Worksop Town 2 St Ives Town 1
Isuzu FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round 05-10-2024
Nigel Howlett reports from the The Windsor Foodservice Stadium
A much improved performance could so easily have seen Ives progress in this entertaining tie where sadly the focus will be on some excentric and at times outright bizarre refereeing decisions from Mr Alistair Wilson. Both sides saw a player dismissed in very unusual circumstances. Tigers striker Liam Hughes was first to take the early bath six minutes after half time when he remonstrated with referee Wilson over whether a ball had gone out of play for a throw in or a goal kick. Mr Wilson initially listen to the complaint, then produced a yellow card when it went on a bit to long. This was followed by him calling over hosts captain Hamza Bencherif to join the discussion then as it all appeared to settled down and the players walked away a second yellow was waved in the direction of Hughes presumably for a parting remark.
Aaron Smith was even more unlucky to join Hughes in the dressing room nine minutes later as he picked up a second yellow card of the game for putting a hand on Jordan Burrow to concede a penalty that one seasoned Tigers supporter termed the softest that he had seen given in 50 years watching the game. Even more unfortunate for Smith was how he had acquired the first yellow card when in added time at the end of the first half Mr Wilson waved the card under his nose whilst he was being prevented from taking a throw in by the assistant referee who had noticed a second ball had been thrown onto the pitch that Dan Wilks was clearing from by the goal. No one could persuade Mr Wilson of his error and Adam Fisher picked up a yellow card for trying.
Ives received a couple of blows prior to kick off with news coming through that the exciting Kobe Chong had ruptured his achilles playing in a corporate charity game, an injury that could well end his season prematurely. There were also only four players on the bench with Benji Mensah dropping out ill on the morning of the game. But one man who took the opportunity to sieze his chance was David Adegbola who had earned himself a place in the starting line up on the back of his eye catching substitute appearance in last weeks FA Cup tie.
It was Adegbola who set up the games first chance in only second minute feeding in Amaru Kaunda through the right channel. Kaunda’s progress towards the box was cynically halted by Bencherif who picked up a yellow card but was proved right when Jonny Edwards free kick cannoned into the hosts four man wall and Ives big striker volleyed the rebound well wide.
A seventh minute corner brought about an excellent opportunity for the Tigers as Hughes rose above the crowd to meet Terry Hawkridge’s in-swinging corner. Wilks did brilliantly to get down low to his right and turn away the striker’s powerful downward header.
After those two early opportunities the game settled down into an even encounter with both sides playing some nice football on the excellent 3G surface but both defences looking solid. All of that changed in 21st minute when Kaunda broke the deadlock with a stunner. Picking up the ball just outside the box the young striker ran across the line of the box seemingly being closely followed by a Tigers defender but the pace of Kaunda earned him the half a yard that he needed and he fired a right foot screamer into the top corner past a startled Seb Malkowski in the home goal.
Adegbola came to Ives rescue five minutes later when Luke Hall got down the right and pulled the ball back to Jacob Gratton, his first time effort beat Wilks low to his right but was cleared off the line by the covering defender. The hosts went close again in 33rd minute when Aleks Starcenko picked up the ball in centre circle and found space to run at Ives retreating back line. Fortunately his powerful 25 yarder was straight at Wilks who held on well.
Back up the other end two minutes later and Edwards was so unlucky not to double Ives advantage. Smith’s long throw was flicked on by Jordan Williams and the ball dropped to Edwards at the back post. His first time effort speared through the crowd and hit the boot of an unsighted Malkowski before ricocheting just the wrong side of the post.
The last action before the break was Smith’s bizarre yellow card. But the second half started with Ives again hugely unlucky not to double their lead. Only ninety seconds after the restart Alex Collard got on the end of another Smith long throw. His flicked header flew past the static Malkowski and hit the inside of the post. On another day it would have rebounded into the net but on this occasion it bounced straight back into the grateful arms of the keeper.
Next followed the strange dismissal of the unhappy Hughes. But going down to ten seemed to spark a reaction out of the previously low key hosts. Six minutes later half time substitute Luke Shiels volleyed over a corner that was played to him on the edge of the box. Then came the real turning point in the game as Smith was harshly adjudged to have pulled back Jordan Burrow at the back of the box after the Tigers substitute had latched onto a deep cross from the left. Vaughan Redford sent Wilks the wrong way with his spot kick as the unlucky Smith trudged off to the changing room.
It was now ten v ten but with the Tigers very much in the ascendency. Gratton fired a 25 yard curler just over in 68th minute but the same striker got it right three minutes later as he ran clear onto Hall’s flick through Ives back line and thumped home from just inside the box past the exposed Wilks.
Even after falling behind Ives lifted themselves again and Kaunda should have grabbed an equaliser with twelve minutes to go as he nicked the ball of Bencherif and got away clean through with only Malkowsi to beat. He clipped the ball past the advancing keeper and was unlucky to see the ball rebound to safety off an upright.
They continued to work hard but that proved to be the final opportunity for Ives to take the game to a shootout. In fact the Tigers should have killed them off in the final few minutes as with bodies thrown forward in a desperate search of an equaliser the visitors were twice caught on the break. Deegan Atherton’s 86th minute low cross from the right was turned wide at the near post by Burrow and Wilks did brilliantly to keep out the same players close range effort after Hall had unselfishly teed him up deep in added time.
An unfortunate exit from the Trophy for Ives. But as teams always say at this point it gives them an opportunity to concentrate on the league and with home games at quattro tech Westwood Road against Barwell next Saturday and Biggleswade Town on the following Monday there is every opportunity to force there way back up the table.
Final Score: Worksop Town 2 St Ives Town 1 Half Time 0 – 1
Goals:
WORKSOP: Redford 63 (pen), Burrow 71
ST IVES: Kaunda 21
Team Line Ups:
WORKSOP: Malkowski, Hutchinson (Shiels 46), O’Malley, Starcenko (Wedgbury 84), Bencherif (capt), Atherton, Hawkridge (Burrow 53), Redford, Gratton, Hughes, Hall, Unused subs: Wilde, Bramall
ST IVES: Wilks, Creary, Smith, Meade (Obeng 90), J. Williams, Collard (capt), Gyamfi (Casey 65), Herd (Hottor 65), Edwards, Kaunda, Adegbola (Kaziboni 73), Unused subs: none
Referee: Alistair Wilson
Cards: Red: WORKSOP: Hughes (2x yellow 50 & 51) ST IVES: Smith (2 x yellow 45+3 & 61)
Yellow: WORKSOP: Bencherif (2), Jeffs (Assistant Manager) (53) ST IVES: Fisher (Assistant Manager) (45+4), Meade (67), Kaziboni (89)
SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Ethan Creary
Attendance: 377