Holbeach United U18 v St Ives Town U18   

Thurlow Nunn Youth League – Western Division  17-10-19

With this result achieved on a very heavy pitch the battling Tigers leapfrogged the Ives into top spot in what is proving to be a very open Western Division this season. Looking at the surrounding Fenland fields on the way to the ground there was serious doubt that the game would take place as a day of heavy rain had left huge puddles everywhere, but so eager were the full strength hosts to have a crack at the League leaders that they were willing to sacrifice their pitch to do so. Ives were also very close to full strength with only keeper Kia Bradley missing allowing young George Driver to make his debut between the sticks. If the pitch held up a cracking game was in prospect.

Ives started the game confidently and grabbed the lead in only the eleventh minute as high pressing forced an error from Charlie Parkes losing possession inside his own penalty area allowing Connor Gibbs to fire home the loose ball.

It could have been 2-0 three minutes later as a corner from the left arrived at the feet of Gibbs at the back post his low drive beat keeper Daniel Kimber but Parkes was in position to redeem himself clearing off the line to keep Ives advantage to just a single goal.

Debutant keeper Driver was called into meaningful action for the first time only sixty seconds later as play swung to the other end where James Clark picked out Jordan Elston on the left edge of the box. He stepped inside and unleashed a fierce rising drive that Driver was forced to parry away.

At this point in the first half both sides were looking to attack at every opportunity and chances were arriving at both ends of the park. In 17^th minute Tom Wakley chased down a poor back pass from Tigers skipper Will Barnes, he beat Kimber to it but the big keeper spread himself well to block the toe poke with his body.

Back up the other end only two minutes later Barnes carved out an opening for himself and almost finished it as he picked up a loose ball in the centre of the park and let fly with a fierce drive from fully 35 yards that Driver was forced to tip over in spectacular fashion.

The 24^th minute saw Ives carve out, but fail to finish, another good chance. The hard working Wakley held the ball up well 25 yards from goal and fed in Zac Hope cutting in from the right. Hope struck his shot cleanly but the well positioned Kimber deflected the ball behind with his legs.

As the half wore on both defences seemed to get a bit more of a grip of the opposition attackers and the game settled down into more of a midfield battle which was being fought out in the heaviest part of the pitch where it was becoming more a survival of the fittest. Each side carved out one more opportunity before the break. Barnes tried his luck from distance again in 40^th minute but his effort from 25 yards was always rising and did not trouble Driver on its way over the crossbar. Ives went closer to doubling their advantage with their chance as Wakley flicked on a long ball to put early substitute Ben Smith in on Kimber. He rounded the keeper on the edge of the box but Jake Gadsden covering around behind his keeper did just enough to dispossess the Ives man before he could get his shot away.

Ives had one more opportunity to increase their lead early in the second period before the strength sapping surface and some determined opponents began to wrestle control away from them. That chance came in 51^st minute as Wakley got on the end of a long Driver free kick and knocked it down to Hope just inside the box but he rather snatched at his shot and fired wide from a good position.

The equaliser arrived four minutes later in a way that will disappoint the Ives management crew as Jack Forster lost his man to arrive unmarked at the back post and head home a Barnes corner from the right.

From this point the hosts started to get on top although it took until 72^nd minute before they went close to going in front. Tricky winger Elston had changed across to the right where he used his speed to cut inside before firing in a stinging low drive that Driver did well to hang onto at his near post.

Impressive centre back Leon Quinsee limped out of the action only a minute later to be replaced by Connor Paine and the unfortunate Paine had only been on the field a couple of minutes when he was involved in the incident that lead to the Tigers winner. Josh Balding fed substitute Luke Scampion into the box on the left. Scampion’s attempted cross struck the arm of Paine and referee James Marsden instantly pointed to the spot. Parkes sent Driver the wrong way with the resulting penalty to turn the game around.

Barnes continued to run the game in the centre of the park and in 81^st minute he laid a ball into the feet of Elston on the edge of the box, an excellent touch and a clever turn saw the winger create just enough space for the shot which he fired inches wide of Driver’s right hand upright.

Ives continued to battle and carved out one opportunity to get something from the game in 85^th minute when young substitute Oliver Daniel picked out the run of Hope cutting in from the left. The Ives winger hit his shot well, but Kimber was again in the right place and blocked with his legs.

The final action of the game two minutes later saw young Driver again show his agility as he plunged full length to his right to keep out a well hit shot from the edge of the box by Elston. Skipper Karl Frans helped out his keeper by sliding to knock the loose ball away before Scampion could force it home.

The result justified the Tigers pre-match efforts to get the game on as it saw the hosts leapfrog the Ives to return to the top of the table but with six team all separated by three points and Deeping and Peterborough Sports both with games in hand sat just behind them this division looks likely to go all the way before a likely winner materialises this season. 

Final Score  :  Holbeach United U18  2  St Ives Town U18  1  

Goals : Gibbs 11

St Ives team : Driver, Frans (capt), Darnell, O’Donovan, Quinsee (Paine 73), Young, Hope (Mitkov 65), McDougald (Smith 33), Wakley, Gibbs (Squire 65), Cobb (Daniel 73) 

Other subs used roll on roll off : Hope for Mitkov 83

Unused Subs : none

Attendance  : Approx 55

Report by Nigel Howlett

Holbeach United U18s 4 St Ives Town U18s 2

Thurlow Nunn Youth League – Western Division  22-10-18

The young Ives visited the formidable lair of the Tigers and came within a few inches and a few minutes of being the first side this season to depart from deepest Fenland with anything other than a defeat. Having fallen behind twice the Ives battled back to get level before half time only to miss a penalty on the hour and then eventually fall to two late goals as Holbeach maintained their one hundred per cent home record.

For the second time in successive games the Ives gifted their opponents an early goal. On this occasion keeper Shay Griffiths called for a hopeful through ball but was a little late leaving his line and allowed Harry Collishaw to nip in and beat him to the ball on the edge of the box and prod it past him into the empty net.

It became clear early on that big centre forward Fenn Storey was going to be a thorn in Ives side throughout this fixture. He went close to doubling the hosts lead in 9^th minute as he got on the end of a Will Barnes clip into the box from the right. Fortunately for Griffiths his powerful volley from 15 yards flashed inches wide.

Ives first foray into Tigers territory was a trademark run from Zac Hope in 11^th minute as he outpaced Luke Williams and hurdled a flying tackle from covering defender Jordan Olive only to be outdone by the very bobbly pitch which saw the ball bounce away from him just enough to let keeper Brad Waters bravely plunge in and take the ball off his toe.

Griffiths redeemed his early error in 21^st minute as he plunged smartly to his right to palm away a well struck effort from the edge of the box by Storey who had cleverly dropped off to the edge of the box where he found space to get on the end of a pull back by Josh Balding.

The Ives keeper did even better in 29^th minute as he hurled himself high to his right to tip away a curling effort from 20 yards by Liam Scales that was heading for the top corner. This time Storey had been the provider as he cleverly held up a ball into his feet before teeing up Scales.

The resulting corner was quickly cleared allowing Ives to break out at pace with Louis Bald threading a perfect ball through to put Hope away on the left, unfortunately none of his colleagues could match the flying wingers pace and his dangerous low cross flashed across the face of goal just ahead of Thomas Wakley sliding in to try and get a touch.

Having threatened Ives went one better three minutes later as another swift break down the middle saw Billy Mobbs and Wakley combine with the latter knocking the ball into the overlapping run of Mihayl Mitkov. The young full back showed composure well beyond his years as he calmly picked his spot and threaded the ball past the despairing dive of Waters into the bottom corner of the net from just inside the box.

Having fought so hard to get level Ives almost instantly found themselves behind again as a Kieron McConnell free kick from the right was headed home at the near post by Storey. The big centre forward had got in front of his marker and looped his header over Griffiths and into the far corner of the net.

But Ives were still very much in this game and five minutes before the break the sheer battling power and persistence of Wakley got them back level again. The centre forward harried giant centre back Olive into an error robbing him and out muscling him 25 yards from goal then had the composure to look up and curl a magnificent effort just beyond the grasping fingers of Waters and into the top corner.

The hosts again reacted by putting more pressure on Ives back line and went close to going back in front two minute later as Balding and McConnell combined to break through the visitor’s line on the edge of the box. Griffiths was smartly out to narrow the angle and did well to block McConnell’s low drive with his legs.

Ives lifted themselves again and enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the early stages of the second half. The battling Wakley continued his struggle against his much bigger markers and in 55^th minute he again went close as he skilfully took in a ball from Bald and curled an effort similar to his first half goal only this time the shot from 25 yards curled inches wide.

The visitors were handed a fantastic opportunity to get in front for first time in 59^th minute. Bald fired a free kick into the box from the half way line, keeper Waters came for it but failed to hang onto it. Referee James Marsden’s whistle blew and most in the ground thought it must be for a foul on the keeper but the excellent official who had a very good game all evening had spotted Olive manhandling Wakley as the ball came into the box and was pointing to the spot. Mobbs took on the responsibility and struck his low effort well it beat keeper Waters comfortably but thudded the bottom of his right hand upright and rebounded to safety.

The let off seemed to lift the hosts and from that point on they wrestled control from the Ives and began to slowly build up pressure on the visitor’s rear guard. Storey went close in 67^th minute as Scales picked out his run into the box with a dink from the right and the centre forward’s half volley flashed inches wide.

Wakley gained a brief moment of respite for Ives in 70^th minute as he won a free kick 25 yards from goal in a central position. Mitkov struck the free kick well dipping it over the three man wall but Waters was well positioned and held onto the ball at the second attempt.

The Tigers continued to press and Brandon Andrews went close with a powerful header from a McConnell corner from the left in 72^nd minute A well positioned Mitkov saved his side by hacking the ball off the goal line with Griffiths beaten.

Ives continued to battle and looked like they might just hold out for what would have been an excellent point on the road only to be undone by the powerful Storey five minutes from the end of the ninety as he outmuscled Connor Paine on the edge of the box and teed up substitute Billy Barnes whose low drive took a wicked deflection off an Ives defender on it’s way into the bottom corner of the net past an unsighted Griffiths.

With Ives trying to push forward in search of an unlikely third equaliser of the night an error from substitute Adam Kelly deep inside his own box allowed two Tigers substitutes to execute the coup de grace as Billy Barnes this time became provider robbing Kelly to set up Kyle Compton to lash home from close range just seconds from the final whistle to put a perhaps undeserved gloss on the score line for the hosts.

After last weeks poor defeat at Downham there can be no disgrace in this much improved show at a ground where even Deeping have been beaten already this season. A final word on referee Mr Marsden who put on one of the best shows from a match official I have seen this season in difficult conditions with a bumpy pitch and at times a hostile atmosphere he was never over the top, always in control and only resorted to his cards when absolutely necessary.

Final Score  :  Holbeach United U18  4  St Ives Town U18  2  

Goals : Mitkov 32, Wakley 40

St Ives team : Griffiths, Quinsee, Mitkov, Purse (Kelly 54), Paine, Pillin (capt), Mobbs, Bald (Katz 85), Wakley, Gibbs (Stork 34), Hope

Other subs roll on roll off : Bald for Mitkov 83, Gibbs for Katz 88, Mitkov for Hope 88

Unused Subs : Rudd, Burnham

Attendance  : approx 45