick into the box was headed onto the back of Newman’s head by Ash Carter. Hoyte was first onto the loose ball and lifted it over keeper Crane as he came racing off his line. But the athletic keeper had done just enough to put off the big centre back as Hoyte’s rushed effort drifted inches over the top.  

A well worked free kick almost brought the visitors a third goal three minutes later as the kick was fed into the feet of Lloyd just outside the box. He held the ball up well before feeding it on to Zack Foster who had feinted to take the kick then run over the ball before continuing his run into the box. His low driven cross was very well held by Conway just ahead of two onrushing forwards.

The last ten minutes could have been a very different story but for an excellent one handed save by Crane. Jackson’s long throw was flicked on by Wood and Ward managed to force himself between two defenders to get his toe onto the dropping ball and steer it towards the near post from close range. Crane reacted instantly plunging low to his left to stop the effort rolling just inside the post. His defenders then came to his aid just scrambling the loose ball away before an Ives striker could react to force it home.

Ives continued to press forward in search of a route back into the game and they were almost handed one in 83^rd minute as Morrison under pressure from Newman flicked a long ball into the box past his own keeper but the ball floated agonisingly the wrong side of the post as all looked on.

The final action of the entertaining game in front of a good crowd enjoying the sunshine again went the way of the visitors as a long ball down the park by Carter fell to substitute Andre Landell who tried his luck first time from 25 yards and was disappointed to see his well struck effort strike the stanchion just to the right of Conway’s goal.

Overall verdict was an entertaining game where Ives matched one of the favourites for a play-off place for long periods but were ultimately undone by some poor marking and one piece of brilliance. However if the push to the hoped for best ever finish in the Clubs history is to be achieved a pick up in home results is essential in the remaining three games at Westwood Road. 

Final Score : St Ives Town  0  Alvechurch  2  

Goals :  none

Team : Conway, Jackson, Coulson, Wood, Hoyte, Jarvis Wilson, Seymour-Shove (Sundire 60), Parker (capt), Newman, Ward (Bailey 86), Baker (Osei-Bonsu 60)

Unused subs : Wallis, Snaith

Supporters man of the match : Tom Wood 

Attendance : 270

Report by Nigel Howlett. Photos by Louise Thompson.