Season: 2021-22

St Ives Town Ladies v Royston Town Women

Needham Market U13 v St Ives Town U13 Black

St Ives Town U16 v Grays Athletic Youth U16 Blue

St Ives Town U15 v Stowmarket Town U15

St Ives Town v Stourbridge

Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central 09-04-2022

Revenge was sweet for the Glassboys as they enjoyed their trip to Cambridgeshire an awful lot more than the reverse fixture in the early days of the season when a buoyant Ives comfortably won at the Alfred Hall Memorial Ground. The visitors have moved on a long way since that early game and can boast promotion chasing form in the second half of the season. Three of the four goals that decided this fixture all came from the top drawer of goals that Ives have conceded in a tough season when they have shipped 89 in 37 league fixtures. But to their credit they kept plugging away and managed to score an excellent goal of their own.

After last week’s cracking victory over play-off bound Rushall it was hoped that Ives would go into this game with an unchanged squad. Unfortunately that was not to be with important players Oran Jackson and Nabil Shariff both missing with illness and injury. Michael Richens dropped into the back four with Dylan Williams moving into the centre of the park, Liam Cross and Ethan Johnston forming a previously untried front two. The visitors on the other hand arrived with a virtually fully fit squad to pick from.

Ives new strike pair came close to giving them an early lead as with only ninety seconds on the watch Cross looked to get clear onto a Callum Milne clip over the top, for a split second it opened up for him but rather than shoot he took another touch and got crowded out. The ball ran loose to Johnston following up and it took a brave point black block from Joe Hull to prevent him opening the scoring.

The visitors then went on to gain two early corners both of which were very well defended in dangerous areas by Ives centre backs. The second flag kick was knocked out for a throw and a quick one almost caught them out as Ethan Moran fed the ball into Reece Styche who spun on it and got a shot away from inside the box that was well held by Eddie Brearey.

Brearey was in action again in thirteenth minute as his own hurried clearance fell to Darryl Knights 30 yards out. Knights fed in Styche who again got his shot away but was denied by the Ives keeper who made a good save low to his left. An Ives break four minutes later saw Ben Toseland set up a shooting opportunity for Cross whose powerful effort from the edge of the box was deflected into the side netting.

The visitors opening goal in 21^st minute was a moment of pure class from Moran. Glassboys skipper Lee Vaughan lead the swift break down the right before feeding inside to Moran on the edge of the box. His first time right footed clip over Brearey was perfection as the ball sailed over the keeper before nestling just inside the far post. Getting their noses in front seemed to lift the visitors to even greater heights and Ives had to battle hard to stay in touch. Moran was at the heart of a number of the visitors best moves, three minutes later his excellent cross field pass found Jack Wilson in space on the left. It took a last ditch covering tackle from Milne to prevent the full back doubling the advantage.

Ives did have one opportunity to get on level terms in 27^th minute. Johnston was upended by Hull 25 yards from goal giving Brett Fairlamb chance to deliver a teasing ball into the box that Brett Solkhon managed to get on the end of but he was always stretching and failed to hit the target with his header from ten yards.

From that point on it was the visitors who really took the game to Ives playing what a number of their supporters highlighted as the best football that they had played all season. Ives struggled to stay in touch and fell further behind to a second goal of the season contender of the afternoon. Another flowing move down the right ended with the ball at the feet of the overlapping Vaughan this time he cut inside and unleashed a screamer from the corner of the box that flew past the despairing dive of Brearey and found the top corner.

Two behind at the break the hosts needed an early route back into the game after the restart. Sadly they were caught out again by another quality goal from the visitors only two minutes after the resumption. Richens brought down Styche inches outside the box and Knights curled a peach over Ives five man wall and into the top corner high past Brearey’s left hand.

To their credit, even though now three goals in arrears Ives continued to believe that an unlikely comeback was possible. Roared on by the bar crew, who were in particularly good voice despite the score line, the host won three corners in quick succession. The middle of those from Dylan Williams squirmed through the hands of Glassboys keeper Charlie Price who was very fortunate to see it deflect over the crossbar.

An unlikely substitution on the hour lead to Ives pulling a goal back. Full back Josh Flanagan replaced winger Tyrone Baker which seemed a strange move when three goals behind. But the management crew knew much more than us mere mortals and a re-shuffle saw Richens released into his more familiar midfield role. The goal when it came in 68^th minute involved both of those two with Richens threading a pinpoint pass through to put Flanagan away on the right his low first time cross into the box was met by Johnston who simply rolled the ball home at the far post.

That belief level raised a little more, as did the raucous level of the bar crew. Richens was now at the heart of everything positive from Ives. In 71^st minute his powerful run from midfield ended with his 25 yard effort deflected inches wide with keeper Price scrambling across to cover. Four minutes later Lathaniel Rowe-Turner’s pull back on Johnston as the striker tried to burst through earned the Glassboys centre back a booking and gave Ives the chance to get another shot on target. Richens free kick burst through the four man wall but straight into the grateful arms of keeper Price.

Ives had the steam taken out of their push to grab something from the game nine minutes from time when an error from Brearey gifted the visitors a very fortunate fourth goal. A long punt out of defence was being chased by substitute Kieran Cook and the young keeper felt he must come and try to beat the striker to the ball by heading it away. Unfortunately he misjudged the bounce and completely missed the ball allowing Cook the simple task of rolling the it home into the empty net.

There was still time left in the game for Brearey to more than make up for his error and keep the score line just about in the realms of respectability. A fantastic double save to initially keep out a powerful strike from inside the box by Styche and then miraculously recover to deny Cook from point blank range on the follow up was atonement enough. But he topped that in 87^th minute as he flung himself to his left to keep out Styche’s well struck spot kick. The penalty had been awarded when substitute Andrew Osei-Bonsu had brought down George Forsyth inside the box.

A day when the performance was probably a little better than the result suggests but with other results generally going Ives way they still have an eight point cushion to the bottom two with games fast running out. Two games next weekend could well decided the season as a whole with a visit to mid table Stratford Town on the Saturday followed by hosting AFC Rushden & Diamonds on Bank Holiday Monday in what will almost certainly be a crucial game for both sides with Diamonds in danger of slipping out of a play-off spots and Ives eager to ensure another season at step three.

Final Score : St Ives Town 1 Stourbridge 4

Goals :

ST IVES: Johnston 68

STOURBRIDGE: Moran 21, Vaughan 35, Knights 47, Cook 81

Teams

ST IVES: Brearey, Milne, Cross, Solkhon (capt), Toseland (Dwumfuo 89), Richens, Baker (Flanagan 61), Hottor (Osei-Bonsu 84), Johnston, Williams, Fairlamb, Unused subs: Egole

STOURBRIDGE: Price, Vaughan (capt), Wilson (O’Hanlon 68), Hull, Rowe-Turner, Rowley, Moran (Cook 75), McQuilkin, Styche, Knights (Smith 83), Forsyth, Unused subs: Solly, Ball

Supporters man of the match : Michael Richens

Attendance : 308

Match report by Nigel Howlett. Photos by Louise Thompson.

St Ives Town U13 Black v St Neots Town Youth U13

St Ives Town U16 v Bedford Town (Youth Development) U16

Royston Town Women v St Ives Town Ladies

St Ives Town U15 v Godmanchester Town U15

Park Farm Pumas U12 Red v St Ives Town U12

Histon U13 v St Ives Town U13 Black

St Ives Town v Rushall Olympic

Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central 02–04-2022

A massive three points in the Ives quest to keep their heads above the drop zone was earnt with a battling comeback performance in a game that was not always pretty but was certainly won by the side that wanted it most. But make no mistake the fourth placed Pics were equally keen to grab the full reward from this game in their quest to claim at top three spot and hence a home game in the play–off semi-finals.

The game was turned on its head in the dying minutes of the first half. Initially in 44th minutewith the visitors already one goal to the good courtesy of a header from their skipper Sam Whittall, the same player had a spot kick saved by Ives keeper Eddie Brearey. Then in added time the hosts grabbed an unlikely equaliser with only their second effort of the game on target as Nabil Sharrif prodding home from close range. Instead of going in two goals to the good the visitors suddenly found themselves on level terms and facing a nervy second half.

After two poor performances on the road Ives management team made two changes to the starting line up going for experience ahead of youth with Michael Richens returning from suspension to anchor the midfield and Oran Jackson fit again to return in the centre of the back four with Callum Milne going across to right back it was the two Northampton loanees Josh Flanagan and Liam Cross who dropped to the bench.

The high flying visitors started on the front foot and home keeper Brearey was called into early action to keep out a Tyler Lyttle free kick. The kick had been awarded against Jackson who had clattered Rackeem Reid just outside the left hand corner of Ives box. Brearey’s opposite number Jonathan Flatt had to be even more alert in ninth minute as the lively Dylan Williams robbed a dallying Whittall deep inside Pics territory. Clean through on goal Williams should probably have done better but keeper Flatt closed him quickly and spread himself well to keep the ball out with a solid right hand.

Having missed the chance to get their noses in front Ives found themselves going behind in the very next attack as Lyttle was given to much time and space on the right. He delivered a teasing cross to the back post where skipper Whittall rose above the crowd to power a header past Brearey from ten yards. Reid was proving a real handful for Ives back line and the visitors could easily have doubled their advantage five minutes later. A quick break from an Ives free kick saw Ed Hottor put under heavy pressure by Reid eventually being forced to foul his man but the Pics striker managed to stay on his feet and an excellent advantage from referee Jorden Gibson allowed Reid to tee up Alex Moore on the edge of the box but he did not hit his shot cleanly allowing Brearey to make the save low to his right.

Reid did get the ball in the net in 37th minute after he managed to beat Brearey to a lob over the top of Ives back line by Thorley to roll the ball home only to be denied by the assistant’s raised flag. The same player spurned a golden opportunity to double the visitors advantage three minutes later. Lyttle sprinted onto Reid’s flick and fed in Reece Mitchell on the overlap, his low driven cross was pushed away by Brearey but Reid who was following up only succeeded in knocking the loose ball over the crossbar from close range.

As the first half came to a close the turning points in the game arrived both in favour of the hosts, although that was not how it initially looked like it was going to go. The penalty late in the first half came about when Ives failed to clear a Lyttle corner from the right. The ball bounced around the box before it fell to Ben Usher-Shipway, his fierce drive hit the arm of Hottor inside the box. Referee Gibson was in a good position to see and immediately awarded the spot kick. Skipper Whittall did not strike his kick cleanly giving Brearey chance to make a relatively comfortable save low to his right.

Thanks to a number of long injury delays there were five added minutes at the end of the first half and in the fourth of those five Ives grabbed an unlikely equaliser to take the steam out of the visitors. A Williams free kick from the left was only half cleared to the edge of the box where it fell to Richens, he took a touch but miss–hit his shot across the face of goal. First to react to the bobbling ball was the ever alert Shariff who got in front of his marker to prod it home just inside Flatt’s right hand post.

Having already been forced into two injury substitutions in the first half the visitors were forced to make their third and final change at the interval with Callum Coyle limping off to be replaced by Owen Parry. As in the first period it was the Pics who carved out the first chance of the second half as Thorley, Mitchell and Usher-Shipway combined down the left. The latter’s cross picked out Reid at the back post but his effort lacked pace allowing Brearey to make a comfortable save. It took the quick thinking and pace of Luke Fairlamb to prevent Ives falling behind again in 55th minute as a quick thinking Thorley seized the opportunity to take a quick free kick and put Usher-Shipway completely clear, Fairlamb was the only Ives player alert to the danger and the speedy winger ate up yards to put in an amazing block on the shot when it came.

The visitor’s felt they should have had a second penalty on the hour when Reid went down under challenge from Richens. From our angle referee Gibson got the call spot on as the initial contact looked inches outside the box but that did not stop him getting berated by Pics players and bench alike all baying in unison for the spot kick. Lyttle’s resulting free kick was rifled just over the top.

Referee Gibson further endeared himself to the visitors when he did award Ives a penalty ten minutes later. Ben Toseland jinked his way into the visitor’s box and went past two players before he was taken down by stand in right back Richard Bachelor. Williams made no mistake from the spot sending keeper Flatt the wrong way.

The third penalty of the game arrived in somewhat less obvious circumstances in 76thminute as a scrambled ensued in Ives box as they struggled to clear a long throw from Usher-Shipway. It looked like the spot kick was awarded for handball but it was almost impossible to say with the ball bouncing around and bodies from both sides flying in to either try to keep the ball out or force it home. Suffice to say after a brief consultation with his assistant referee Gibson stuck by his initial decision. With Whittall relieved of the task the responsibility was handed to Thorley who not entirely convincingly beat Brearey low to his right to level things up.

Would Ives try to hang on for a hard earned point or go for the win. Whilst Ives management team was pondering that decision it was made for them thanks to the hard work of Tyrone Baker. He won a crunching tackle to gain possession inside his own half and then flighted a perfectly weighted ball down the line to pick out the well timed run of Williams who cut inside before unleashing a shot from the edge of the box that took a wicked deflection off a defender before flying past keeper Flatt into the roof of the net.

The change was instantly made to reinforce the back line with Flanagan replacing Baker to put in a five man back line. But four minutes later two of those back five almost combined inside the opposition box to put the game to bed. Another long throw into the box was repelled with Hottor putting Toseland away down the left and his low cross looked like it was going to be knocked home at the back post by Flanagan only for the struggling Mitchell to get just enough of a touch on the ball to take it away from the Ives substitute. The remaining two minutes and then the added five seemed like an age as the visitor’s bombarded Ives box with from all angles. Brearey was forced to deny them twice in the last minute of normal time his brilliant reaction save to keep out a diving header from Batchelor left the Pics man thumping the ground in frustration. Ninety seconds later with the ball bouncing around Ives box and defenders putting their bodies on the line to block it out Brearey brought off another moment of brilliance as he was quickly out to close down Usher-Shipway and block the strikers effort at point blank range.

When the final whistle eventually blew players from both sides collapsed to the pitch exhausted from the effort that they had put into this game. The result sees Ives claim their first victory in six attempts against the Pics and into the bargain take another huge steptowards safety. The visitors although virtually assured of a play-off place are very much going through a bad patch at the wrong time of the season with only one win in their last seven games.

Final Score : St Ives Town 3 Rushall Olympic 2

Goals :

ST IVES: Shariff 45+4, Williams 70 (pen) & 84

RUSHALL: Whittall 11, Thorley 77 (pen)

Teams

ST IVES: Brearey, Milne, Jackson, Solkhon (capt), Toseland, Richens, Baker (Flanagan 85), Hottor, Shariff (Cross 64), Williams, Fairlamb, Unused subs: Goff, Osei-Bonsu,Johnston

RUSHALL: Flatt, Brown (Batchelor 16), Mitchell, Thorley, Clarke, Whittall (capt), Usher-Shipway, Moore (Masidi 25), Coyle (Parry 46), Lyttle, Reid, Unused subs: Glover, Batchelor, Calder

Supporters man of the match : Dylan Williams

Attendance : 275

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

Cottenham United Colts U13 Red v St Ives Town U13 White

St Ives Town U16 Girls v Glinton & Northborough U16 Girls

Priory Parkside Colts U15

Haverhill Rovers U14 v St Ives Town U14

Peterborough Sports v St Ives Town

Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central 26-03-2022

For the second game in a row seventeen year old Oxford United loanee goalkeeper Eddie Brearey stood almost single handed between Ives and a pasting. In fact his claim to be man of the match was so unanimous that even the most ardent Turbines supporter could not deny him the accolade. Sadly that fact that he had to show such superb form meant that the players in front of him struggled to perform on a hard bumpy pitch for the second game in a row. On a slight positive note this performance was a little better than Tuesday evenings woeful display at Hednesford.

Three Ives players had pre-game fitness tests with Ben Toseland and Nabil Shariff getting through to take their places in the starting line up but Oran Jackson not so fortunate, although deemed close enough to fitness to be named on the bench. One other piece of good news was Luke Fairlamb continuing his road back to full fitness with a first start since September. His fully fit presence could be vital in the remaining games.

The game started in glorious sunny conditions with Ives supporters fully knowledgeable that their opponents, lead by ex Ives legend Jimmy Dean, were a quality side firmly ensconced in the play-off places. But they were all hoping for a reaction from the players following Tuesday evenings poor showing. Sadly the game started in almost identical fashion with poor defending allowing the hosts to get their noses in front inside the first ten minutes. A ball in from the right found the feet of centre forward Mark Jones who managed to hold the ball up well before teeing up Lamine Sherif who simply rolled it into the corner of the net past the unsighted Brearey.

Despite that early setback Ives battled well to keep the hosts at bay and it took until 25^th minute before Brearey had to start his heroics. Unusually patient build up from the Turbines down the right was concluded with Josh McCammon beating the visitors offside trap to get clean through on goal. The Ives stopper was smartly off his line to close the angle and block the shot at close range with his legs.

Ives only half chance in the first 45 minutes came two minutes after Brearey’s excellent block when Josh Flanagan got past Luke Warner-Eley on the right and delivered a teasing cross that just eluded Shariff in the centre as he tried to force his way between the two centre backs.

Liam Cross lost possession in the centre circle to allow the hosts to create another opportunity on the half hour. McCammon robbed Cross and fed the ball through to Dion Sembie-Ferris who cut in from the left and curled his effort beyond the despairing dive of Brearey but inches wide of his left hand post. The final chance of the first period was also created by the hosts two minutes before the break as Sembie-Ferris and Jones combined well down the right the move ending with the former firing well over from just outside the box.

The second period quickly turned into Brearey versus the Turbines front men. The young keeper started as he meant to go on producing a fantastic double save to first deny Ryan Fryatt from close range and then even more brilliantly keep out the follow up from Sembie-Ferris as he bravely spread himself in front of the winger’s effort from inside the six yard box.

Brearey was beaten only once in the second half and it came only three minutes after the re-start as Jones lost his marker to turn home a low Sembie-Ferris cross from the right giving the keeper no chance from eight yards. That was virtually the wingers last input to the game as he limped off a few moments later to be replaced by Jordan Macleod and the substitute was next to bring out the brilliance in Brearey as he burst through the Ives back line to get on a through ball from Warner-Eley. Once again Brearey was very quickly off his line to close the striker and block his effort at close range.

Brearey did enjoy a little bit of good fortune in 58^th minute. McCammon picked up a poor defensive header from Brett Solkhon and took on the Ives defence before threading a ball into the run of Jones who slotted past the exposed keeper only to find that he had not quite timed his run right and the assistant’s flag was raised.

The host’s loanee keeper from National League North Boston United, Peter Crook, had enjoyed a quiet afternoon for the first hour of his debut but he was called upon to make his first real save in 62^nd minute. Cross broke from the centre of the park to send substitute Tyrone Baker on a run down the left. Baker got outside Dan Jarvis before firing in a left footer that forced the keeper to get down low to his right to push the ball around the post. Needless to say Ives were almost caught out from their own corner as the hosts broke at pace with Macleod being put through for a clear run on goal again. But once again Brearey came up to the plate as he plunged to his right to push the shot away.

The young stopper produced what was probably his best save of the day three minutes later as he instinctively raised a solid hand to keep out McCammon’s close range stab at goal. The chance was created by Jones robbing a dallying Solkhon 25 yards from his own goal.

The chances continued to clock up for the hosts, but so to did the saves from the amazing Brearey. In 69^th minute Macleod found himself put clean through again, this time by Kyjuon Marsh-Brown. Having failed to beat Brearey with a shot on three previous one on ones the substitute decided this time to try and go around the exposed keeper, but Brearey again showed his agility getting down to knock the ball away from the feet of the striker who was clearly begining to wonder what he must do to get past this man.

That disbelief grew in the striker two minutes later as he was once again denied by the keeper. His shot from the edge of the box was pushed away low to his left by the excellent Brearey who again brought gasps of admiration from everyone in the ground as he managed to recover his poise sufficiently to bravely block McCammon’s follow up effort at point blank range.

Almost every effort that the hosts had at goal in the second half was on target but they did fail to hit it with one good opportunity in 74^th minute when Sherif fed through Marsh-Brown on the right and he put in a cross to the near post where an unmarked Jones should have done better than steer his header past the post.

The final piece of brilliance from Brearey came two minutes later when Lawlor delivered a deep free kick into the box from the right. Fryatt got above his marker to win the first header and head the ball down into the six yard box where Jones stabbed it towards goal but another brilliant reaction save from the keeper saw him push the ball away.

A final flurry up the other end ten minutes from time saw Flanagan force another smart save out of Crook but from that point the hosts cleverly saw out time without any further scares to even more firmly cement their play off aspirations with just one more win required to almost guarantee that spot. Ives on the other hand still find themselves looking warily over their shoulders and probably still in need of six more points to ensure themselves of another season at step 3.

Final Score : Peterborough Sports 2 St Ives Town 0

Goals :

SPORTS: Sherif 8, Jones 48

ST IVES:

Teams

SPORTS: Crook, Jarvis, Warner-Eley (Bazeley 90+3), Fryatt, R. Jones (capt), Lawlor, Sembie-Ferris (Macleod 53), Sherif, M. Jones (Hilliard 89). McCammon, Marsh-Brown, Unused subs: Hawkins, McGowan

ST IVES: Brearey, Flanagan, Solkhon (capt), Hottor, Milne (Aiyelabola 87), Toseland, Cross, Osei-Bonsu (Johnston 65), Shariff, Fairlamb (Baker 51), Williams, Unused subs: Jackson, Egole

Supporters man of the match : Eddie Brearey

Attendance : 282

Report by Nigel Howlett. Photos by Louise Thompson.