Season: 2019-20

Wroxham U15 v St Ives Town U15

Stotfold U13 v St Ives Town U13

Park Farm Pumas U18 Black

St Ives Town v Biggleswade Town

BetVictor League Southern Premier Division Central 25-01-20

Waders ex Peterborough United and Hull City striker Jonathan Edwards thoroughly enjoyed his first visit to Westwood Road helping himself to a second half hat trick as the visitors romped to a comprehensive double over the struggling Ives. Prior to their second half collapse Ives with debutant centre back Tom Hamblin to the fore had looked a much more solid and resilient side in the first forty five minutes defending their box well and restricting their visitors to a single on target effort before the break.

All of the hard work was blown away just fifty seconds after the restart as a slip by Ben Jackson allowed Edwards to grab the opener after which the hosts fragile confidence seemed to quickly ebb away allowing their visitors to take complete control and Edwards to help himself to a further brace.

Manager Ricky Marheineke had been busy in the week before the fixture bringing in two new defenders to try and plug the many holes which have recently appeared in the Ives back line. The experienced Hamblin joining from fellow step three side Hendon and the very highly rated 20 year old Beckham Kennelly coming in from Northern Premier League Wisbech Town. Whilst Kennelly was to make his first Ives appearance from the bench in the latter stages Hamblin was immediately installed in the heart of Ives defence alongside Jackson. Another plus for the hosts was the return from suspension of combative midfielder Edmund Hottor.

The visitors had probably been studying videos of Ives recent games as from the off they were quick to start bombarding the Ives box with high balls at every opportunity although they did not appear to have allowed for the revamped hosts back line which looked a lot more solid with Hamblin and Jackson winning their aerial battles in the centre and being admirably backed up by full backs Aaron Phillips and Ben Toseland. With Hottor also winning some crunching tackles just in front of his back four the Waders who were well on top in terms of possession were being effectively kept out of Ives box.

The Waders only two noteworthy efforts of the first period were a low drive from Treymayne Charles cutting in from the right that required a save from Bradley Lashley in sixth minute and a rising effort from Dylan Williams that flew harmlessly wide in 15^th minute. To counter that the hosts had to wait until one minute before the break before their first effort a turn and shot from the right hand corner of the box from Andrew Osei-Bonsu that provided a routine catch from Richard Walton.

Ives suffered a serious blow at the interval as their solid looking back four was severely disrupted by the departure due to injury of Aaron Phillips. Dan Clifton replaced him and had not even got a touch of the ball before the hosts fell behind. There were only 50 seconds on the stopwatch when the ball was fed down the centre of the park Jackson looked likely to deal with it but delayed a split second allowing Edwards to gain possession and get away an initial shot which was parried by Lashley but the rebound off the keeper fell back to the feet of the Waders striker who gleefully stabbed it in the corner.

The fragile confidence gained from a good first half immediately began to ebb away from the Ives and the Waders were quick to go for the jugular swarming over the Ives who did well to not become completely swamped by the tide of green pouring down on them. The rest of the game is almost a story of Waders attempts to add to their opener and gallant Ives efforts to prevent that happening.

In 51^st minute a snap shot from Charles took a deflection off Clifton and almost deceived Lashley who did well to react quickly to smother the loose ball just ahead of Edwards after he had failed to hold onto the initial shot. Six minutes later Hottor lost possession in the centre circle allowing Callum Donnelly to feed through Charles for another attempt on goal but again Lashley was equal to his effort saving low to his right.

Edwards looked certain to double his tally on the hour as he got away from Hamblin to get a clear run on goal from a Shane Bush flick to a long ball down the centre but as Lashley came to meet him the striker pulled his left foot effort wide from a good position. However the dangerous number eight did not have to wait much longer to claim his second of the afternoon as only sixty seconds later he found acres of space in the centre to side foot home a low cross from the right by Devante Stanley that had somehow evaded everyone on its way through.

Only two minutes later Edwards should have completed his hat trick as he was fed through the right channel by Charles to be in on goal again but this time he snatched at the effort, and possibly aided by a bobble, blazed the ball well over the top from an excellent position.

Something very rare arrived in 67^th minute as Ives managed to win a free kick in a dangerous position Corey Panter was perhaps a little unfortunate to be adjudged to have brought down the battling Joe Curtis when the Ives player appeared to have bundled into the full back as he won the ball just outside the box. But the hosts failed to take advantage of the opportunity as Ben Toseland curled the free kick over the four man wall but also over the crossbar.

Normal service was quickly resumed as play swung back to the Green Leys end of the ground where Edwards completed his hat trick five minutes later this time cutting in from the right and unleashing a low left foot drive that Lashley will be disappointed managed to get past him at his near post. The same player was convinced that he had claimed a fourth goal fifteen minutes from time as he turned Clifton and fired off a rasping right foot blaster from the left edge of the box that beat Lashley comprehensively and crashed into the underside of the crossbar and down onto, or over, the line. Goal line technology would have decided but in its absence the match officials could not be certain so a bemused Edwards remained with three goals chalked against his name.

He should have made certain of the elusive fourth chalk mark three minutes later as with the Ives defence once more in disarray he lost his marker and got on the end of another Stanley cross from the right but inexplicably steered his close range effort the wrong side of the post when it looked easier to score.

The most noteworthy event of the remaining twelve minutes was the introduction of Kennelly in place of the tiring Hottor who had run himself into the ground for the cause. The young defender showed a few good touches in his short time on the pitch a period during which the Waders failed to create any more chances but to counter that the Ives did not come close to grabbing a consolation.

Once again all of the sides at the bottom end of the table around the Ives also lost so the equation for survival remains the same with simply one less game to play. With mid table Hednesford visiting Westwood Road on Tuesday evening it must be hoped that Ives can find some belief from somewhere to pick up that vital first victory that could lift the confidence just enough to spark a real survival challenge before it is too late.

Final Score : St Ives Town 0 Biggleswade Town 3

Goals : none

Team : Lashley, Phillips (Clifton 45), Toseland, Hottor (Kennelly 83), Hamblin, Jackson, Seymour-Shove, Parker (capt), Dylan Wilson, Curtis, Osei-Bonsu (Foy 62)

Unused subs : Ward, Bailey

Supporters man of the match : Joe Curtis

Attendance : 161

Report by Nigel Howlett. Photos by Louise Thompson.

Park Farm Pumas U18 v St Ives Town U18

Huntingdonshire U18 County Cup Semi-Final 25-01-20

The young Ives reached the semi-finals of this competition without playing a game as previous round opponents dropped out one by one. They were never really tested in the semi-final either as they did just enough to beat a battling Peterborough Sunday morning side Park Farm Pumas. The Pumas to their credit battled throughout and did grab a consolation goal from the spot fifteen minutes from time. The Lawson Avenue Council pitch in Stanground did not look great and the long grass was quite effective in hiding the worse of the bobbles and it was no surprise that both sides were struggling to come to terms with the surface early on.

The first opportunity of the game went the way of the visitors in eleventh minute as Tom Wakley battled hard to win the ball deep in Pumas territory and fed in Joe Cobb who raced into the box before flashing a shot across the face of goal from a narrow angle. Cobb’s pace and direct running style were causing the hosts a few problems down the left and in 20^th minute he returned the complement setting up an opportunity for Wakley but the bouncing ball would not drop and he was forced to try and lob keeper Bailey Baker but did not quite get the ball high enough.

The opening goal arrived five minutes later as the hosts struggled to clear a free kick from their box the bouncing ball eventually being nodded down to the feet of Ewan Young by Wakley and the big centre back finished like a striker poking the ball over the keeper from six yards.

Cobb fired a good opportunity into the side netting in 33^rd minute. It was a chance that he created himself by jinking past three defenders down the left before cutting in from a narrow angle but failing to hit the target as Baker came to meet him. Young should also have added to his tally five minutes later as a corner from the left was knocked down to him at the back post, but this time he finished like a defender screwing his effort horribly wide from close range.

Kai Bradley had been a virtual spectator up to this point but the young keeper showed that he had kept his concentration well as he made two vital saves in the last five minutes before the break. In the fortieth minute Dec King battled his way into the heart of Ives defence before feeding in the dangerous Jamal Shenille. Bradley was off his line in a flash to block the shot but the loose ball fell to Dom Chrominski following up who really should have scored but curled his shot over the top. Chrominski was also denied by Bradley right on the break after the Pumas number eight had been put through by King but the Ives keeper was again quick to close and block the effort.

Ives came out for the second half determined to kill the game off and substitute Jamie Stork should have doubled their advantage only two minutes after the restart as a Mihayl Mitkov corner from the right fell to his feet inside the box but as a few before it the chance went begging as he carefully curled the ball wide.

Mitkov made a big impression of all the wrong sorts only seconds later as he found himself sent to the sin bin for ten minutes after disagreeing a little to loudly with a decision in the centre of the park by referee Piotr Juszczyk. With Ives now temporarily down to ten men a quick reshuffle took place to reinstate a full back four by adding Leon Quinsee and sacrificing Connor Gibbs.

Going down to ten did not affect the visitors flow at all and two goal in four minutes whilst with the reduced number quickly ensured the victory. The first of the two was a gift from the Pumas as Stork was needlessly bundled over inside the box as he was going away from goal by Dontae Martin. The Ives sub got up from the deck and coolly slotted the penalty low past Baker. Four minutes later Wakley turned a harmless looking bouncing ball down the middle from skipper Karl Frans into a goal simply by his bravery and persistence. The Pumas defenders left it to their keeper but Wakley bravely challenged him for the ball right on the edge of the box and won the battle his prize to simply roll the ball into the empty net.

The chances continued to come for Ives Mitkov had a shot well saved by Baker after a swift one two with Wakley had set up the chance in the 61^st minute. Zac Hope fired well over after picking up the resulting corner in space deep inside the box. Wakley beat keeper Baker to a Joe Purse free kick in 71^st minute but flicked his header over the top.

The fourth goal arrived one minute later as Cobb went on yet another of his surging runs down the right before feeding the ball into Gibbs who fired his effort on target. There were a few seconds of controversy as a defender appeared to clear the ball off the line but even without goal line technology the officials were able to decide that the ball had crossed the line prior to his intervention.

A moment of panic by the usually reliable Young presented the Pumas with a consolation goal fifteen minutes from time as he pulled back the tricky Cai Taylor inside the box to give away a penalty. King beat Bradley low to his right with the resulting spot kick but was perhaps a little relieved as the ball hit the inside of the post and almost ran along the goal line before creeping just inside the opposite post.

Referee Juszczyk almost presented Pumas with a chance to get back into the game nine minutes from time as he pulled up Bradley for delaying his clearance for two long nine minutes from time. The resulting indirect free kick was touched sideways by King to Kadan Al-Gharabally who curled his effort millimetres wide of the far post with an unsighted Bradley looking on.

There were an added seven minutes at the end but the only noteworthy event in that period was Ben Smith hammering an effort against the crossbar after being set up by the persistence of Cobb who had harried and robbed a lone Pumas defender with his colleagues all pushing forward in a vain hope of another consolation goal.

So a third final in four years for the young Ives which will be at Eynesbury on 3^rd April against either arch rivals St Neots Town or Godmanchester Rovers.

Final Score : Park Farm Pumas U18 1 St Ives Town U18 4

Goals : Young 25, Stork 52 (pen), Wakley 56, Gibbs 73

St Ives team : Bradley, Frans (capt) (Paine 85), Mitkov, O’Donovan (Purse 37), Young, Darnell, Smith (Stork 45), Gibbs (Quinsee 47), Wakley, Hope, Cobb

Unused Subs : none

Other Subs (roll on/roll off) : Gibbs for Mitkov 68, Smith for Wakley 78, Wakley for Purse 83

Attendance : approx. 30

Report by Nigel Howlett.

St Ives Town U18 v Peterborough Sports U18

St Ives Town Ladies Development v Netherton United Ladies

Stotfold U16 v St Ives Town U16

Stourbridge v St Ives Town

BetVictor League Southern Premier Division Central 18-01-20

Once again failure to defend dead ball situations cost Ives all three points as the Glassboys completed a comfortable double over their struggling visitors. To add insult to injury the usually reliable Robbie Parker failed to convert an early spot kick for the second game in a row.

With Dan Clifton and Ben Jackson both back to full fitness and recalled to the starting eleven Ives were only missing long term absentee Jack Snelus and unavailable Matt Foy from a first choice squad. They started the game positively and the penalty arrived after only ninety seconds as Andrew Osei-Bonsu got clear down the left and pulled the ball back to the late arriving Ben Toseland who was unceremoniously taken down from behind by Jordan Williams. Referee Gareth Davis had no hesitation and immediately pointed to the spot. Despite his miss last week Parker seized the ball and confidently whacked his kick past the diving Charlie Price in the home goal only to end up with his head in his hands again as the ball thudded the upright and rebounded to safety.

In another repeat of last week Ives then found themselves behind only a few minutes later in the simplest fashion. Tom Turton delivered the hosts second corner of the game deep beyond the far post where Williams rose above his marker to nod the ball down into the six yard box. The lurking Anthony Dwyer reacted fastest to the loose ball to prod it home from close range with only six minutes on the watch.

Falling behind seemed to instantly drain the confidence from the struggling Ives and the Glassboys looked to take further advantage over their fragile visitors. Defending balls into their own box was proving a real problem and five minutes later a Will Grocott free kick from the right was headed wide at the back post by Jordaan Brown.

The Ives almost self destructed twice in quick succession around the twenty minute mark. Initially a poor pass out of defence by Jackson was cut out by Dwyer who fed in Grocott the pacey number ten was only denied a clear run on goal by a brilliant recovery tackle from Tom Wood. Only seconds later goalkeeper Bradley Lashley was forced into a hurried clearance from a back pass. The ball skimmed along the deck to the feet of Nathan Hayward fully forty yards from goal. He took a touch and curled a return effort over the fast back peddling Lashley who showed excellent footwork and agility to leap backwards and tip the ball just over the crossbar. Unfortunately for the young keeper he was let down by his defenders on the resulting corner which was swung into the near post by Turton where central defender Brown was allowed a free run to power home a header from eight yards.

Ives struggles continued as the rampaging hosts continued to bombard their box. They were perhaps a little fortunate not to fall further behind in 25th minute as yet another Turton corner created an effort on goal. This one was delivered to the back post where Williams rose above his marker but powered his header straight at Lashley who held on well.

A rare effort from open play in 36th minute saw Grocott flash a fierce right foot drive inches wide from just inside the box having been fed through by Alex Nicholls. To add to Ives problems defending high balls they found that their hosts also had a long thrower who could deliver the ball into dangerous territory. One of Tom Tonks arcing throws caused problems in 38th minute. Lashley came through the crowd to try and help his struggling defenders out but the keeper’s under pressure punch fell to the feet of Hayward just outside the box. His low drive through the gaggle of players in the box was hacked off the line by Alfie Powell.

The goal that killed the game as a contest arrived five minutes before the break and just like its predecessors it came from a dead ball situation. Clifton picked himself up a yellow card for clattering Hayward on the left. The resulting free kick was delivered to the back post where Ives defenders struggled to deal with it the ball eventually falling to Hayward who scrambled it home from close range to send the Glassboys supporters into their tea break three goals to the good.

With the game now over the pressure eased on both sides although it was still the hosts in the ascendency but despite creating a few chances from open play they were unable to beat Lashley and his colleagues again. The first opportunity arrived five minutes after the re-start as Nicholls and Hayward combined to feed in Tonks who screwed his shot wide from a good position. Tonks was involved in carving out the next chance in 57th minute as he linked up well with Nicholls and Grocott on the right before delivering a teasing low cross that just evaded Hayward sliding in at the back post.

Clifton was on hand to acrobatically clear a Tonks effort off the line in 59th minute after the little number seven had got on the end of Nicholls cross from the left. Lashley then twice brilliantly denied Hayward in three minutes just after the hour. The Glassboys midfielder thought that he had scored with the first effort as he threaded a low shot through a crowd of players from the edge of the box but the young keeper was sharply down to his left to keep it out. Hayward’s second opportunity was set up by Turton’s low cross from the right. This time he went for power from the edge of the box but again Lashley threw himself to his left to palm the ball away.

Dylan Wilson had been running the hard yards as Ives lone striker throughout the afternoon and his sheer persistence won him reward in 67th minute. Williams tried to head a bouncing ball back to his keeper but made poor contact just allowing Wilson to nip between the two and lift the ball over the out of position Price and into the net to give Ives just a glimmer of getting back into the game.

With Ollie Snaith replacing the out of sorts Osei-Bonsu to bring his bustling energy into the game the next fifteen minutes were Ives best spell of the afternoon. In 75th minute Wilson managed to outpace Williams to get on the end of a long ball down the right from Wood. Again he tried to lob the out of position Price but this time he got it wrong and the ball sailed harmlessly wide. Three minutes later Parker won the ball deep in Glassboys territory before bursting into the box but firing wide. The final Ives chance of the game also fell to Wilson in 80th minute as he hassled Williams into another mistake just outside the box but this time seemed caught in two minds of whether to shoot or again try and lob Price who was well outside his six yard box. Unfortunately he did neither simply firing a tame effort straight into the keepers hands.

With the clock ticking down the hosts were quite effectively retaining possession to kill off the game. They did still manage to carve out a couple more opportunities to add to their tally. Two minutes from time Dwyer fed in substitute Josh Ezewele who drilled in a low cross from the right that Aaron Phillips did remarkably well to take off the toe of Grocott at the back post. There was also time for the impressive Lashley to show off his prowess once more as he leapt high to tip over a fierce drive from Dwyer deep in added time.

The result still leaves Ives in the bottom two but with everyone else around them also losing the hope of lifting themselves out of the mire still remains and with two home games in four days starting next Saturday the recovery must start soon.

Final Score : Stourbridge 3 St Ives Town 1

Goals : Dylan Wilson 67

Team : Lashley, Phillips, Toseland, Clifton (Ward 83), Jackson, Powell (Bailey 74), Osei-Bonsu (Snaith 66), Parker (capt), Dylan Wilson, Curtis, Wood

Unused subs : Seymour-Shove

Supporters man of the match : Dylan Wilson

Attendance : 712

Report by Nigel Howlett. Photos by Louise Thompson.

Little Paxton Colts U15

Peterborough Northern Star Ladies v St Ives Town Ladies

Cambridge University Women v St Ives Town Ladies Development

Bury Town U14 v St Ives Town U14

St Ives Town U16 v Ramsey Town U16

Park Farm Pumas Black U13 v St Ives Town U13

St Ives Town v Lowestoft Town

BetVictor League Southern Premier Division Central 11-01-20

With everyone apart from Jack Snelus and Edmund Hottor fit and available for this vital game Ives went into it feeling quietly confident of claiming an important win to lift themselves out of the bottom two whilst dragging the Trawlerboys back into the mix in the lower reaches of the table with them. That confidence may have been dented a little in the week leading up to the game when Cambridge United recalled excellent young keeper Finley Iron from his loan spell but a more than adequate replacement was quickly found in first year Northampton Town professional Bradley Lashley.

Another pre-match boost for the hosts came courtesy of an unexpected return from Billericay for the prodigal son Andrew Osei-Bonsu. The extra bit of quality that he could provide could make all the difference in this vital game.

The pre-match expectation looked like it could have some foundation as Ives started the game at break neck pace and came within millimetres of going in front with less than two minutes on the clock. An early Robbie Parker free kick was delivered into the box and only half cleared to Joe Curtis who cleverly hooked it back into the box where Dylan Wilson managed to find enough space to get in a header from ten yards that looked like it was going to loop over visiting keeper Luis Tibbles only for the custodian to show his agility as he leapt backwards high to his right to fingertip the effort around the post at full stretch.

The excellent Tibbles did even better six minutes later as he plunged low to his right to keep out a well struck Robbie Parker penalty. The spot kick had been awarded after Curtis had been bundled over inside the box by Josh Curry as he tried to flick a Ben Seymour-Shove pass on into the run of Matt Foy.

Having failed to get in front from either of those two golden opportunities Ives then found their confidence knocked as they fell behind in twelfth minute. Jake Reed cleverly turned Tom Wood to get a run on goal only to be pulled back by the struggling Ives defender just inside the box. Referee Joe Woolmer had no hesitation in awarding the second penalty of the game only three minutes after the first. Unlike Parker, Malachi Linton made no mistake from the spot beating debutant Lashley low to his right.

Both sides continued to tear into each other with both defences looking rather nervous and even at this early stage more goals were looking likely at both ends. Ben Toseland was perhaps a little fortunate as he was robbed by Linton deep inside his own half in 24^th minute. He only escaped punishment as Reed has wandered marginally offside before being put clear by his strike partner.

Toseland did much better two minutes later as he put Foy away down the left. The Ives striker worked his way into the box before slipping on the soft surface but he still managed to get the ball away to Wilson who was unlucky to see his well struck shot blocked away by Curry.

It was the visitors turn to go close again in 37^th minute as the powerful Reed again got the better of Toseland down the right before delivering a teasing low cross that Linton arriving late at the back post flung himself at full length fortunately for Ives he did not quite manage to get enough contact to force the ball home.

The usually deadly Seymour-Shove failed to take a golden opportunity to level things up only a minute later as he was cleverly picked out by Wilson with a perfectly weighted pass into his run cutting in from the left. The Ives winger stepped inside Dylan Ruffles to put himself in one on one with keeper Tibbles only to curl his attempted clip past the keeper but just the wrong side of the post.

Having missed that opportunity Ives then found themselves under the cosh again for the last few minutes of the half. There were four minutes to go when Miguel Lopez and Jacek Zielonka combined well down the left. The move ending with Lopez getting to the bye line and picking out Zielonka with his pull back only for the Trawlerboys number eleven to get it all wrong and blaze his effort well over the top from a good position. The same player did much better right on half time as he fired off a crisp low drive from just inside the box that forced a diving save at his near post out of Lashley.

The resulting corner delivered a telling blow to Ives hopes of getting back into the game as Linton’s flag kick was half cleared to Lopez on the right edge of the box. His low cross picked out Connor Deeks twenty yards out in the centre of goal. The big midfielders low drive through the crowd caught Lashley unsighted as it arrowed into the bottom right hand corner of the net to double the visitor’s advantage at the break.

Ives came out early looking like they were meaning business right from the off at the start of the second half and they were almost instantly denied a route back into the game by an assistant’s flag for a marginal offside against Osei-Bonsu as he galloped clear onto a Toseland ball down the left. He had Foy waiting in the centre to tap home before he was pulled back by the referee’s whistle.

However having failed to get back in the game Ives suddenly found the rug yanked from under their feet as they were hit with a double blow with the visitors taking advantage of poor defending to score twice in a minute and effectively kill off the game. In 53^rd minute the admirable Deeks slotted a perfect pass out to the left to pick out Curry on the overlap. Lopez arriving at the back post managed to get in front of his marker to glance the home the full back’s inviting cross for a simple third goal. The fourth arrived in almost comical fashion only seconds later. With Ives looking to push forward in a vain pursuit to get back into the game a ball out of defence caught out Wood on the half way line. The Ives centre back slipped ending up on his face in the mud allowing Andrew Fisk to race away bearing down on Lashley. To add insult to injury the young keeper also slipped as he came to close down the visitor’s midfielder leaving him with the simple task of skipping around him and rolling the ball into the empty net.

The next few minutes gave Ives supporters their only real positive moments from an otherwise dark afternoon as Wilson showed his huge promise with two very coolly taken goals either side of the hour to give a glimmer of hope of the comeback of all comebacks. The first of the young striker’s goals in 57^th minute saw him time his run to perfection to get clear down the middle onto a through ball from Foy. He cleverly drew Tibbles to him before deftly flicking the ball past the exposed keeper into the net. His second seven minutes later was a more emphatic finish as he got clear onto an Aaron Phillips through ball and comprehensively beat Tibbles from fifteen yards to reduce the arrears to two.

In between Wilson’s two goals we had also witnessed a double save from Lashley that was out of the top drawer. Only one minute before Wilson’s second Reed had got away at the other end only to be denied by a brilliant close range block from Lashley, but the loose ball ran to Zielonka who looked like he must score only for the agile Lashley to bravely hurl himself across the line of the shot to deflect the ball away with his body. Lashley was again called into athletic action in 69^th minute as he flung himself high to his right to tip over a 25 yard piledriver from Linton that looked destined for the roof of the net.

Ives one chance to gain a very unlikely something from this game came in the 72^nd minute as Osei-Bonsu showed his pace and strength in a 50 yard run that took him from inside his own half past two defenders into the Trawlerboys box from where he unleashed a curling effort that was pushed away by a diving Tibbles to preserve the visitors two goal cushion.

With that chance gone the host’s belief began to wain and they failed to mount any further serious challenge to the visitor’s goal. Zielonka wasted a glorious opportunity to put the final nail in Ives coffin ten minutes from time. Reed got past Phillips down the left and cut inside before hitting a crisp low drive that Lashley saved but could not hold. The ball fell to the visitor’s wide man eight yards out with the goal gaping but he somehow scooped his shot over the top.

But Zielonka did not have long to dwell on that miss as only two minutes later he beat Lashley to a Jack Wilkinson free kick clipped into the box from the left to glance home the Trawlerboys fifth and final goal of the afternoon and send their noisy supporters home very happy. The free kick had been given away by Phillips clumsily bringing down Lopez just outside the box.

The only ray of sunshine for Ives on an otherwise very tough afternoon were the two very well taken goals from young Wilson who rightly claimed the sponsors man of the match accolade. Unusually it begins to look like it is not the lack of goals which is preventing progress up the table it is now a very shaky defence which is presenting all of the worries for manager Ricky Marheineke and twelve goals shipped in the last three games is a very concerning statistic particularly when in those same three games we have netted five at the other end to gain no reward.

Final Score : St Ives Town 2 Lowestoft Town 5

Goals : Dylan Wilson 57 & 64

Team : Lashley, Phillips, Toseland, Osei-Bonsu, Wood, Powell, Seymour-Shove (Bailey 80), Parker (capt), Foy, Curtis, Dylan Wilson

Unused subs : Jackson, Ward, Snaith, Clifton

Sponsors man of the match : Dylan Wilson

Attendance : 162

Report by Nigel Howlett. Photos by Louise Thompson.

Click image to enlarge