King's Lynn Town

Kings Lynn Town U18’s vs St Ives Town U18

King’s Lynn Town U18 v St Ives Town U18   

Thurlow Nunn Youth League – Western Division  15-04-19

A very young Ives side learnt a harsh lesson at title challengers King’s Lynn. With little to play for now manager Lloyd Groves is looking to the future and budding more of next seasons side but that was something of a gamble against the Linnets who had to win this game to keep their title hopes alive.

But for the heroics of sixteen year old Kai Bradley in the Ives goal the score line in this fixture could have been a lot worse. The hosts went for the jugular straight from the off and Bradley was called upon to make the first of a host of excellent saves in only the second minute. Mitchell Rasberry got to the bye line on the right and his clip to the back post bounced off Karl Frans and fell invitingly for Joseph Taylor ten yards out. Taylor struck his shot well but Bradley was equal to it leaping high to his right to palm the ball over the top. 

Five minutes later Bradley was in action again this time Luke Johnson and Finlay Howe almost caught out Ives with a short corner on the left, the ball was eventually fed back to Johnson looping around and a clever step over by Taylor allowed his driven cross to skim towards the back post but the keeper had read it and made a good save low down to his left.

In these early stages Ives were creating chances on the break and they went close twice in three minutes. Initially a Joe Purse free kick from 25 yards dipped over the Linnets three man wall forcing home keeper Aydin Duran into a diving save low to his right. Three minutes later a powerful Zac Hope run from half way pulled the home defence out of position a clever ball inside to Connor Gibbs kept the move going and his slide rule pass in turn picked out Ben Smith’s well timed run into the box. Smith did everything right clipping the ball past the advancing Duran only to be denied as the ball struck Duran’s left hand post. It bounced back invitingly into the centre of goal but no Ives striker was on hand to force it home.

The game then almost seemed to become an individual duel between Bradley and Taylor which the Ives keeper won comprehensively denying the Linnets speedy front man three times in a ten minute spell. In 15th minute the young keeper was almost caught out as he sprinted from his line but failed to gather an awkward through ball allowing the Linnets striker to gain possession inside the box. It looked like Taylor must score but Bradley did not give it up and managed to recover sufficient ground to block his shot at point blank range. Four minutes later Taylor was put completely clear by a well weighted through ball from Kieron Wingfield again Bradley got his angles right narrowed the angle and blocked the shot when it came. Ives high line continued to get caught out and Bradley was forced to repeat his heroics to again deny Taylor after he had run clear onto a ball over the top in 25th minute.

With time ticking down it looked like Ives may just manage to get to half time level but a 36th minute corner was their undoing. Johnson again took it short giving Rasberry chance to run at the defence Gibbs was deemed to have fouled him 25 yards from goal. Despite it looking like Ives had got everything lined up correctly Johnson managed to find a chink in the armour as he curled and exquisite free kick over the four man defensive wall and just beyond the reach of the diving Bradley into the top corner of the net.

The goal relieved the pressure which had been building on the hosts, but it also meant they relaxed their concentration a little and Ives were within inches of levelling things up right on half time. A corner from the left was won at the back post by Connor Paine his downward header into the mix rebounded off a defender and fell to Gibbs. His shot was blocked and the ball ricocheted to Hope twelve yards out. The Ives wide man miss hit his shot but that almost deceived Duran as the ball rose in the air spinning wickedly dipped over the struggling keeper and rebounded off the crossbar, again luck was not with Ives as it fell to a defender who hacked it clear.

The game was ended as a contest with a quick fire brace from the Linnets inside the first seven minutes of the second half. Both goals were carbon copy corners delivered high to the back post from the right by Johnson. The first in 48th minute was powered home by recently contracted centre half Harry Paul who rose uncontested. The repeat performance in 52nd minute was equally emphatically headed home by his centre back partner Owen Gilbert who rose above the crowd to claim his reward.

There was still plenty of time for Bradley to continue his heroics and this time his adversary became marauding left back Howe. In 56th minute the wing back played a one two on the edge of the box with Sam Lammiman before bursting through only to be bravely denied by the well positioned Bradley. The Ives keeper repeated the feat in 63rd minute as Howe this time exchanged passes with substitute Ben Welch before again going through one on one with the keeper who again did everything right to deny him.

A fourth goal was however looking inevitable and it arrived in simple fashion in 66th minute. Howe was again heavily involved as he wriggled his way past two Ives defenders to get to the bye line before picking out Lammiman arriving at the near post a simple side foot finish completed the evenings scoring.

By this point the game was completely over as a contest and the substitutes were rolling on and off for both sides effectively breaking up the game. There were a few more noteworthy events all around the goal so admirably defended by Bradley. Fifteen minutes from time Rasberry and Johnson combined well down the right with the former delivering a cross to the back post where Frans did well to prevent Welch forcing it home. The loose ball fell to Howe inside the box but he fired wide from a good position.

Five minutes later Bradley was again up to his tricks as Welch put Wingfield clear but the Linnets leading scorer simply became the latest of his colleagues to be denied by the agility and bravery of the Ives stopper this time he went to his left to turn the effort away. The resulting corner was again won in the air by the powerful Paul but his goal bound header was headed off the line by Frans.

The final action of the evening saw Linnets substitute Imja Andrejev squander a good opportunity to increase the hosts lead as a poor clearance fell to him just outside the box, but rather than involve any of his better positioned colleagues he took a touch and then blazed his effort well wide.

To their credit Ives battled to the bitter end but it was Bradley who earned the plaudits in a losing cause. As for the Linnets they have done their bit but their title hopes now rest on Deeping Rangers doing them a favour by denying Peterborough Sports three points in the deciding game on Thursday evening.     

Final Score  :  King’s Lynn Town  U18  4  St Ives Town U18  0  

Goals : none

St Ives team : Bradley, Frans, Darnell (Quinsee 59), Purse, Young, Paine (capt), Hope, Rudd (Bald 47), Stork (Smith 59), Gibbs (Laker 59), O’Donovan (Mitkov 31) 

Other subs used roll on roll off : Gibbs for Hope 84, Darnell for Frans 85, Hope for Purse 90+1

Unused Subs : none

Attendance  : approx. 75

Report by Nigel Howlett

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King’s Lynn Town vs St Ives Town

King’s Lynn Town 2 St Ives Town 0  

Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Division Central – 10-11-18

In spite of putting in a battling performance Ives were unable to keep up their good record again Lynn’s new manager Ian Culverhouse and could not prevent the Linnets prodigal son celebrating a successful return to the Walks.

With goalkeeper Sam Wilson ending his loan spell from Mansfield Town early new signing from Kempston Rovers Martin Conway made his Ives debut between the sticks and there was also a new face on the bench where former Northampton Town youngster Ben Jackson took his place amongst the substitutes.

Ives line up also had a slightly unfamiliar look as with Mark Coulson injured and Charlie De’ath unavailable Danny Kelly took the number three shirt alongside Sam Cartwright and Jarvis Wilson in what appeared to be a back three with Joe Hood playing a little further forward. 

After a poor start to the season the Linnets have been running into a bit of form in the League recently and having won away at Alvechurch in Culverhouse’s first game back they came into this match eager to give him a welcome homecoming. 

After a bright opening few minutes that saw Ollie Snaith fire an early shooting chance well over the top Ives soon found themselves pegged back as Frazer Blake-Tracy and Michael Clunan combined well on the left the latter delivering a dangerous cross to the near post that Michael Gash glanced inches wide in seventh minute.

Ben Baker was busily buzzing around at the other end and in 18th minute he almost managed to nick a misplaced cross field pass. His toe poke fell to Ryan Fryatt who unceremoniously delivered the ball straight down the park. Striker Adam Marriott showed a fantastic touch initially to bring the ball down and burst into the box away from Jarvis Wilson. But having done the hard bit Marriott’s touch then let him down as he got the ball tangled in his feet allowing Wilson to recover.

Whilst looking pretty solid at the back Ives meaningful attacks into the Linnets final third were only sporadic the best of these came mid-way through the first period when skipper Robbie Parker managed to thread a ball through the hosts back line to get Munashe Sundire to the bye line just inside the box. Sundire had three players to pick from in the box but delivered his low cross between the trio allowing Blake-Tracy to make a hurried clearance.

Owen Wallis picked up a yellow card for hauling down Chris Henderson in the centre circle in 24th minute but he made a much better timed and more crucial tackle to deny the same player a run into the box six minutes before the break. Gash had knocked a long ball down to the feet of Henderson and would have put him clear but for Wallis’s timely intervention.

With half time approaching the hosts started to build up the pressure on the Ives back line and they went close on three occasions in quick succession. In 41st minute the dangerous Ryan Hawkins managed to burst through attempted tackles from Snaith and Cartwright before slamming a powerful drive into the side netting from the right hand corner of the box.

Three minutes later Conway was called upon to make his first real save of the game as he used his feet well to recover his position and tip over a viciously dipping cross shot from Blake-Tracy on the left. The overlapping full back had got on the end of an intricate Linnet’s move which came from an Ives attack breaking down just outside the hosts box.

The hosts thought that they had grabbed the lead right on half time as Marriott rose unmarked to power home another Blake-Tracy delivery from the left. Much to Linnet’s dismay the well positioned referee Tom Hancock ruled the effort out as just in front of Marriott Gash had pushed Kelly in the back to prevent him clearing the ball.

During half time the promised heavy rain arrived and instantly had the effect of speeding up the surface which made moving the ball around at speed vital unfortunately Ives continued to waste good possession as they too often misplaced the final ball. The opening goal in 54th came from just such a situation as an Ives corner was quickly channelled away from danger and fed down the park where Henderson looked like getting away only to be denied by an excellent covering tackle from Jarvis Wilson. Unfortunately for the Ives youngster the ball rebounded to Clunan following up and his low cross into the centre was turned home at close range by Craig Parker.

In response Ives managed to carve out their best chance of the afternoon three minutes later as Sundire seized an opportunity to run at the Linnets back line. He delayed his pass to release George Bailey into the box on the left. The Ives centre forward did everything right as he fired in a low first time effort that looked likely to beat the spreading keeper Alex Street only for the ball to rebound away off his left heel.

Only sixty seconds later Henderson spurned a golden opening to make it 2-0 as Hawkins picked him out to perfection with a cross from the right. The Linnet’s midfielder rose at the far post, but with the goal at his mercy he directed the ball just wide of Conway’s right hand upright from eight yards. Henderson’s miss did not prove to costly as from the Linnet’s next meaningful attack just after the hour the midfielder made amends for his earlier miss. Hawkins was again involved in the move as he took on Snaith on the right before laying the ball back to substitute Jordan Richards who found Henderson between defenders and this time he directed his downward header past Conway and in the bottom corner of the net.

Man of the match Hawkins continued to torment Ives back line from his wide right position. In 66th minute he again outpaced Snaith on the outside and got to the bye line before laying the ball back to the ever willing Henderson on the edge of the box. This time the midfielder fired his low drive straight at Conway who held on well.

Manager Ricky Marheineke made a double change with twenty minutes to go replacing the tiring Snaith with Jordan Patrick and deep lying midfielder Wallis with another attacker Dylan Wilson but in spite of the changes it was the Linnets who looked more likely to get a third rather than Ives pull one back. In 74th minute Gash rose well above his marker to power a header wide from eight yards after he got on the end of another Hawkins cross from the right.

The hosts continued to press forward looking to add to their tally but the gallant Ives battled to the end although it took an excellent one handed diving save from Conway to deny Harry Limb in 86th minute after the Linnets substitute had seen his first effort blocked and had fired in a powerful follow up that Conway dived low to his left to tip around the post.

Jackson came on for his Ives debut two minutes from the end of the ninety going into the centre of defence to release Kelly to join the front line. But it took another good save from Conway to deny Gash as he stayed solid to parry away a stinging drive from the Linnets centre forward just into added time.

This reverse in a game that was always going to be a tough one for the Ives has seen them drop to just one point and one place above the relegation zone. With three of their next four games against sides in the lower reaches of the table all at Westwood Road there is a massive period that could decide the direction of the entire season looming in the next few weeks. Your support will be vital to cheer them on to success and a move in the right direction in the table. 

Final Score : King’s Lynn Town  2  St Ives Town  0

Goals :  none

Team : Conway, Hood, Kelly, Sundire, Cartwright, Jarvis Wilson, Wallis (Dylan Wilson 79), Parker (capt), Bailey (Jackson 88), Baker, Snaith (Patrick 69)

Unused subs : Moyes

Supporters Man of the match : Munashe Sundire

Attendance : 714

Report by Nigel Howlett. Photos by Louise Thompson

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