Match Report
Banbury United 1 v St Ives Town 0
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 28-12-2024
Nigel Howlett reports from The Banbury Plant Hire Community Stadium
Ives second single goal defeat in a row could be seen as a little unlucky with the Puritans winner in 72nd minute finding the back of the net courtesy of a big deflection that left keeper Dan Wilks with no chance. But the visitors really had themselves to blame as they had two opportunities to clear Claudio Dias’s corner before it fell to the feet of Tia Fleming on the edge of the box.
The Puritans boast the best defensive record in the League by quite a bit but they have struggled to score goals and Ives back line looked similarly solid throughout most of this game that always looked more likely to be decided by a mistake, or a fluke, than a stroke of genius from the attackers on show.
With this game following only 48 hours after hard fought Boxing Day games for both sides changes were always likely and whist Simon Hollyhead made three for the hosts Ricky Marheineke trumped him by making five changes to his starting eleven.
After a cagy opening spell from both sides the game’s first half chance did not arrive until 12th minute when Will Glennon’s deep free kick was knocked down by Alex Collard, Peter Abimbola strode onto the loose ball and drilled in a low cross to the near post where David Adegbola got in front of his man but failed to direct his effort on target under pressure from Fleming.
The hosts similarly failed to hit the target with their first opportunity in 21st minute. A long ball was skilfully taken down by Connor Ferguson who delivered it cleverly into the run of George Ball. But the Puritans number eight snatched at the chance and sliced his effort well wide from just inside the box.
The first real action for either keeper came just before the half hour when a long punt from Puritans stopper Jack Harding picked out AJ George in space wide left. His deep cross picked out Ball beyond the back post and this time the midfielder did better getting a clean strike away on the half volley that forced a sharp save out of Wilks at his near post.
The busy Ball was buzzing around and looking to cause Ives back line problems and he did just that to carve out another opportunity for the hosts in 34th minute. He initially charged down Jordan Williams attempted clearance. Retrieved the ball wide left and delivered a teasing cross to the centre that Ferguson failed to make contact with and Alex Prosser arriving late at the back post could only divert wide from a good position.
Wilks was called upon to make his second excellent save of the game two minutes later. Benji Mensah looked to be bursting away as he broke up a Puritans attack, but his use of the hand to knock the ball down had been well spotted by excellent referee Michael Pattison giving the hosts a free kick 30 yards from goal. Prosser struck his kick well curling it over the two man Ives wall and wickedly bouncing it off the turf just in front of the keeper but Wilks was equal to it plunging full length to his right to push the ball around the post.
Last half chance before the break fell to Ives in the final moments as an Aaron Smith long throw to the near post was somehow missed by all allowing it to bounce in the box. But no one on the visitor’s side had gambled and reacted quickly enough allowing the hosts to scramble the ball clear.
The closest that Ives came to getting the ball in the net was only ninety seconds after the restart. Will Glennon’s free kick from the right was headed back to him and his second delivery was flicked on in the centre by Williams. Coree Wilson got on the end of the flick and forced it onto the crossbar from close range but he had gone a little to early and the flag was up.
Mensah was having an excellent game and looking back to somewhere nearer his best his pace proving effective at both ends of the park. His defensive qualities were shown to perfection on the hour when he did very well to outpace the much bigger Ferguson to carefully shepherd a long punt down the park back to Wilks.
Home keeper Harding was called upon to make his only noteworthy save of the game in 64th minute and that did not really test him. David Adegbola set off on a jinking run through the left channel that was ended as he was clipped by Harry Reilly just outside the box. Glennon got his free kick up and down over the hosts four man wall but Harding moved his feet well to make a comfortable save at his near post.
The deciding goal arrived 18 minutes from time and Ives can really only blame themselves for it. Substitute Dias’s initial corner from the right was headed straight back to him and with time and space to for a second attempt he still failed to pick out a team mate in the crowded box but Ives attempted clearance went straight to Fleming on the edge of the box. His first time shot took a wicked deflection off an Ives defender on its way into the bottom corner of the net leaving Wilks rooted.
Manager Marheineke threw on all five substitutes in an effort to change things but try as they might Ives could not find a route back into the game as the hosts cleverly wound down the clock showing why their defensive record is as good as it is as they prevented their visitors getting a sight of Harding’s goal in that remaining time.
The home supporters and players greeted the final whistle as much with relief as celebration as they claimed their first victory on home soil since mid-October to lift themselves to mid table only one point behind Ives. Both sides now look to be very much in the scramble to avoid the bottom four as they currently sit one and two points above third from bottom Lowestoft Town. In fact in this ridiculously tight table there are an awful lot of teams in that battle with only five points separating seventh placed Stourbridge and nineteenth placed Lowestoft.
As has been the case all season in this league two defeats in a row drops anyone from that group into the dogfight and the return of only a single point from their three games so far in this busy Christmas and New Year period is what has put Ives where they now are. The next two games now look vital with a win required from a New Years Day trip to Spalding United who are unbeaten in six games and a home game against misfiring Stourbridge whose Christmas record to date matches Ives.
Final Score: Banbury United 1 St Ives Town 0 Half Time 0 – 0
Goals:
BANBURY: Fleming 72,
Team Line Ups:
BANBURY: Harding, Reilly, Okito, Prosser, Ofosu (capt), Fleming, Forsyth, Ball (Dias 70), George, Ferguson (George 76), Rowe (Stanley 46), Unused subs: Hollyhead, Donaldson
ST IVES: Wilks, Mensah, Smith, Skyers, Williams, Collard (capt), Abimbola (Creary 88), Glennon (Meade 76), Adegbola (Hadi 66), Wilson (Allen 76), Kaziboni (O’Keefe 76), Unused subs: none
Referee: Michael Pattison
Cards: Yellow: BANBURY: none ST IVES: Williams (72)
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Benji Mensah
Attendance: 631
Watch the full highlights below.