Bourne Town v St Ives Town-Match Report
Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midlands Division 15-09-2026
Written by Nigel Howlett
Ricky Marheineke’s shock departure after last weeks sad performance against Coleshill had thrown the club into turmoil. But Dan Lawlor stepped up to the plate and managed to get a much improved showing out of the team who to a man fought for every ball and rattled their hosts in this thriller in the Fens. Sadly they ran out of steam towards the end and shipped a late goal to come away from the game with nothing.
With some players following Marheineke out of the door there were four changes to the starting eleven with new signing from Daventry Town CJ Gordon making his debut on the right joining youngsters Josh Ward, Andy Ankrah and Alfie Shepherd.
The new look Ives side found themselves two behind before they had even managed to settle into the game. A third minute corner from right was not dealt with at the near post and skipped off the lush turf to deflect past a startled Jonah Gill off the knee of skipper Michael Gash. Things went from bad to worse only six minutes later when a misdirected header from Ben Kaninda dropped to the feet of Dan Forbes who carefully picked his spot past the exposed Gill.
But rather than roll over and die Ives answered the call from Lawlor and wrestled control of the game from their hosts. Mark Jones won the battle of the Jones brothers just getting in front of his older sibling Richard to toe poke home Alfie Shepherd’s perfectly placed in-swinging cross from the left and halve the arrears in 14th minute.
Ives continued to pour forward and only two minutes later it took an excellent defensive header from Freddie Allen to prevent Shepherd getting on the end of Ward’s teasing cross from the right.
The Jones brothers put each other out of the game for a period with a nasty clash of heads in 24th minute as Mark did well in his defensive duties to prevent Richard getting on the end of a deep free kick into Ives box. There was a lengthy stoppage whilst both received treatment on the pitch before both going off to get patched up and both sides were down to ten men when Ives equalised four minutes later. Ankrah looked like he had little chance of winning the ball as he challenged Michael Bostwick in the air for a long ball. But the experienced defender headed the ball onto the head of Ankrah from where it rebounded back into the box and dropped invitingly to the feet of Shepherd. The younger winger kept his composure and calmly curled the ball around keeper Will Lakin and into the bottom corner to open his account for the club.
Both sides were back up to their full compliment soon after with Mark sporting a Terry Butcher type headband and his brother similar attire albeit in a darker colour. Gill in the Ives goal had been a virtual spectator during the energetic Ives period on top but he showed his mettle in 33rd minute when a slip from Gash allowed Forbes to get clear but the athletic stopper stayed big and made an excellent stop low to his right.
Ives got their noses in front four minutes before the break with Shepherd again the provider as he created just enough space on the left corner of the box to unleash a curling effort that was destined for the top corner but for the outstretched fingertips of the flying Lakin that touched the ball onto the crossbar. Sadly for the keeper Mark Jones was first to react to the loose ball and slammed it home from a narrow angle.
It could have looked even better for the visitors at the interval as only moments later Matty Miles cross from the left arrived at the feet of Ankrah by the penalty spot but the busy number ten snatched at the chance and fired just over the top.
Richard Jones did not reappear for the second half as he was replaced by Lewis Darlington. This may have meant that he succumbed to his head injury or more likely looked like a deliberate reshuffle from Wakes manager Dan Flack with Darlington going up front and Forbes moving in to bolster the midfield where Lawlor and Aidan Edwards had certainly held the upper hand in the first half.
Ives started the second period on the front foot winning three early corners with Jones getting on the end of the third but unable to direct his header on target under heavy pressure from defenders.
The ten minute period after half time has been a nightmare for Ives in recent weeks but it looked like they were going to come through it unscathed with their lead intact until Kaninda found himself on the wrong side of Zac Allen and in trying to recover took down the Wakes skipper just inside the box in 55th minute. Allen picked himself up and beat Gill low to his right with the spot kick to level things up again.
Jones had a half chance to restore Ives lead ten minutes later when he cut in from the left and hit the target from a narrow angle but keeper Lakin had got his angles right and parried the shot away at his near post.
Ives were still battling and putting their bodies on the line. The visitor’s penalty area was a bit like a shooting gallery in 67th minute as shots from Allen and Josh Burrows were bravely blocked by flying Ives defenders before the final shot by Aaron Eyett was deflected wide off Gash. Another lucky escape for Ives in 72nd minute as Darlington got the wrong side of Gash and looked to be wrestled to the ground by the Ives skipper deep inside the box but referee Aimee Keir waved away the appeals from the home side.
Gordon was still looking dangerous when he got the chance to take on his full back and he did manage to get past his man and deliver a dangerous cross into the six yard box fifteen minutes from time. Sadly no one else had gambled to get in the centre and the chance went begging.
That was Ives final opportunity to win it as fatigue began to set in and they dropped deeper and deeper in trying to hang on to what would have been an excellent point. Jack York fired a good opportunity wide in 84th minute and it looked like Ives were going to cling on until in the last of the added four minutes Allen got past Ives substitute Aaron Addy on the left and delivered a low driven cross to the near post where Darlington flicked it home to send the big home crowd away happy but make it a long trek back through the Fens for a strong Ives contingent.
On the positive side this was a much improved performance and with home games coming up against fellow strugglers Barwell and Corby Town the chance exists to move away from the drop zone.
Final Score: Bourne Town 4 St Ives Town 3 Half Time 2 – 3
Goals:
BOURNE: Gash (own goal) 3, Forbes 9, Z. Allen 57 (pen), Darlington 90+4
ST IVES: M. Jones 14, 41, Shepherd 28
Team Line Ups:
BOURNE: Lakin, Brooks, F. Allen, Eyett (Harris 90+5), R. Jones (Darlington 46), Bostwick, Furey (Little 71), Burrows, Forbes (Randall 83), York, Z. Allen (capt) Unused subs: McLoughlin,
ST IVES: Gill, Miles, Ward (Addy 84), Lawlor, Kaninda, Gash (capt), Gordon (Riordan (90+3), Edwards, Jones, Ankrah, Shepherd, Unused subs: Keogh, Varela
Referee: Aimee Keir
Cards: Yellow: BOURNE: none ST IVES: Edwards (23), Lawlor (52)
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Alfie Shepherd
Attendance: 298
