Season: 2019-20

St Neots Town U18 v St Ives Town U18

St Neots Town U18 v St Ives Town U18

Thurlow Nunn Youth League – Western Division 11-03-20

Ives came off worse in this tetchy affair losing Tom Wakley to a serious injury just before the break and having Ewan Young sent off soon after the long delayed restart whilst an ambulance was called for the unfortunate Wakley. Young foolishly reacted after Saints Brad Brown stuck his head in his face and probably deserved his red card although one can only assume Brown escaped with an unblemished record from the incident as it happened out of site of the match officials. This was not the only strange decision from the man in the middle who failed to play the remaining six minutes of the first half after Wakley was carried off!

The game had started in typical local derby fashion with both sides dishing out some meaty tackles. There were only five minutes on the watch when Ben Smith managed to rob Harri Clarke inside his own half only to be unceremoniously taken down by Andrew Howell 25 yards from goal. A clever Zac Hope free kick almost put Wakley through but keeper Dylan Martin was alert to the danger and did just enough to prevent Wakley prodding the ball home.

Hope and Wakley were both to the fore in Ives early attacking play and the two combined again in 18^th minute as Wakley got on the end of a low Hope cross from the right but failed to hit the target with his close range effort under pressure from Josh Byrne.

Saints first chance of the evening arrived midway through the first period when centre back Young lost possession to Clarke in wide right position. Clarke fed the ball inside to Brad Matzk who curled his left foot effort from the edge of the box inches wide of the post. From the resulting goal kick the ball was swiftly fed to the other end where Smith was denied by an excellent save low to his right by Martin.

Probably the best move of the evening came from the home side in 25^th minute as Jake Wood roaming forward on the left fed a pass into the run of Brown who in turn cleverly fed the ball inside to the well timed run of Matzk. Fortunately Leon Quinsee was alert to the danger and forced the Saints striker wide meaning that when the shot eventually came in it only ruffled the side netting.

Saints got in front on the half hour and full back Wood was the provider as he found a lot of space on the left before delivering a teasing cross to the near post where Marley Edwards rose unchallenged to head home. But the lead only lasted sixty seconds as Saints back line seemed to switch off at a drop ball. Referee Nick Easey got in the way of an intended through ball by Connor Gibbs just outside the box. He correctly restarted the game with a drop ball to Gibbs who knocked it sideways to Hope and his low first time cross was turned home at close range by Wakley.

But Ives parity only lasted five minutes as at terrible back pass by Young fell well short of Kai Bradley in the Ives goal allowing Matzk to nip between them and slot the ball past the exposed keeper.

The injury to Wakley happened in 39^th minute as he and Byrne challenged for a bouncing ball the defenders boot clattering into the Ives strikers shin. Rather than simply take the remaining players to the changing room whilst an ambulance was summoned for the unfortunate striker referee Easey blew what he decided was the half time whistle leading some supporters to believe that he had abandoned the game. After a lengthy delay the game finally resumed with the teams now changed ends clearly indicating that the referee had no intention of playing the rest of the first half.

Now playing with the elements Ives were quickly on the front foot. Five minutes after the restart Smith picked up a poor ball out of defence by Howell and ran at the defence before feeding the ball into the run of Hope cutting in from the right but the well positioned Martin was equal to his powerful drive parrying the ball behind for a corner.

The melee which lead to Young’s dismissal followed the delivery of Hope’s flag kick into the box and concluded with yellow cards for Matzk and Hope in addition to Young getting his marching orders. Now down to ten men we feared the worst for Ives but manager Lloyd Groves shuffled his pack and they continued to hold their own. The hard working Smith who was now running a lone furrow up front had a golden opportunity to pull them back level in 66^th minute as a slide rule pass through the centre from Gibbs put him clear but Martin quickly came to meet him and did well to block the strikers low driven shot with his legs.

Despite of their numerical advantage Saints were unable to create any real threat as the gallant ten of Ives continued to work like Trojans. But they only managed to carve out one more decent opportunity to get level and that was in the 83^rd minute as the cultured right foot of debutant Fayed Rhaman picked out fellow substitute Mihayl Mitkov’s run from the left. The young winger burst into the box but drove his shot wide of Martin’s left hand upright.

As time ticked down manager Groves decided to go for broke replacing two defenders with a winger and another striker with Joe Cobb and Lewis Taylor coming on for Seb Darnell and skipper Karl Frans. But this bold approach was always going to leave gaps at the back and Bradley found himself called into his first real action of the second half three minutes from time as Edwards and Brown combined to work their way into Ives box. The young keeper did well to close down Brown and block his shot at close range.

The final action of the night saw Matzk miss a golden opportunity to double his tally for the evening as a hurried clearance from Bradley landed at his feet 30 yards from goal with the keeper well out of position but he only succeeded in scuffing his effort wide of the post with Bradley scrambling to get back.

These sides meet twice more in the next three weeks and one can only hope that they both worked the tetchiness out of themselves in this first encounter, but that is perhaps just wishful thinking. The worrying thing for Ives is that they will definitely without Young and almost certainly Wakley for those two fixtures. Unlike the infamous Bill Shankley I am going to finish by saying there is more to life than football and wish Tom Wakley a speedy recovery.

Final Score : St Neots Town U18 2 St Ives Town U18 1

Goals : Wakley 31

St Ives team : Bradley, Frans (capt), Darnell, O’Donovan (Gibbs 26), Young, Quinsee, Hope, Faris Rhaman (Squire 63), Smith, Wakley (Taylor 45), Cobb (Mitkov 54)

Other substitutions (roll on roll off) : Fayed Rhaman for Taylor 54, Cobb for Darnell 84, Taylor for Frans 84

Unused Subs : none

Attendance : 60 approx

Report by Nigel Howlett.

St Ives Town v Hednesford Town

BetVictor League Southern Premier Division Central 10-03-20

Despite being the better side for the first hour and going in front Ives were ultimately thankful to goalkeeper Martin Conway for a series of vital saves in the last half an hour which ultimately earned them a point from a game which on paper probably had to be a win to put real pressure on the teams around them in the relegation dog fight.

The most galling aspect of the result was that Ives had only themselves to blame as having fought so hard to get in front they then seemed to switch off and were unable to preserve their advantage for more than sixty seconds.

With Aaron Phillips picking up an injury in Saturdays battering at Royston and Edmund Hottor suspended following his red card against Leiston there were opportunities in the starting line up for Alfie Powell and Dan Clifton. Ollie Snaith also returned to the side in place of John Dean who dropped to the bench.

The Pitmen were in a poor run of form and had tumbled from the play off places into a mid table position on the back of only one win in their last eight games, but it was they who started the sharper and the lively Jed Davies got past Ben Toseland before tested Conway at his near post in seventh minute. The keeper made a good initial parry and quickly smothered the loose ball.

It took Ives a while to get into their stride and their first half chance did not arrive until 20^th minute when a Toseland long throw was knocked down to Joe Curtis on the edge of the box but an unfortunate bobble ensured that his attempted curler sailed well wide of Andy Wycherley’s left hand upright.

The best opportunity of the first half then came the way of the hosts two minutes later as a long Conway free kick was knocked down into the run of Snaith by Tom Hamblin. Snaith was struggling to get the ball out from his feet and when his shot did eventually come from by the penalty spot it lacked power allowing keeper Wycherley to get down to his left and push the ball away one handed. Curtis was first to the loose ball, but the angle was narrow, and he only succeeded in firing into the side netting.

Toseland was having a good game going forward on the left and his most threatening surge forward came in 27^th minute as he robbed Davies on the half way line before bursting past Izak Reid and charging on to the edge of the box where he unleashed a powerful drive that beat the diving Wycherley but flashed across the face of goal to safety.

Snaith was also getting forward a lot through the centre and he showed immaculate touch to bring down a long ball just outside the D two minutes later but the Pitmen’s skipper Ben Bailey was alert to the danger and nicked the ball off his toe before he could get his shot away.

Having carved out chances but failed to take them Ives then found themselves pressed back briefly in the closing stages of the first half. The hosts defence had generally dealt well with the spiralling long throws into their box by Bailey but in 41^st minute one of them from the left was allowed to bounce. Rhys Thompson reacted well to get on the end of it to direct his header on target, but the well positioned Conway made a comfortable save. The Ives keeper was called into much more dramatic action just seconds before the break as Dan Sweeney and Elliot Hodge combined well down the right before the latter delivered a deep cross to the back post where Davies met it powerful forcing Conway into an excellent diving save low to his left.

Ives were almost the architects of their own downfall in 51^st minute as a Toseland long throw was fired straight back to him and his attempt to pump the ball straight back into the box went horribly wrong the ball arcing back towards his own goal allowing Davies to feed in Hodge who unleashed a screamer from the edge of the box that comprehensively beat Conway but rattled the crossbar and bounced away.

The hard-working Dylan Wilson was continuing to probe for Ives but with little success he did however manage to pressurise Reid into conceding a corner on the hour. The initial Seymour-Shove in-swinger was put straight behind by a defender but his follow up delivery caused panic in the visitors box as it was somehow allowed to bounce inside the six yard box without anyone being able to get the decisive touch to force it home.

The end to end nature of the game at this point was further emphasised as only moments later the dangerous Davies managed to get clear for the visitors forcing Conway into another acrobatic save as he tipped over the wingers rising drive from just outside the box.

Seymour-Shove’s in-swinging corners from the left had been causing the visitors a few problems throughout the evening and it was no real surprise when another of them lead to the opening goal in 66^th minute. This one delivered into the six yard box was simply not dealt with the ball falling to Curtis eight yards out and although Wycherley did well to get a hand to the midfielders strike the sheer power of the effort saw it fly on into the net.

Now with their noses in front Ives had to keep their concentration to ensure that what could prove a hugely valuable three points was coming their way. Unfortunately having fought so hard to get in front they were only able to hang onto their lead for less than sixty seconds as straight from the restart Davies probed down the right before delivering a low cross to the near post where Hamblin completely miss kicked his attempted clearance and only succeeded in delivering the ball into the feet of the Pitmen’s leading scorer Danny Glover who levelled things up from close range.

Losing their hard-won lead so quickly seemed to deflate the Ives and in kind it equally lifted the visitors who seemed to realise that there were three points for the taking against their struggling hosts. The whole demeanour of the visitors changed suddenly they were hurrying to take throw ins and goal kicks but to their credit Ives dug deep and defended well to preserve what they had. All the chances in the remaining twenty minutes went the way of the Pitmen starting in 70th minute when Davies dipped a 25 yard free kick over Ives wall but straight into the hands of Conway.

Davies and Hodge were the main protagonists for the visitors and the pair combined well to set up another half chance ten minutes from time. Davies feeding Hodge on the left before continuing his run into the box and only being prevented from turning the well delivered cross home at the back post by the grasping fingers of a stretching Conway.

Heavily under pressure Ives were by now defending their box in a somewhat desperate manner and that desperation showed in 82^nd minute as Curtis tugged down the tricky Hodge just inches outside the box. Hodge did well to get the resulting free kick up and down over the three man Ives wall but again he was unable to beat the well positioned Conway.

The ebullient Conway had one final opportunity to showcase his abilities as he ensured that Ives held onto a vital point with another brilliant diving save to deny Sweeney in the first minute of added time. The chance had arrived as the hosts back line struggled to deal with another of Bailey’s long throws into their six yard box. The ball falling to Sweeney ten yards out, but Conway plunged to his left to keep out the number ten’s well struck effort. The resulting corner from the right by Davies flashed across the Ives six yard box and just inches past the far post with no one able to get a touch to leave honours even at the conclusion of the evening.

With Hednesford’s poor run of form coming into this game Ives supporters must see this as two points dropped and a chance to heap the pressure on the teams around them missed but every point is vital in their quest to avoid the drop and this one moves them within three points of safety but the games are fast running out. There were positives to take from the game as after the battering at Royston it was good to see Conway back to his best and the aerial threat from the Pitmen dealt with much better than had been the case against the mighty Crows. The worry is still at the other end of the pitch where despite a lot of possession in the first hour Ives carved out very few clear cut chances and only tested Wycherley in the visitor’s goal once.

Final Score : St Ives Town 1 Hednesford Town 1

Goals : Curtis 66

Team : Conway, Jackson, Toseland, Clifton (Dean 54), Hamblin, Powell, Wilson (Bailey 81), Parker (capt), Seymour-Shove, Curtis, Snaith (Patrick 90)

Unused subs : Kelly

Supporters man of the match : Martin Conway

Attendance : 116

Report by Nigel Howlett. Photos by Louise Thompson. Video by Dave Hook.

St Ives Town Ladies Development v Fulbourn Institute Bluebirds Women

St Ives Town U15 v Newmarket Town U15

St Ives Town U14 v Godmanchester Town U14 White

St Ives Town U13 v Newmarket Town U13 White

Histon U16 v St Ives Town U16

Royston Town v St Ives Town

BetVictor League Southern Premier Division Central 07-03-20

For the second time in two weeks Ives were thumped by one of the promotion chasing sides and again it was dead ball situations that proved their Achilles heel with all five goals coming about from either corners, or free kicks, delivered into their box. Just like against Sports two Saturdays earlier the towering players of the opposition proved impossible to stop for the physically smaller Ives players.

The galling thing is that the two sides had gone into this in completely different frames of mind with Ives on a high following their vital win over Leiston on Tuesday evening and the Crows on a low after missing out on the very realistic prospect of a visit to Wembley Stadium after their unfortunate FA Trophy Quarter Final defeat at Concord Rangers on the same evening. With those two results very much in mind it was no surprise that Ives manager Ricky Marheineke went for an unchanged side whilst Crows boss Steve Castle rested a number of his tired charges after their very tough extra time defeat changing eight of Tuesdays starting line up.

The game should have started so well for the visitors as they could easily have gone in front in only the third minute. Tom Hamblin cleverly lost his man to get on the end of Ben Seymour-Shove’s deep free kick. His looping header beat Crows keeper Joe Welch and was on its way into the net but Dylan Wilson decided to make sure and toe poked the ball home from almost on the goal line, unfortunately he had started in an offside position and the assistant’s flag shot up to chalk off the “goal”.

The many changes to the host’s line up meant that it took them a while to get into their stride but they began to settle down and get on top and they showed their threat on dead ball situations for the first time in 19^th minute. Aaron Phillips pulled back Josh Castiglione wide on the left to concede a free kick in a dangerous position. Castiglione’s initial free kick was blocked by Ives one man wall but the ball ricocheted to Dan Green who delivered a teasing cross to the back post where Matt Bateman managed to climb above the stretching Martin Conway in the Ives goal. Fortunately for the visitors his header hit the crossbar and was scrambled clear.

It did not take long for the Crows to understand the ascendency that they had in the air was a massive advantage for them and only two minutes later they used that air power to go in front. Castiglione delivered a deep corner from the left beyond the back post where Crows captain Ben Martin won the ball and powered his header back into the six yard box where Gus Scott-Morris rose to glance it home.

A smart interchange of passes between Adam Watkins and Brandon Adams carved out a rare chance for the Crows from open play in 29^th minute but Ben Jackson did just enough to prevent Bateman turning home Watkins low cross at the near post. Unfortunately that simply gave the hosts chance to drop another corner into Ives box. On this occasion the under pressure Conway did just enough to keep out James Brighton’s flag kick in spite of the presence of three Royston Town players all well over six foot tall surrounding him.

It looked like the Ives might keep the half time deficit to a single goal only for the Crows route one tactics to once more prove successful in the simplest fashion five minutes before the break. A long free kick was pumped into Ives box where Conway seemed to be at least partially impeded by his own defenders before being outjumped by the biggest Crow of all in Martin who simply steered his header into the empty net to double the hosts advantage.

To their credit Ives lifted themselves at the start of the second period and came within inches of grabbing a lifeline less than a minute after the re-start. Joe Curtis hassled Green into a mistake deep inside his own half and ran at the covering Crows defence before feeding the ball into the run of Wilson cutting in from the left. The young striker’s first time effort was pushed away by Welch low to his left but Seymour-Shove pounced on the loose ball unfortunately he scuffed his shot giving Scott-Morris chance to hack the ball away off the goal line.

The visitors went close again four minutes later as Seymour-Shove delivered a cross from the right into the danger zone where Robbie Parker flung himself at the ball but just failed to make contact on the edge of the six yard box. The ball was swiftly fed to the other end of the park where Watkins took the opportunity to run at Ives back line before feeding the ball to Adams on the edge of the box, he cleverly stepped inside Phillips before curling in a right foot effort that beat the diving Conway but cannoned away off the foot of the post.

The Crows decided that a few of their rested players needed game time and by the 64^th minute they had used all three of their substitutes. Scott Bridges had taken over corner duty on the left and his first touch was to deliver a teasing flag kick that Jackson did very well to prevent Bateman heading in at the back post, but unfortunately that was at the expense of another corner. This time the delivery to the back post was initially knocked down but then clipped back into the mix where substitute Joshua Oyinsan rose to power home a header only seconds after coming off the bench.

Oyinsan turned provider in 68^th minute as he did well to keep a long free kick in play by the Ives bye line where he managed to find enough space to clip the ball into the near post where Bateman forced it home at close range. The final nail in Ives coffin was delivered in familiar fashion as Bridges delivered another hanging corner from the left Conway completely surrounded by towering Crows inside his six yard box was unable to come for it allowing ex St Neots defender Taylor Parr to complete the simple task of nodding the ball home as he rose above the Ives defence.

The Ives custodian was a little more successful in keeping the ball out of his net when not surrounded as he proved seven minutes from time when he leapt high to his right to tip over a curling Bridges free kick from the edge of the box after debutant defender Rhys Kelly had brought down Brighton. The final act of the afternoon was perhaps unsurprisingly a well delivered cross into Ives box this time from the left by Brighton but Adams missed the chance to heap further misery on the visitors as he directed his header from ten yards over the top.

Just like Sports two weeks earlier the hosts crushing of the Ives lifted them into second place in the table only two points behind table toppers Tamworth and in with a very realistic chance of nicking the one guaranteed promotion spot off the Lambs. For Ives the consolation is that all of their rivals for the drop also lost so it is as you were at the bottom. They must lift themselves quickly as they now have two home games in the next week both against mid table opposition where they must glean some points to keep alive any realistic hope of a dramatic escape from the bottom three.

Final Score : Royston Town 5 St Ives Town 0

Goals : none

Team : Conway, Phillips, Toseland, Hottor, Hamblin (Kelly 51), Jackson, Wilson, Parker (capt), Seymour-Shove, Curtis (Clifton 78), Dean (Snaith 64)

Unused subs : Patrick, Powell

Supporters man of the match : Robbie Parker

Attendance : 415

Report by Nigel Howlett

St Ives Town Reserves v Brampton

St Ives Town U18 v Cambridge City U18

Thurlow Nunn Youth League – Western Division 04-03-20

Misfiring Ives missed their chance to move back into second place in the very tight league table as they failed to take their chances and came within seconds of getting nothing from a game that they probably should have won comfortably without ever playing well.

The failure to finish good opportunities started very early as Tom Wakley was unable to make clean contact on a low cross from the right that had been played into him on the six yard line by the pacey Ben Smith after only 35 seconds.

The Lilywhites then proceeded to punish their hosts by getting their noses in front with their very first real attack of the night. A ball over the top by Cam Wolstencroft looked like it was going to be dealt with by Leon Quinsee but the full back slipped on the wet surface allowing Alfredo Martins to sprint clear and finish in emphatic style past the exposed Kai Bradley from just inside the box in 14^th minute.

Ives had their keeper to thank for preventing City doubling their advantage only two minutes later as Bradley sprinted from his line to just take the ball off the toe of Casey Heenan as the centre forward looked like he was going to get clear onto a ball threaded through the centre of the hosts back line.

Wakley was again the culprit wasting another golden opportunity to level things up in 24^th minute as Connor O’Donovan threaded a ball through the right channel to put him clear one on one with City keeper Matty Wells. But the excellent keeper was off his line sharply to narrow the angle and block the centre forward’s shot on the edge of his box at point blank range. Wells was in action again in 34^th minute as he positioned himself well to keep out a crisp low drive from Jack Squire. The early Ives substitute had got on the end of what was probably Ives best move of the evening involving Wakley and Smith.

But with half time approaching play swung back to the other end and Heenan had a miss that will probably haunt him for a long time to come as he somehow found himself all alone in Ives box with the ball at his feet eight yards out. He probably suspected that he was offside but the flag stayed down thus not saving him from embarrassment as he tamely prodded the ball over the top much to the relief of Ives absent back line. Bradley was called into action once more before the break in 41^st minute when he had to get down smartly to his left to turn a well struck drive from twelve yards by Finn Wilkinson around the post.

Ives came out for the second half looking much more determined to get back into the contest. But Wakley spurned yet another opportunity to get them level in 51^st minute. This time he burst clear onto a ball over the top from Ewan Young outpacing the Lilywhites back line he once again found himself one on one with keeper Wells. Again the brave stopper came out on top spreading himself to block Wakley’s shot at close range.

By now Ives were getting well on top and they were unhappy when play was stopped for a head injury to Smith just as Zac Hope was about to slam home the loose ball following a corner. The re-start drop ball on the edge of City’s box saw Wakley knock the ball sideways to give Hope another chance but this time he drilled his effort into the boards a couple of feet wide of the post.

Having watched his strikers fail to find the back of the net centre back Young thought he would have a go at beating Wells. A 63^rd minute Quinsee free kick fell to his feet at the back post, a smart side step found him the space to slam in a powerful drive from ten yards that Wells not only got to but somehow managed to hold in the crowded goalmouth.

Ives got the ball in the net in 74^th minute only to be denied by referee Andy Phillips who adjudged that Joe Cobb had unfairly challenged the much larger Brad Gothard as he robbed the City captain inside his own penalty area before teeing up Hope to smash the ball home from just inside the box.

Bradley’s only real save of the second half came four minutes later as he dealt with an in-swinging free kick from the left by Wilkinson in unorthodox fashion keeping the dipping effort out with his feet.

With the clock ticking down Ives pressure continued to mount a typical speedy run and cross from the left by Hope presented Faris Rhaman with a chance at the near post but the young debutant’s contact was a bit to good and he powered his header just over the top from the edge of the six yard box. Rhaman was making his presence felt in the City box and he did well to get on the end of another cross from the left by Mihayl Mitkov in the last of the ninety minutes but again he failed to hit the target.

It looked like Ives were going to get no reward as the added time ticked away but in the last of the added six minutes they won a corner on the right. Mitkov delivered into the near post area where the presence of Squire and Cobb caused confusion. The previously unbeatable Wells made his first mistake of the evening as he like everyone else missed the ball allowing it to sneak in at the far post much to the delight of Mitkov and his colleagues. It was hard on Wells who had otherwise been impeccable in the City goal but it was probably the least that Ives deserved for their hard working second half performance on a heavy and tiring pitch.

Final Score : St Ives Town U18 1 Cambridge City U18 1

Goals : Mitkov 90+6

St Ives team : Bradley, Quinsee, Mitkov (Squire 19), Frans (capt), Young, Darnell, Smith (Rhaman 54), O’Donovan, Wakley, Cobb, Hope

Other substitutions (roll on roll off) : Mitkov for Wakley 62

Unused Subs : none

Attendance : 47

Report by Nigel Howlett

St Ives Town v Leiston

BetVictor League Southern Premier Division Central 03-03-20

Ten man Ives dug deep in a massive performance to keep their season alive and haul their opponents back into the relegation dogfight to avoid the drop from the Bet Victor Southern League Premier Central Division.

A Robbie Parker penalty gave them a deserved early advantage and for the first 45 minutes Ives were the better side with Dylan Wilson and John Dean both going close to increasing the advantage before the break. But some inspired substitutions from Blues manager Glen Driver and a fully committed second half display from the visitors meant a nerve jangling second 45 minutes for the home faithful. Thankfully a fantastic rear-guard action and a brilliant goalkeeping display from Martin Conway ensured that despite the late dismissal of Edmund Hottor for his second yellow card the hosts hung on to claim the vital three points.

Both sides had enjoyed a break prior to this midweek fixture courtesy of storm Jorge which had wiped out virtually the entire programme of matches on the preceding Saturday. This had given a few of the injured on both sides chance to recover and manager Ricky Marheineke was pleased to welcome back Aaron Phillips and Ben Jackson into his back four with Driver equally pleased to recall leading scorer John Sands for the Blues.

The importance of the game was clear as both sides set off at break neck pace with tackles flying in all over the park. It was probably no surprise that the first opportunity came from a free kick and it went the way of the visitors in the eighth minute as Rob Harvey was taken down inches outside the box by Ben Jackson. Blues skipper Byron Lawrence took on the responsibility of the free kick and came within millimetres of opening the scoring as his effort curled around the five man Ives wall, but just crept over the crossbar with Conway rooted.

The opener did arrive four minutes later as centre forward for the night Ben Seymour-Shove was needlessly taken down by the outstretched leg of Jake Hutchings inches inside the Blues box when he looked to be struggling to keep the ball in play. Referee Tom Hancock was in no doubt that the clumsy challenge was inside the box and immediately pointed to the spot. Keeper Sam Donkin got a hand to Parker’s well struck spot kick but just failed to keep it out.

Referee Hancock did not endear himself to the Leiston supporters four minutes later as he turned down their claims for a spot kick after Kyle Hammond’s attempted cross from the right appeared to strike the raised arm of Seymour-Shove inside the box. Both Mr Hancock and his assistant, who was probably best positioned to see, were of the opinion that either the ball did not strike his arm, or it was in a natural position much to the relief of the home support.

The break neck pace of the game continued but with Hottor keeping a very close watch on Blues play maker Tyler Christian-Law it was Ives who were in the ascendency and Wilson spurned a good opportunity to double their advantage in 25^th minute. Joe Curtis made a surging run from midfield that took him to the edge of the visitor’s box. Unselfishly he fed the ball into the run of Wilson cutting in from the left but it took a bobble just as he went to shoot meaning that he sliced the effort horribly wide.

It was difficult to keep Hottor out of the limelight as he continued to stand tall in the midfield battleground. He almost turned provider in 34^th minute as he again won a crunching tackle to take the ball off Christian-Law in the centre circle before marauding forward and rolling the ball into the feet of John Dean who turned and fired a left footed effort inches wide from the edge of the box. Wilson almost caught out keeper Donkin for a unlikely second goal two minutes later as he curled in a teasing cross come shot from the left that forced the fast back peddling Donkin into a full length dive to just tip it over the top.

The rousing first half ended with the visitors recording their first effort on target in the last minute as Conway made a comfortable catch to keep out Christian-Law’s snap shot from 25 yards.

The visitors came out fully charged up for the start of the second half and eager to get a leveller to maintain the seven point gap that existed between the sides prior to kick off. But it was Ives who came close to doubling their advantage only ninety seconds after the restart as Curtis saw his flicked header to Seymour-Shove’s cross from the left beat Donkin but bounce over off the top of the crossbar.

From that point though it became a real battle for Ives to preserve their slender advantage. Play swung straight up the other end where Hammond and Rob Eagle combined well on the right with the latter sending a dangerous cross to the back post where Phillips turned it behind for a corner. The resulting flag kick lead to a scramble in Ives penalty area before the ball was finally hacked clear.

Blues manager Driver was forced into a bold double substitution in 64^th minute replacing the ineffective, thanks to Hottor, Christian-Law and Eagle with Rhys Henry and Isaac Skubich. Ives should have given themselves some breathing space only seconds before the change as Curtis had robbed Hutchings in the centre circle leading to a two on one break away as he was accompanied by Seymour-Shove but the centre forwards final ball back into Curtis was just behind the midfielder giving Noel Aitkens chance to get back and make a recovery tackle.

Driver’s change almost had instant impact as Oliver Saunders managed to get past Phillips on the left before delivering a low cross that got right across the face of goal where Henry arriving at pace should have netted the equaliser with his first touch but instead he blazed his effort wide of Conway’s right hand post as the keeper looked on.

But the keeper was in much more spectacular action two minutes later as another Saunders cross from the left was met with a powerful diving header by Sands only eight yards out. Conway somehow pulled off a remarkable reaction save to push the ball away much to the disbelief of the Blues striker. Conway was again in action in 71^st minute as he got his angles all right to block a low drive from twelve yards by Hammond with his legs.

The keeper almost turned provider three minutes later as his long punt down the middle was missed by centre back George Keys allowing substitute striker Jordan Patrick a clear shot on goal, but he got it all wrong and pulled his effort well wide of the post. Hottor was still winning tackles in the centre of the park despite having already picked up a yellow card for mistiming one. He clipped an almost inch perfect ball over the top in 76^th minute that looked like it was going to put Patrick clear but keeper Donkin sprinted from his box to just beat the substitute to the ball fully 30 yards from his goal.

Ives final two opportunities to make the last few minutes a little more comfortable for themselves came within 30 seconds of each other in 78^th minute. Initially Patrick and Dean combined on the break to get away down the right. Dean’s ball into the near post was perfectly placed into Patrick’s run but a bobble deceived him and lead to a complete fresh air with the goal at his mercy. The Blues messed up playing the ball out from the back allowing the alert Ben Toseland to nip in and take it off them deep in their own half. He raced forward into the box before slamming his shot into the boards from 15 yards.

Having failed to relieve the pressure Ives then had to thank their keeper for keeping them in front only sixty seconds later as Conway pulled off a magnificent double save initially keeping out a 25 yard screamer from Josh Hitter low to his left and then recovering instantly to block the rebound effort from Harvey at point blank range.

The last few minutes got even tougher as Hottor picked up his second yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Saunders deep in Blues territory. The Blues thought they had earned their reward as the clock ticked into added time as Harvey thought he had forced the ball over the line in a goalmouth scramble but to the relief of all of the home faithful Conway came out of the melee with the ball in his hands with officials certain that it had not crossed the line. There was one final opportunity for the visitors to save themselves in the fourth of six added minutes as the two substitutes combined Hitter playing in Henry but the young striker fired his effort wide to allow Ives to celebrate what may prove to be a massive win in their quest for safety.

There were a host of contenders for man of the match, the first clean sheet since October ensured that the brilliant Conway and all of his defenders were very much in the running but the chairman’s casting vote ensured that Edmund Hottor won it for his eye catching display in the centre of the park.

Final Score : St Ives Town 1 Leiston 0

Goals : Parker 12 (pen)

Team : Conway, Phillips, Toseland, Hottor, Hamblin, Jackson, Wilson (Snaith 80), Parker (capt), Seymour-Shove (Patrick 65), Curtis, Dean (Clifton 90)

Unused subs : Kelly, Powell

Supporters man of the match : Edmund Hottor

Attendance : 105

Report by Nigel Howlett. Video by Dave Hook. Photos by Louise & Gemma Thompson.

Yaxley U16

Luton Town Ladies v St Ives Town Ladies

St Ives Town U16 v Barking U16

St Ives Town U14 v Biggleswade U14

St Ives Town Ladies Development v Leverington Sports Ladies

St Ives Town Ladies v Riverside Ladies

St Ives Town U14 v Hitchin Town Youth U14

Peterborough Sports v St Ives Town

BetVictor League Southern Premier Division Central 22-02-20

Ex Ives Legend Jimmy Dean will have been delighted as his promotion chasing charges completed a comprehensive double over the struggling Ives in a vastly one sided affair where the impressive Turbines barely needed to get out of second gear to claim the three points and at the same time move themselves up into second place in the table,

This was always going to be a tough place to come for Ives up against the league’s leading scorers with a defence which has failed to keep a clean sheet in the league since early October. But manager Ricky Marheineke will be disappointed in the manner of this defeat as it was old defensive failings which returned to haunt the otherwise resourceful visitors.

The game was almost over as a contest inside the first fifteen minutes as the Turbines took advantage of poor marking to race into a two goal lead. The opener arrived in the tenth minute as ex Ives maestro Lewis Hilliard delivered one of his trademark teasing corners to the back post where Paul Malone rose above the crowd to power a header on target. Martin Conway in the Ives goal did brilliantly to get down smartly to his right to keep it out but Mark Jones reacted first to prod home the loose ball from close range.

Four minutes later it was 2-0 as the tricky Dion Sembie-Ferris sprinted away down the right before delivering a powerful cross to the back post where the unmarked Jones rose majestically to direct his header inside the post giving Conway no chance from eight yards.

However it could all have been so different as prior to the goal Ben Seymour-Shove had twice got away down the left but wasted the opportunities as on both occasions he failed to pick out team mates in the centre over hitting both crosses well beyond his colleagues. The first time the ball simply running out of play and the second time oddly hitting the corner flag and staying in but it was a Turbines defender that reacted first to hack the ball away. Ives only other half chance of an otherwise very one sided first half arrived in 16^th minute when Edmund Hottor took a clever free kick that put Dylan Wilson clear into space on the left. Wilson did little better than his team mate before him as he delivered his cross into the six yard box but only succeeded in picking out a defenders foot and Malone swiftly cleared the danger.

Ives continued to battle hard to keep a foothold in the game but it was always the hosts who looked more likely to add to their lead. Sports two wide men were giving both Ives full backs a tough time. It was Jordan Patrick’s turn to get caught out in 22^nd minute as Josh Moreman cut inside his attempted challenge from the left and ruffled the side netting with a low right foot drive from the edge of the box that had Conway plunging to his right to cover it.

The Turbines seemed to lift their efforts again as the half drew to a close. In 39^th minute Maniche Sani and Sembie-Ferris combined well down the right with the latter working his way past Ben Toseland to get to the bye line before picking out the former with his pull back. Fortunately Sani side footed his shot straight and Conway who held on well. But the Ives keeper found himself beaten again two minutes later as another dead ball situation lead to their downfall. Hillyard was again the provider as his corner from the right was met powerfully by Malone who directed his header low past Conway’s left hand and into the back of the net.

Three more Hillyard corners came into the Ives box in the remaining minutes before the break and each one lead to another scoring opportunity for the hosts. In the 43^rd minute a deep corner from the left brought about a few seconds of head tennis between Sani and Richard Jones. The final effort on goal coming from the Turbines skipper but Conway was in position to make a clean catch. Two minutes later it was again Malone’s turn to get on the end of another perfectly delivered flag kick but this time he powered his header inches wide. Malone was also the target for the final act of the first half and he again won an almost unchallenged header at the back post and this time Conway had to bring off a more spectacular save palming the powerful effort away to his left.

The hard working Ollie Snaith had picked up a knock in the first half and was replaced by Andrew Osei-Bonsu at the break but there was no signs of the visitors getting even a tiny foothold back into this game. In 47^th minute Ben Seymour-Shove delivered an in-swinging free kick from the left into the danger zone at the back post but it was always odds on that it would be a Sports head that won the ball and sure enough Jones rose to head the ball clear.

Toseland found himself completely out numbered on the left side of Ives defence in 51^st minute as Dan Lawlor, Matt Miles and Sembie-Ferris all combined to tee up Sani who turned on a sixpence to slam a shot on goal that Conway did brilliantly to keep out low to his right. But the Ives keeper was given no chance at all as the hosts increased their lead in 68^th minute. The pack hunting style worked well for the Turbines as Jones managed to win the ball back high up the park before selflessly rolling the ball across the edge of the box to the unmarked Moreman who kept his cool to send the exposed Conway the wrong way before rolling the ball in the corner of the net.

To their credit Ives kept battling and Wilson slotted their best chance of the otherwise torrid afternoon inches wide in the 71^st minute. The chance had been created by the hard working Hottor winning on of his many challenges in the centre of the park and rolling the ball to Robbie Parker who in turn fed Wilson through the left channel. The speedy striker’s first time left foot effort flashed across the face of goal but just the wrong side of the post. Home keeper Lewis Moat was also called upon to do his hardest work of the afternoon in the next few minutes as he twice leapt high to punch away dangerous Seymour-Shove corners.

Normal service was soon resumed and in 75^th minute substitute Cameron Johnson bustled his way through before firing wide from a good position. The final nail in Ives coffin was delivered by another of their ex players as substitute Avelino Viera thumped home a loose ball from just inside the box in the 89^th minute. The diving Conway did his best to keep it out but the sheer power of the shot meant it deflected off him into the roof of the net.

There was still an opportunity for Conway to show his abilities and bravery as he plunged in at the feet of Johnson to deny the striker after he had been put clean through the leaky centre of the Ives defence by fellow sub Jim Stevenson deep in added time.

This was a very tough day at the office for the Ives but it is a game that they must get out of their system very quickly and they do at least have an opportunity to do so with an otherwise inconvenient County Cup semi-final visit to Eynesbury on Tuesday evening ahead of the two games which will probably decide the fate of their season as fellow strugglers Alvechurch and Leiston visit Westwood Road in a four day spell starting next Saturday.

Final Score : Peterborough Sports 5 St Ives Town 0

Goals : none

Team : Conway, Patrick, Toseland, Hottor, Hamblin, Powell, Snaith (Osei-Bonsu 46), Parker (capt), Wilson (Dean 77), Curtis (Clifton 70), Seymour-Shove

Unused subs : Jackson

Supporters man of the match : Edmund Hottor

Attendance : 352

Report by Nigel Howlett.

St Ives Town Reserves v Godmanchester Rovers Reserves