AFC Sudbury v St Ives Town
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 18-11-2025
Written by Nigel Howlett
On paper this looked like a banker for the in-form Ives, unbeaten in five and with their last away win an exciting 3-2 victory at the then league leading Tulips. Their hosts struggling at the wrong end of the table without a league win since 6th September. But that assessment doesn’t take into account the misfortune which has befallen Ives since their last fixture four days earlier. Injuries picked up in that game plus unavailability meant that there were seven changes to Ives starting eleven in this game. The hosts made three changes from their side beaten in the FA Trophy by Hereford on Saturday. The most noteworthy of those being a debut for 19 year old academy keeper Jack Munson.
With the players on one side still getting to know each other and their opposition low on confidence it was always likely to be a tentative start. The first effort from either side was a fifth minute 25 yarder from Marcel Lewis for the hosts that forced Ollie Taylor into a diving save low to his left. Ninety seconds later at the other end Gibou Njie failed to test Munson after having been played into space on the right by Omari Forde.
The closest Ives came in the first half was a Sam Tessler header that drifted wide of the post after he rose highest to Alfie Shepherd’s tenth minute corner. Marcel Lewis continued to look like the main threat for the hosts and his fierce swerving drive from 25 yards forced Taylor into an excellent diving save to his right in 15th minute.
The middle third of the first half passed without noteworthy incident as both sides tended to go long to often without any real success as Ives makeshift back line dealt well with long balls from the hosts and with no aerial threat in their front line at all for Ives that was a tactic which was never going to work for them.
The main threat on the pitch was still being offered by the quick footed Marcel Lewis and he carved out two shooting opportunities for the hosts in quick succession just after the half hour. Siezing possession on half way as the Suds broke at speed he drove into Ives back line before picking out Jamie Everleight arriving from the right Tessler did well to bravely block the shot and Ives eventually scrambled the ball clear. Moments later Lewis danced down the left before delivering a low cross to the near post where Mekhi McKenzie got a toe onto the ball forcing Taylor into an excellent reaction save.
Taylor was in action again six minutes before the break, Jamie Everleigh delivered a low cross from the right that was missed at the near post by Liam Pearce but Callum Page was arriving at the back post and looked like he must force the ball home but he didn’t make clean contact allowing the agile Taylor to get across and make the save.
Overlapping full back Matty Miles did well to win a corner for the visitors two minutes later and again an Ives player rose highest to the resulting flag kick into the box, but Aaron smith could only direct his downward header wide of the post.
The early stages of the second half followed the pattern of most of the first with the hosts continuing to probe for weaknesses in the Ives backline with Lewis at the heart of most of the Suds good work. His 52nd minute 25 yarder forced another flying save out of the busy Taylor. Pearce should have probably done better four minutes later when he cut inside Jiah Medrano from the right and let fly with a screamer from the edge of the box that whistled wide of the far post.
Michael Richens is in a rich vein of scoring form and he claimed his eighth of the season, and arguably his best, with a goal out of nothing to put Ives in front just after the hour.
Gaining possession just inside the Suds half he looked up and spotted Munson off his line and went for it from fully 45 yards. His aim was true as with unerring accuracy the ball arced like an arrow over the fast retreating keeper into the back of the net.
Going in front sparked Ives into a brief period where they looked a little more like their usual flowing selves. Two minutes later Miles combined with substitute Albie O’Keefe down the right. O’Keefe’s pull back bounced of the shins of a strangely lacklustre Jernade Meade into the hands of Munson. Had that chance been put away it is almost certain that the hosts heads would have gone down and it would have been game over.
However it was still very much game on and with the hosts now trying to use the full width of a very wide pitch Ellis Lawson was finding a lot of room on the right. His 66th minute pinpoint cross picked out the head of McKenzie who had got between the centre backs but could only direct his free header straight into the hands of Taylor.
Another Ives break saw Tyrone Baker force a save out of Munson with a powerful drive from just outside the box in 70th minute. But it was looking more likely that a goal was going to come at the other end Taylor did well to keep out a fierce drive from McKenzie and was pleased to see Lewis fire the follow up well over the top.
Taylor was fortunate to preserve his clean sheet in 80th minute as Pearce found space to unleash a screamer from 25 yards that dipped and swerved past the diving keeper rebounding from the upright and wide of the post of the body of the still flying Ives custodian. But his luck ran out seconds later as the resulting corner was flicked on at the near post by McKenzie and bundled home at the back post by Charlie Lewis.
Losing their lead sparked Ives into a brief period of pressure on the Suds goal during which Munson pulled off two excellent save to retain the parity. In 84th minute Richens set off on one of his barnstorming runs through the heart of the host’s defence. His skimming low drive was pushed away by the diving Munson and the flag went up as Baker tried to latch onto the loose ball.
Two minutes later Baker almost burst clear only to be hauled down 25 yards out by Charlie Lewis. Richens fired the resulting free kick around the hosts three man wall but Munson was equal to it plunging to his left to keep the ball out.
Those two save proved the catalyst for the hosts winner in 90th minute as Pearce found space to roam through the centre of Ives back line his initial shot was blocked by a defender but the ball ran loose to Marcel Lewis who calmly slotted past Taylor from just inside the box.
Moments later the board went up for an added seven minutes was there still time for Ives to get something from the game. It certainly looked like not in the second of those added minutes when an acrobatic overhead kick from Suds substitute Adam Tilson put Pearce completely clear but as Taylor came to meet him the big number ten fired wide from just outside the box.
To give them their due Ives did battle in search of an equaliser in the remain five minutes. The closest that they came was when Baker rounded Charlie Lewis on the left and drove in on goal but the angle was narrow and Munson made a brave point-blank block.
The final Ives foray in the seventh of those added minutes saw shots from substitute Kellan Hickinson and Baker again blocked by the flying bodies of defenders to allow the hosts to celebrate their third league win of the season. Ives will limp away into the night to lick their wounds and hope that the injured swiftly recover to quickly get their season back on track.
Final Score: AFC Sudbury 2 St Ives Town 1 Half Time 0 – 0
Goals:
SUDBURY: C. Lewis 81, M. Lewis 90
ST IVES: Richens 61
Team Line Ups:
SUDBURY: Munson, C. Lewis, Goredema, Turner (capt), Lawson (Okeh 90+2), Page, Dettmar (Tilson 79), Pearce, Eveleigh (Leeks 70), M. Lewis, McKenzie, Unused subs: Hurst, Fletcher
ST IVES: Taylor, Medrano, Richens (capt), Tessler, Smith, Shepherd (Obeng 75), Baker, Miles (Riordan 90+5), Forde (O’Keefe 56, Hickinson 83), Njie, Meade, Unused subs: Watkins
Referee: Christopher Darling
Cards: Yellow: SUDBURY: Tilson (86) ST IVES: none
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Ollie Taylor
Attendance: 177
