Season: 2022-23

Cottenham United Colts U17 Girls v St Ives Town U18 Girls

St Ives Town U14 White v Bottisham U14

Sawston Girls U17 v St Ives Town U18 Girls

Oakington Vikings Youth U14 v St Ives Town U14 White

St Ives Town v Yaxley FC

St Ives Town v Yaxley

Huntingdonshire FA Senior Cup – Final @ Eynesbury Rovers FC 25-04-2023

Keeper James Dadge was the hero saving three penalties in the shoot-out as Ives concluded their season by retaining the Hunts FA Senior Cup in an otherwise uninspiring final on the immaculate surface at Eynesbury Rovers FC.

Ives last defeat in this competition came in 2018 and on paper they were hot favourites for this game against a Cuckoos side relegated from step four with the unenviable record of having won only two games all season, one of those the semi-final against step six Eaton Socon that got them to the final. But the return of Lloyd Burton as manager has seen Yaxley become a much harder side to beat and that extra resilience shone through in this game as the Cuckoos battled all the way to take the game into the decisive penalty competition.

With skipper Michael Richens again missing at his wife’s bedside in the maternity hospital it fell to Johnny Herd to take the armband for the second game in a row. The first opportunity of the evening came from one his trademark long throws in the tenth minute but Charlie Johnson’s flick was well claimed by Kacper Kurylowicz in the Cuckoos goal just ahead of the lurking Enoch Andoh.

Andoh then spurned a golden opportunity to put Ives in front three minutes later. Herd delivered a teasing cross from the left, Edwards won the ball at the near post and his knock down took a deflection off a defender and fell invitingly to the Ives winger eight yards out. But Andoh snatched at the chance and dragged his effort wide of the target. Had that gone in we might have all been looking at a rather different evening.

But whilst they enjoyed parity the Cuckoos were not about to give it away. Ives continued to enjoy the more than just the lion’s share of possession but, as on Saturday, with Richens missing they were struggling to find routes through the solid blue banks of Yaxley. They were presented with a half chance in 18^th minute as Paddy Casey cut out a poor throw from Kurylowicz and fed the ball into the feet of Edwards inside the box. The usually deadly striker was quickly closed down by Charlie Stallard and Melvin Onu, he did manage to get a shot away but the effort went about a metre wide of Kurylowicz’s right hand post with the keeper looking on.

The Cuckoos first half chance of the evening came in one of their rare forays forward in 25^th minute. Dadge sprinted from his goal to clear a long ball over the top but did not make good contact with the ball falling to Ethan Wilson inside the centre circle. The midfielder took a touch but his attempt to lob the fast retreating Dadge went horribly wrong with the ball ending up nearer the corner flag than the goal.

Ives did get a little closer in their next meaningful attack three minutes later as patient build up concluded with Casey clipping the ball into the box where Edwards again won the header and the ball again fell to Andoh on the corner of the six yard box. He went for the spectacular taking the ball on the volley. His clean strike flashed by Kurylowicz but rattled the upright and rebounded to safety.

The first corner of the game arrived just after the half hour and Herd delivered it in-swinging from the right. This time Charlie Johnson got the near post flick and the ball bounced on through the six yard box before arriving at the feet of Ed Hottor beyond the far post. But under pressure from defenders the Ives midfielder fired way over the top into the roof of the grandstand behind the goal.

Herd continued to deliver dangerous balls into the box and Ives continued to win the knock downs but no one was getting on the end of them and that was shown again as the first half entered added time. Herd’s deep corner from the left was won in the air by Johnson at the back post and the ball once more bounced invitingly through the six yard box with no one able to apply the decisive finish.

The Cuckoos enjoyed a brief purple patch at the start of the second half and they twice went close to going in front in the first five minutes after the re-start. The dangerous looking Marcus Pancho got away down the left in 48^th minute and it took and excellent covering block from Johnson to prevent Richard Acheampong turning home his low cross at the near post. The underdogs went even closer to taking the lead two minutes later as they spurned their best opportunity of the evening. Ex Ives midfielder Andrew Osei-Bonsu threaded a perfectly weighted pass through the Ives back line to put Pancho completely clear one on one with Dadge. As the keeper came to meet him Pancho slid the ball past him low to his left but it rolled agonisingly inches wide of the post.

Normal service was soon resumed after that brief interlude of Yaxley pressure as Ives returned to knocking on the door but lacking the guile to find a way through the well organised Cuckoos defence. Half chances continued to come and go. A 52^nd minute Edwards free kick from 25 yards beat the four man wall but was comfortably gathered in by Kurylowicz for his first save of the game.

Yaxley continued to concede free kicks around their box, but Ives still lacked that bit of inventiveness necessary to find a way through. A 55^th minute Herd free kick was won in the air by Johnson and his knock down fell to Edwards but again another defender appeared to block the effort, this time it was Stallard putting his body on the line to deflect the effort wide.

The introduction of Greg Kaziboni replacing centre back Johnson and adding an extra attacker still did not change things as Ives still kept probing but didn’t really look like scoring. Another chance came and went in 73^rd minute when Hottor teed up Andoh for a shot from the edge of the box. But again the effort flew wide of the target.

There was one final scare for Ives twelve minutes from time when the Cuckoos won their first corner of the game. Dadge came to fist it clear but the punch lacked distance and the ball dropped to Osei-Bonsu who’s first time effort from just outside the box deflected just wide off the leg of a defender.

With no more real opportunities created either way in the remaining time the game went straight to the drama of the shoot out where Dadge quickly emerged as the hero. The young keeper pulled off a brilliant save low to his right to keep out Osei-Bonsu’s well struck first spot kick. Edwards did his usual with his kick sending keeper Kurylowicz the wrong way to put Ives one up. Acheampong stepped up next for the Cuckoos and he to was denied by the amazing Dadge who this time plunged low to his left to keep out another well struck effort.

Substitute Ben Toseland matched Edwards with his kick, finding the left corner of the net as Kurylowicz dived to his right to make it 2-0. The only man to beat the otherwise immaculate Dadge was Pancho who even then only just found the net with the keeper getting a hand to his effort high to his right. Kaziboni matched his colleagues by beating Kurylowicz high to his left with a perfectly struck spot kick.

It was only fitting though that the man who won the cup for Ives was the last to touch the ball on the night. A nervous looking Jude Adebayo stepped up next for Yaxley and he too struck his shot well but Dadge was equal to it again going to his left to push the ball away and claim that very impressive looking trophy that Ives first won way back in 1901.

Final Score: St Ives Town 0 Yaxley 0 (St Ives Town won 3-1 on Penalties)

Goals:

ST IVES:

YAXLEY:

Team Line Ups:

ST IVES: Dadge, Casey, Herd (capt) (Toseland 82), Hottor, J. Williams, Fox, Baker (Johnston 82), Harris, Edwards, Johnson (Kaziboni 71), Andoh, Unused subs: Marheineke

YAXLEY: Kurylowicz (capt), Bahrey, Adebayo, Stallard, Onu, Tessler, Wilson, Elkossi (Usman 82), Acheampong, Pancho, Osei-Bonsu, Unused subs: Snelling, Dass, Kowalski

Cards: Yellow: ST IVES : Johnson (39), Casey (41) YAXLEY : Elkossi (54), Onu (65), Wilson (66)

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: James Dadge

Attendance: 89

Match report by Nigel Howlett. Match highlights by Ollie Jones. Photo James Richardson.

St Ives Town Ladies v Newmarket Town Ladies

Park Ladies v St Ives Town Ladies 2nd Team

Crowland Juniors U12 Yellow v St Ives Town U12

Bury Town U14 v St Ives Town U14 Black

Leiston U13 v St Ives Town U13 Black

St Ives Town U15 v Leighton Town Youth U15

St Ives Town Reserves v Comberton United

Nuneaton Borough v St Ives Town

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 22-04-2023

Ives run of three wins on the bounce was very effectively stopped by a Boro side needing just one point to ensure themselves of fourth place and a play-off semi-final trip to Leiston. A good contingent of Ives supporters made the trip to the First Class Safety Stadium hopeful that the run that had ensured the visitors place at step three for another season could be continued, sadly they will have set off home disappointed as a lacklustre performance saw their heroes comfortably beaten by a home side that wanted it more and did not choose to rest any of their first choice players ahead of the upcoming play-off.

Fast out of the blocks the hosts should have gone in front only ninety seconds in as the silky Kyle Storer picked out Matty Stenson at the back post and his header back across goal found the unmarked Kane Richards. Fortunately for Ives the Boro number seven dragged his first time effort wide.

Ex Ives full back Camron McWilliams always loved to roam forward at every opportunity at Westwood Road and he did just that in eighth minute cutting in from the right before being taken down clumsily by Enoch Andoh. Storer curled the dangerous looking free kick into the box where it was well claimed by James Dadge.

The hosts were faster thinking and constantly looking to catch Ives out. They did just that in 15^th minute as the quick thinking Storer precisely picked out the run of Stenson with a quick free kick. The Boro centre forward cut inside from the right and fired a rising drive over the top from the corner of the box.

With news filtering through that Boro’s competitors for fourth place, Rushall, were a goal down at home to Alvechurch things seemed to settle down and Ives began to enjoy a bit more possession but with skipper Michael Richens missing from the side the creativity was just not there. On the other hand Boro had a man in the centre of their midfield with creativity in abundance and he was involved again in carving out another chance on the half hour. He exchanged passes with Richards on the left before brilliantly picking out Jaanai Gordon inside Ives box. Gordon somehow found enough space to take down the ball, spin, and shoot just over the top.

A few Boro players picked up knocks during the first half with Joe Magunda, Isaiah Osbourne and Gordon all receiving lengthy periods of treatment. The latter two both being substituted before half time. But those delays lead to an added seven minutes and the introduction of the two substitutes seemed to put a new spark into the hosts. In the first of those added minutes Richards played a delicate chip over the top of Ashton Fox to pick out the run of Stenson and the Boro striker took a touch before unleashing a rising drive that beat the despairing dive of Dadge but went over off the top of the crossbar.

The late first half pressure from the hosts continued though and in their very next attack they took the lead. Substitute Tyrell Waite threaded through an inch perfect pass to put Ricardo Dinanga clear through the left channel and he made no mistake beating the exposed Dadge low to his left. It was two in four minutes for the rampant Boro as Dinanga added his second of the game in sixth added minute picking up the pieces to round Dadge and slot home after Stenson had been tackled by Fox on the edge of the box.

There was barely time for shell shocked Ives to re-start the game before the referee’s whistle brought a quick to be forgotten half to an end. With the game now more, or less, decided the hosts took the opportunity to make their third and final substitution at the break replacing McWilliams with Prince Mancinelli. The first chance of the second period in 51^st minute saw Ives offside trap again caught out with Waite getting onto a long ball down the right. His driven cross just evaded Stenson sliding in at the back post.

Ives first noteworthy attempt on goal of the game arrived four minutes later. Skipper Johnny Herd delivered an in-swinging corner from the right. Jordan Williams rose powerfully at the back post and knocked a header down into the six yard box that Jonny Edwards acrobatically hooked over the crossbar.

Stenson was still proving a big threat at the other end and he was involved in creating two good opportunities for the hosts around the hour mark. The big centre forward initially cleverly took down another perfect clip into him, by Storer, inside the box and it took a brave block from Dadge to keep out his effort at point blank range. Seconds later Stenson managed to wriggle himself around Fox forcing the Ives man to bring him down inches outside the box. Fortunately for the visitors the free kick was close enough to make it difficult for Beswick to get it up and down over Ives five man wall and the shot crept just over the angle of post and bar.

The visitors best chance of the day fell to Williams in 72^nd minute as he again forced his way through the crowd to get a good connection on Herd’s in-swinging free kick from the right. The on-target header forced home keeper Tony Breeden into a save palming the ball away low to his right. Andoh kept the ball alive and his clip back into the centre was only half cleared to the edge of the box from where Herd hammered it high and wide.

The hosts finally killed the game off completely twelve minutes from time when another of Storer’s clips over the top again sprung the visitor’s offside trap to put Stenson clear and the big striker finished with aplomb to claim the goal that his hard working performance deserved.

A snap shot from 20 yards by substitute Ethan Johnston in added time forced Breeden into a save low to his right to preserve his clean sheet but overall this was very much a damp squib to end Ives inconsistent league season. One that started so well and promised so much with a record breaking FA Cup run that ended only just short of what would have been a first ever appearance in the first round proper. Unfortunately a serious dip in form after the FA Cup exit saw the club slide into the relegation battle. A battle that had been won courtesy of a fantastic home win against champions Tamworth and excellent follow up wins against Royston and Bedford. Final league position 16^th, eleven points clear of the bottom four and a chance to retain the Hunts FA Senior Cup still to come.

Final Score: Nuneaton Borough 3 St Ives Town 0

Goals:

NUNEATON: Dinanga 45+2, 45+6, Stenson 78

ST IVES:

Team Line Ups:

NUNEATON: Breeden, McWilliams (Mancinelli 46), Dinanga, Magunda, McManus (capt), Richards, Storer, Stenson, Gordon (Waite 44), Noble, Osbourne (Beswick 44), Unused subs: Dowd, Chong

ST IVES: Dadge, Casey, Herd (capt), Hottor, J. Williams, Fox, Kaziboni (Baker 53), Harris, Edwards, Johnson (Toseland 83), Andoh (Johnston 79), Unused subs: Richens, Cowling,

Cards: Yellow: NUNEATON: Stenson (90) ST IVES: Williams (61), Hottor (80), Fox (85)

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Ed Hottor

Attendance: 683

Report by Nigel Howlett

St Ives Town U14 Black v Histon U14

Swavesey Institute v St Ives Town Reserves

Isleham United Ladies v St Ives Town Ladies 2nd Team

Biggleswade United Ladies v St Ives Town Ladies

Letchworth Garden City Eagles Youth U15 v St Ives Town U15

St Ives Town U13 Black v Godmanchester Town U13 White

St Ives Town v Bedford Town

Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 15-04-2023

After the two fantastic Easter performances and results Ives had given themselves a huge push up the ladder to safety and it left them going into this, their last home fixture of the season against already doomed Eagles needing only a single point.

On paper they could not have asked for better opponents for this fixture as their struggling visitors are on the sort of form that no club ever wants to be on with not a single win in 2023 and having not scored a goal in their last eight games.

Often things do not work out in reality as they appear that they should on paper but on this occasion they certainly did as Ives claimed a very comfortable two goal victory without ever really getting out of second gear.

The Eagles spent the first five minutes moving the ball around well without ever looking likely to penetrate Ives back line and when the hosts were presented with their first chance to deliver the ball into the visitor’s box in 7^th minute they should really have scored. Johnny Herd’s deep free kick from the right arrived on the head of the unmarked Michael Richens at the back of the six yard box but rather than direct the ball back into the centre where three other players were waiting to knock it home he went for goal from a narrow angle and only found the side netting.

Having survived that scare the Eagles again reverted to knocking the ball around well without real purpose. The nearest they came to threatening James Dadge’s goal was in 12^th minute when Connor Furlong got down the right and delivered a teasing cross that just evaded Carlos Lyon at the back post.

Jonny Edwards should have put Ives in front in their next meaningful attack in 25^th minute as he was fed clean through the centre by a clever touch from Greg Kaziboni. He drew keeper Lewis Elsom towards him and seemed to be waiting for the stopper to commit himself before dinking the ball past him. But Elsom made it difficult for him staying upright and eventually making the save as Edwards dink went straight into his hands.

With Ives looking very comfortable at the back and likely to score at any time when they went forward what happened in 27^th minute was completely unexpected. Richens picked himself up a needless yellow card for fouling Kirkpatrick on the half way line and Ives manager Ricky Marheineke picked the wrong moment to vent his frustration at the decision of referee Graham Swanton. With the stadium unusually silent at the moment, everyone in the ground heard his opinion. The only question as the official walked over to the dug out was what colour the card would be. It was red and a humbled Marheineke took his place in the grandstand for the rest of the game.

Almost immediately after the re-start Ives did get their noses in front. Edwards was looking to get on the end of another perfectly weighted clip over the top from Kaziboni when he was unceremoniously bundled to the ground inside the box by Ben Tomkins. Referee Swanton was again the perfect position to see and had no hesitation in awarding the spot kick. Cool as ever Edwards waited for Elsom to go to his right before dinking the ball down the middle.

The Eagles responded well and Dadge was called upon to make his first save of the day ten minutes later as a patient build up was ended with Joe Butterworth playing in Lyon through the right channel. The big striker unleashed a powerful drive from just inside the box that the keeper saved well plunging low to his left.

The second unexpected flashpoint in an otherwise quiet first period came a couple of minutes before the break. Kaziboni was leading an Ives breakaway and looking likely to get clear when he was taken down cynically by George Thorne on the half way line for what would be a routine yellow card. But a melee then developed in front of the dugouts involving most of the players on the pitch. When the dust settled a discussion between referee Swanton and his assistant lead to a straight red card being issued to Eagles Edward Gyamfi his crime was grabbing Charlie Johnson around the neck, fortunately Johnson was wise enough not to react.

Already a goal down and now also a man down the visitors were rocking and Ives twice went close to increasing their lead before the break. A Herd long throw from the left was flicked on by Johnson and it took a brilliant flying save from Elsom to keep out Edwards header from six yards as he got on the end of the flick. Richens also had a close range shot blocked by a defender from the resulting corner.

There was still time before the break to Dadge to show his abilities. In third added minute Johnson upended Connor Tomlinson just outside the box. Thorne went for power from the resulting free kick forcing Dadge to leap to his right to push the ball away.

Ex professional Thorne did not come out for the second period and was replaced by the even more experience ex Peterborough United man Renee Howe. But it was Ives now looking comfortable who effectively killed off the game with a second goal in 57^th minute. Johnson bundling home Herd’s in-swinging corner at the back post.

With any small flicker of confidence that the visitors may have had now completely drained Ives began to knock the ball around as comfortably as the Eagles had in the first period. The difference was that the hosts looked more like scoring when they went forward. Kaziboni burst through the centre before firing over the top in 71^st minute. Two minutes later substitute Myles Cowling rode a couple of tackles just outside the Bedford box before teeing up Edwards who matched Kaziboni before him by firing about a metre over the crossbar.

Ives were now comfortably running down the clock in a professional manner and their next couple of chances did not arrive until three minutes before the end. Substitute Nabil Shariff almost repeated his feat at Royston on Easter Monday as he had the ball in the net within moments of joining the action. But this time he was denied by an assistant’s flag as he turned in the rebound after Elsom had done well to block Edwards initial shot. Kaziboni had set up the shooting opportunity for Edwards and only a minute later the winger himself went close as he turned inside Butterworth before trying to curl an effort inside the far post. But Elsom was equal to it flinging himself high to his right to fingertip the ball away.

With the game now decided as a contest the only remaining question was could the visitors break their long goal drought. They did have a couple of chances in added time. In the first added minute D’Sean Theobalds fired in a fierce effort from a narrow angle that Dadge did well to cling onto with Lyon waiting to pounce on any slip and with the last kick of the game Furlong weaved his way through the centre of Ives defence before letting fly with a left footed effort from just outside the box that curled away from the diving Dadge but just wide of the post.

All in all a very good day at the office for Ives who take their winning run to three and go to promotion chasing Nuneaton for their final game now safe and looking to cause an upset. The despondent Eagles on the other hand have only one aim left this season and that is to find the back of the net before the time since they scored a goal ticks past the thousand minute mark. After this, their ninth blank in a row, that clock is now up to nine games and 844 minutes, we wish them well.

Final Score: St Ives Town 2 Bedford Town 0

Goals:

ST IVES: Edwards 30 (pen), Johnson 57

BEDFORD:

Team Line Ups:

ST IVES: Dadge, Casey, Herd, Richens (capt) (Hottor 61), J. Williams, Fox, Kaziboni, Harris (Cowling 69), Edwards, Johnson, Andoh (Shariff 85), Unused subs: Toseland

BEDFORD: Elsom, Dreyer (capt), Tomkins, Theobalds, Tomlinson (Donnelly 68), Butterworth, Kirkpatrick, Furlong, Thorne (Howe 46), Lyon, Gyamfi, Unused subs: Keeble, Sheriff,

Cards:

Red: ST IVES: Marheineke (manager) (28), BEDFORD: Gyamfi (44)

Yellow: ST IVES: Richens (27), Johnson (45+3) BEDFORD: Tompkins (29), Thorne (43), Kirkpatrick (62), Butterworth (67)

IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Jonny Edwards

Attendance: 383

Report by Nigel Howlett. Interview by Andrew Dunn. Match Highlights by Ollie Jones. Photos by Louise Thompson.