Season: 2020-21

St Ives Town U16 v Tilbury Youth U16

Stanway Rovers Youth U15 v St Ives Town U15

St Ives Town U11 v Stamford AFC Young Daniels U11 Yellows

Tamworth v St Ives Town

Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central 26-09-20

For 85 minutes of this game Ives trip to the home of the Lambs looked likely to bring them maximum reward but the hosts second comeback in five days saw them snatch three late goals to ensure that the visitors got nothing from a very promising trip to the West Midlands.

Manager Ricky Marheineke made changes and looked for a reaction after Tuesday evenings poor FA Cup defeat at Brantham. Out went Ben Toseland and Ben Seymour-Shove who were both dropped to the bench and Kyle Lincoln who was left out of the squad completely. There was a return to the starting eleven for the ebullient Michael Gyasi and debuts for two late new signings left back Jacob Ballinger a loanee from Northampton Town and Brett Solkhon a veteran centre back with over 500 games for Kettering Town under his belt.

It was the hosts who showed the early threat with Thomas Tonks hurling massive throws into Ives six yard box from anywhere within forty yards of the visitors goal. Keeper Martin Conway doing brilliantly to get a fist onto the most dangerous of them under heavy pressure from friend and foe alike.

Ives first corner almost brought them reward in sixth minute as Marc Richards got on the end of Dylan Williams flag kick from the left and was unlucky to see his low goal bound effort blocked inside the six yard box by Kyron Stabana. The ball was kept alive by Williams who lifted it to the back post where Oran Jackson knocked it down into the goalmouth but Stabana was again on hand to scramble it away from Richards.

Two minutes later Ives repeated the trick when Richards again got on the end of a Williams corner from the right but for the second time in a row his on target effort was blocked on the line by a defender. This time the ball rebounded to the visitor’s centre forward who should have probably done better but only succeeded in firing over the top from six yards.

The early action continued and in 13^th minute it was the Lambs turn to feel they should have gone in front when another of Tonks’s long throws got all the way to the back post where it fell at the feet of Jordan Graham who should have scored but spent a few seconds trying to find the ball between his feet just giving Ballinger chance to get back on the line and bravely block the effort at point blank range.

Conway was called into meaningful action again in 25^th minute. Oran Jackson was adjudged to have pushed Jaanal Gordon 25 yards from goal. Lambs skipper Ryan Beswick cleverly curled the free kick over Ives four man wall and it was dipping in the corner before the finger tips of the diving Conway diverted it around the post.

Just seconds before the free kick was taken the visitors had lost their inspirational skipper as Robbie Parker had limped out of the fray to be replaced by Seymour-Shove who also took the armband.

The remainder of the first half saw both sides more or less cancel each other out with Jackson and Solkhon looking solid at the heart of Ives defence and Jordan Cullinane-Liburd and Lathanial Rowe-Turner equally dealing well with the threat of Richards and the darting runs of Gyasi.

The hosts decided to make a change a half time increasing their aerial threat by replacing Gordon with ex Nottingham Forest man mountain Gerry McDonagh. But it was the visitors who had the first effort on goal of the second period in 51^st minute as Gyasi burst through onto a Richards flick down the right. He cut into the box before firing across the face of Jas Singh’s goal.

Down the other end in 56^th minute Graham continued his poor finishing as he found a little bit of space to get onto the end of a low Dexter Walters cross from the left but again failed to hit the target from close range. The hosts continued to threaten down the left and four minutes later Beswick threaded a ball through into the run of Lindon Meikle whose low driven cross was bravely claimed by a diving Conway at the feet of Graham.

The keeper’s long clearance won Ives another right sided corner and this time it proved third time lucky as Richards again managed to lose his man and divert Williams corner towards goal. This time the ball ended up in the net off the shin of Stabana to put the Ives in front.

Unfortunately they held onto their lead for only a few seconds as straight from the kick off Tonks found space to run at the defence and got all the way into the box before being tripped from behind by Ed Hottor to concede a penalty. Beswick went for power low to Conway’s right with his spot kick and although the keeper got a hand to it he was unable to keep the ball out of the net.

The Lambs management duo realised that they were coming off second best in a lot of areas of the park and decided to make their final two substitutions early replacing Mieckle with Shaquille McDonald and Cullinane-Liburd with Joseph Magunda in 67^th minute. The changes did seem to lift the hosts for a while and Conway was called into spectacular action again in 70^th minute as two long throws in succession caused problems. The first from the right was scrambled away from Walters at the back post. The follow up from the opposite side was won cleanly by McDonagh forcing the Ives keeper to hurl himself high to his left to make a brilliant diving stop. Four minutes later Seymour-Shove conceded a free kick in a dangerous position on the right as a Stabana cross struck his arm just outside the box. But Conway again did well as he claimed Beswick’s curling free kick at the back post.

Having soaked up a little bit of pressure Ives stunned the hosts by regaining the lead with eight minutes to go. A long Conway punt evaded everyone on the edge of the Lambs box allowing Gyasi to claim the ball on left deep inside the hosts box. The youngster kept his cool as he got his head up and calmly picked out Seymour-Shove arriving on the six yard line to give the stand in skipper a tap in.

This time surely the visitors would see out the remaining time, but it was not to be. Four minutes later another long Tonks throw was headed onto Ives crossbar by Jordan Gough. The ball was only partly scrambled away and was eventually fed back into the feet of the same player who was this time a little luckier as his twenty yard effort deflected off the legs of a defender to get past the diving Conway low to his right.

The equaliser lifted the home crowd and the players reacted pushing Ives back as they went in search of a winner which came in 89^th minute. Magunda’s low drive was brilliantly blocked by the diving Conway but the ball was kept alive inside the box and was fed out to Walters whose low drive from a narrow angle deceived the Ives keeper at his near post deflected off the upright and fell to the feet of Graham three yards out in the centre of goal. This time he could not miss!.

There was still time for more action in the added five minutes. In the first of them Hottor came within inches of interrupting the Lambs celebrations as a flowing build up had seen the ball teed up from him 25 yards out. He let fly a screamer that beat keeper Singh comprehensively but skimmed inches over the crossbar.

Hottor’s final action of the afternoon was not such a good one as he managed to pick up his third red card in his short spell with the Ives, this time for a second yellow as he tripped McDonald just outside the box as the speedy striker bore down on goal. To add insult to injury McDonald picked himself up and fired the free kick under a leaping wall to beat Conway low to his left and add an undeserved gloss to the hosts victory.

Final Score : Tamworth 4 St Ives Town 2

Goals : Richards 57, Seymour-Shove 82

Team : Conway, Jarvis Wilson, Ballinger, Hottor, Oran Jackson, Solkhon, Gyasi, Parker (capt) (Seymour-Shove 25), Richards, Williams, Hicks

Unused subs : Toseland, Baker, Clifton, Patrick

Supporters man of the match : Dylan Williams

Attendance : 339

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

Brantham Athletic v St Ives Town

Emirates FA Cup 1^st Qualifying Round – 22-09-20

Everyone hopes to avoid that banana skin of going out to the FA Cup against a lower level side in the early rounds of the FA Cup but sadly the Ives stepped square on it for the second season in a row. The story of the game was that a slow start saw them fall behind in only seventh minute and then in spite of enjoying long spells of possession they were unable to break down a rugged and resilient Blue Imps back line and when they did find routes through either woeful finishing or good goalkeeping from home stopper Andrew Plummer kept them at bay.

Manager Ricky Marheineke made one change to the starting eleven from Saturday’s successful opening day team with Ed Hottor returning from suspension in place of Michael Gyasi who dropped to the bench.

After a quiet opening few minutes the hosts stunned Ives by going in front in their first attack of the night. Patrick Brothers got away down the left and picked out Matt Hayden in the centre. The striker still had a lot to do but he showed a good touch to get the ball under control before slamming in a low right foot effort that beat Martin Conway low to his right and went in off the upright.

Ives slow start continued and it was not until 16^th minute that the registered their first shot of the evening a 25 yarder from Hottor after he had been teed up by Dylan Williams. Sadly it proved more dangerous to roosting birds high in the tree to the right of Plummer’s goal than it did to the stopper himself.

The hosts did not sit back and defend their slender lead they continued to look dangerous going forward and Jarvis Wilson did just enough to prevent Hayden doubling his tally on the evening after a ball into the box dropped at the strikers feet three minutes later.

The closest Ives came to getting level before the break came in 27^th minute when route one tactics almost brought them reward. Conway’s long punt down the centre was flicked on by Marc Richards and the ball struck the hand of a covering Blue Imps defender inches outside the box. There were a queue of people eager to take the resulting free kick and it was taken cleverly with Williams back heel opening things up for Ben Toseland to strike his shot but the young full back pulled his low drive inches wide of Plummer’s left hand post.

This was the signal for the visitors to start building some pressure and Richards should have done better seven minutes later as he rose unchallenged at the back post to get onto a hanging Kyle Lincoln cross from the left but unlike Saturday the usually deadly centre forward steered his header the wrong side of the post.

Only seconds later a Ben Seymour-Shove cross from the right was sliced over his own crossbar at full stretch by Stef Mallardo. Keeper Plummer had his first real test of the evening in 39^th minute as Robbie Parker set up Nathan Hicks 25 yards out. The Ives number eleven let fly a screamer that Plummer did well to push away low to his right.

Having enjoyed that very good period Ives almost got caught on the break only ninety seconds before half time. Hayden was this time the provider as he wriggled his way through on the left. He got to the bye line before pulling the ball back to Regan Pelling just inside the box and he slotted the ball into the corner of the net. To his great chagrin the assistant referee on the near side instantly raised his flag with the problem being that Michael Shaikly had run across the face of goal inside the six yard box and got in front of keeper Conway thus was deemed interfering with play. Perhaps a slightly lucky escape for the Ives who almost rubbed salt into the wounds of the hosts seconds later as Williams cut in from the right to feed in Seymour-Shove but Plummer was equal to his well struck shot blocking with his body at close range.

Manager Marheineke decided to make a tactical change at the break and returned to Saturday’s successful line up with the speedy Gyasi replacing Hottor. Ives needed a good start to the second period but their poor finishing continued to let them down. The half was four minutes old when Seymour-Shove and Hicks combined to put Williams in but as those before him the Ives man failed to hit the target from twelve yards.

Toseland was having some success in tandem with Gyasi down the left and the former’s low cross almost crept in at the back post in 54^th minute. If the faintest of touches from Jack Marshall had been a little more he would have diverted the ball inside the post instead of out for one of Ives eight corners of the second period. The Ives left back came even closer to forcing a struggling Brantham defender into putting the ball into his own in 62^nd minute as his deep free kick to the back post was deflected onto his own crossbar by Mallardo.

Ives were dealt two injury blows which did not help their cause as just after the hour both Wilson and Williams limped out of the action to be replaced by 17 year old full back Bailey Baker making his competitive debut and striker Arel Amu. This meant that manager Marheineke had been forced into playing his entire hand with still almost a third of the game to go.

Gyasi continued to take every opportunity to run at the tiring host’s defence but to often his end product lacked the cutting edge. In 77^th minute he managed to beat three defenders in a mazy run along the eighteen yard line but sadly when the shot came it was scuffed and proved a simple save for Plummer.

The hosts had two very good chances in the following three minutes to make the latter stages a whole lot easier for themselves. Baker was Ives saviour on the first of these as he showed his pace to catch and dispossess Brothers who looked like he had got clear down the left and was cutting in on goal. The Blue Imps striker went down under the challenge but referee Michael Robertson-Tant was right on the spot and deemed the tackle a fair one. Conway then pulled off a brilliant diving save high to his left to keep Ives in the game only seconds later. Brothers and Hayden had combined well again before setting up substitute Johnny Lee for a curling effort from 20 yards that was heading for the top corner but for the heroics of Ives keeper.

By this point in the game Toseland was operating at a left winger and there were two minutes of the ninety remaining when another of his teasing crosses looked like it was going to find Oran Jackson ghosting in at the back post but a struggling Joss Neale stretched himself to get just the faintest of touches to knock the ball away. The ball was fed back up to Toseland who this time got to the bye line before drilling in a low cross that Richards tried to divert goal wards only to also be denied by the now seriously cramped up Neale. That was the Blue Imps midfielder’s final action as he limped off the field, I think he probably knew he had done just about enough to see his colleague’s home.

There was one final opportunity at each end in the added six minutes. Two minutes in and with every Ives player deep inside host’s territory Jack Madley managed to get the ball away to Hayden who was completely clear but as Conway came to meet him he took the rshot on early but put it into the side netting.

Ives final chance to take the game to penalties came in the fifth added minute as Richards got a flick onto a long Conway punt Gyasi ran onto the bouncing ball but under heavy pressure from Malladro he sliced his effort high and wide from just inside the box.

The Blue Imps had earned their celebration at the end and it is they who progress to the next round. Ives must lift themselves for another tough battle on Saturday as they visit the powerful Lambs in the West Midlands.

Final Score : Brantham Athletic 1 St Ives Town 0

Goals : none

Team : Conway, Jarvis Wilson (Baker 62), Toseland, Hottor (Gyasi 46), Oran Jackson, Lincoln, Seymour-Shove, Parker (capt), Richards, Williams (Amu 64), Hicks

Unused subs : Patrick, Clifton

Supporters man of the match : Ben Toseland

Attendance : 194

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

Deeping Rangers U11 Blue v St Ives Town U11

Histon Ladies v St Ives Town Ladies

Fulbourn Institute Bluebirds Women v St Ives Town Ladies Development

St Ives Town U14 v Ware FC Academy U14

St Ives Town U16 v Wroxham U16

Kempston Rovers Colts U15 Jaguars v St Ives Town U15

St Ives Town v Biggleswade Town

St Ives Town 1 Biggleswade Town 0

Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central – 19-09-20

The Waders have always been something of a bogy team for Ives and this was only the hosts second league victory over their visitors in nine attempts. The amazing thing to those of us that have endured some of those fixtures in the past was the complete reversal of playing styles between the two sides. The Waders who have in the past been a footballing side were very direct with almost their entire threat on this lovely late summer afternoon coming from high balls and long throws pumped into Ives box. The hosts on the other hand were showing considerably more subtly with the pace and direct running of Michael Gyasi proving an eye-catching threat equalled by the silky skills of Dylan Williams and the presence of Marc Richards.

Ives threat was apparent right from the off when as early as fourth minutes Ben Seymour-Shove slid a ball through the Waders back line into the perfectly timed run of Richards forcing Jordy Ngathe to haul down the ex Cambridge United striker 25 yards from goal. Ben Toseland tried to curl the resulting free kick over the visitor’s wall but did not quite get it high enough and the ball deflected over the top for the first of the hosts five corners before the break.

The game quickly settled into it’s perhaps somewhat unexpected pattern with the Waders going long at almost every opportunity when they gained possession. It was a style once perfected by John Beck at Cambridge United that seemed to involve trying to win throw in opportunities deep in the opposition territory. Scott Davies was the man delivering the howitzer like throws but Ives new centre back pairing of Oran Jackson and Kyle Lincoln ably assisted by the height and power of Jarvis Wilson were equal to everything hurled into their box.

Ives on the other hand were looking to use the pace and trickery of Gyasi, Williams and Seymour-Shove and it was the latter who was bundled over 25 yards from goal in 25^th minute. Williams powered the resulting free kick over the wall and beat the diving Kyle Forster in the Waders goal only to be denied the opener as the ball thudded into the underside of the crossbar and bounced up into the box. Gyasi was first to react and tried to loop a header over the out of position Forster but the keeper reacted quickly to finger tip the effort over the top. The big keeper also denied Gyasi from the resulting corner as he held onto the strikers stabbed effort through the crowd after the ball had fallen to him by the penalty spot.

The Waders carved out their first opportunity of the afternoon two minutes later when Johnny Giles bustled his way through on the right before delivering a cross that Shane Bush looked certain to head home but the visitor’s skipper somehow failed to hit the target from a central position ten yards out. His embarrassment was relieved a little when he spotted the upraised flag of the assistant referee on the far side.

The visitors managed to even up rattling the woodwork in the final minute of the first half. Jackson was adjudged to have pushed Bush as they challenged for a high ball 25 yards from goal. Davies curled the free kick over Ives three man wall but fortunately for the hosts the ball clipped the outside of the post and rebounded to safety with keeper Martin Conway looking on.

Having been barely tested in the first period Conway was called into smart action less than thirty seconds after the restart. A long ball down the right was taken into Ives box by Tremayne Charles who laid it back to ex Ives man James Peters who let fly a stinging drive from the edge of the box that the Ives keeper did well to block with his body. Another half chance came the visitor’s way ten minutes later as one of Davies’s many long throws fell to Joe Neal on the edge of the box but the Waders number nine screwed his shot wide.

Ives were continuing to edge the possession and were still carving out half chances of their own. Williams went close again in 63^rd minute as he got on the end of a flowing move before unleashing a fierce rising drive from 25 yards that skimmed the crossbar with Forster beaten.

The only goal of the afternoon came in the 73^rd minute and ironically it came from an Ives long throw Toseland launched the ball into the box where it was only half cleared to Nathan Hicks on the edge he clipped the ball to the back post where an unmarked Richards stooped to steer a header back past Forster the ball slowly bounced it’s way just inside the upright with the keeper and his defenders vainly appealing that the Ives striker was in an offside position.

Waders manager Chris Nunn almost instantly made two changes to try and freshen up his attached and five minutes later he threw caution to the wind as he went three at the back, replacing centre back Tom Boxer with striker Bradley Bell. But the visitors still showed little subtlety as they continued to throw the ball into the Ives box, literally in the case of Davies.

Half chances for an equaliser did appear and in 83^rd minute Jackson brought down Sam Squire deep in Ives territory. Davies free kick dipped late over the wall presenting a difficult take on the bounce for the diving Conway but the keeper held on well under pressure. The Ives keeper was in action again two minutes later as he clung on to a well struck Peters effort from edge of the box.

There were six added minutes which in the past has brought nightmares for Ives supporters and they must have had their hearts in their mouths in the fifth of them as the ball bounced around the box allowing Bush the chance to power a header on goal from ten yards but Lincoln epitomised the Ives never say die attitude as he put his body on the line to deflect the effort away from off the goal line. The resulting corner was headed onto the roof of the net by Russell Short as he rose highest at the back post and the whistle blew on an excellent opening afternoon for the hosts only seconds later.

Michael Gyasi picked up the sponsors man of the match award for his eye catching performance but there were a lot of other contenders in the running particularly the centre back pairing of Jackson and Lincoln who never wilted under the Waders bombardment. Overall a very promising start which now leaves us all hoping that Government let the entertainment continue and Covid-19 does not stop the fun.

Please remember to comply with the protocols and social distance correctly at all times, by doing so you are helping to keep everyone safe and to keep football going

Final Score : St Ives Town 1 Biggleswade Town 0

Goals : Richards 73

Team : Conway, Jarvis Wilson, Toseland, Gyasi, Oran Jackson, Lincoln, Seymour-Shove (Patrick 89), Parker (capt), Richards (Amu 89), Williams, Hicks

Unused subs : Baker, Dylan Wilson, Mills

Sponsors man of the match : Michael Gyasi

Attendance : 217

Match report by Nigel Howlett. Video by Dave Hook. Photos by Louise Thompson.