Match Report
St Ives Town v AFC Sudbury
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 29-03-2025
This game was billed as a relegation six pointer by some and by the nature of that it means that the result leaves Ives well and truly in the mire of the relegation dogfight that looks likely to go right to the very last game of the season. Equally the result means that the Suds have given themselves a real chance of hauling themselves out of that bottom four by the time that judgement day arrives.
The visitors came into the game on a mini run that has seen them pick up an invaluable four points from their previous two games and Ives on a run of ill luck which has seen them play well and create chances without gaining any reward in their previous two league fixtures with that luck also extending into Tuesday evening’s County Cup Final.
Taking into account the above it was perhaps no surprise that it was the Suds who started the game on the front foot with their pacy front line testing the Ives back line without really looking likely to find a route through until Jodan Williams clumsily upended Ollie Peters just outside the box in 16th minute. Marcel Lewis the crafted the perfect free kick up and down over Ives five man wall to find the top corner just out of reach of the outstretched fingers of keeper Dan Wilks.
The goal lifted the visitors to new efforts and ex quattro tech Westwood Road hero Myles Cowling almost increased the lead with one of his trademark jinking runs three minutes later. Cowling got past three defenders inside the box before toe poking the ball past the spreading Wilks only to be denied by a brilliant recovery block from Aaron Smith on the goal line.
Ives were playing with the strong breeze at their backs in the first period but apart from adding length to some of Smith’s long throws into the box the wind did little to favour the hosts who were struggling to make inroads into a resilient Suds back line well marshalled by Ryan Henshaw. If Ives were going to find a route back into the game it was always looking likely to be from a dead ball situation and sure enough the equaliser ten minutes before the break came via arguably one of the best executed free kicks of the season. Josh Allen was taken down 25 yards from goal in a central position by Henshaw. Meade struck his powerful free kick perfectly to dip over the wall and find the top corner leaving keeper James Bradbrook rooted to the spot.
The Suds reacted well to the knock back and four minutes later Peters and Jake Turner combined well to set up a shooting opportunity from 20 yards for Cowling. The all action midfielder struck his effort well the ball beating the diving Wilks but skimming inches over the crossbar.
Ives best period of the game then came in the run up to the break. A 40th minute snap shot from the edge of the box by Allen was almost straight at Bradbrook but it still needed sharp reflexes from the agile keeper to parry the fierce, rising, drive over the crossbar. The keeper spilled the resulting corner but he just managed to recover bravely plunging in at the feet of Will Glennon to smother the loose ball.
Another flowing Ives move just before the break saw Benji Mensah cut in from the right before feeding into the edge of the box where George Munday fed it on into the feet of Allen. His turn and shot was again straight at keeper Bradbrook who this time held on well.
Ives have developed a worrying habit in recent games of conceding a goal in the first five minutes after the break and sure enough they were not switched on when another Lewis free kick led to the Suds second only three minutes after the re-start. Another needless free kick was conceded wide left by Williams who again upended Peters. Lewis’s delivery was arrowed into the near post area where Joe Neal lost his marker ghosting in to direct his header past the exposed Wilks.
Four minutes later Neal spurned a good opportunity to double that advantage as he was fed clean through by Cowling but pulled his shot across the face of goal. Even then the ball could have ended up in the net as Meade’s attempted clearance cannoned off Charlie Lewis and rebounded just wide.
Those in the home crowd expecting Ives to turn on one of their familiar second half charges were sadly disappointed as the closest the hosts came to testing Bradbrook after the break was a half chance which came from another Meade free kick in 58th minute. The midfielder was taken down by Callum Page 30 yards out on the right to create the chance. Meade delivered his free kick into the mix where skipper Alex Collard rose highest to head it down to the feet of Williams but the centre back snatched at the chance and fired well over the top.
Ten minutes after that another piece of poor defending by Ives allowed Page to grab the Suds third and effectively kill the game. Another long range delivery into the box by Lewis was not dealt with and the ball bobbled around before eventually being hooked home from close range by Page.
Out of sorts Ives were completely unable to mount any sort of pressure on the visitor’s goal and it just looked like a question of whether the Suds could add to their tally, or not in the remaining time. It took an excellent save from Wilks to prevent Page doing just that in 72nd minute. Substitute Sidney Pereira lost possession on half way allowing Cowling to feed the ball through into the run of Page with only Wilks to beat but the big keeper did well staying upright and making a good block with his body.
A swift 76th minute break by the Suds ended with Neal teeing up Lewis who tried to chip Wilks from thirty yards but again the big stopper was equal to the effort back peddling well to make a comfortable catch.
Ives manager Ricky Marheineke made a whole series of substitutions and positional changes in the closing fifteen minutes in a desperate search for a formula that worked in an attacking sense but sadly the hosts were completely unable to create anything at all and looked a completely spent force as the clock ticked down. The only other noteworthy action in the closing stages was a brilliant sliding block from Williams to deny Neal the icing on what was already proving a very tasty cake for the visitors. The Suds number nine was fed through the centre by Ben Bradley and looked certain to score until Williams appeared from nowhere sliding in to block his shot at point blank range.
The result leaves Ives just three points above the final relegation place with five games to go. The Suds currently occupy that final relegation spot with only Barwell acting as the sandwich filling between the two they are one point behind the Ives. A crucial run in awaits for them all.
Final Score: St Ives Town 1 AFC Sudbury 3 Half Time 1 – 1
Goals:
ST IVES: Meade 37,
SUDBURY: Lewis 17, Neal 48, Page 68,
Line Ups:
ST IVES: Wilks, Williams, Smith (Hottor 85), Meade (Gyamfi 90), Abimbola, Collard (capt), Mensah (Dias 77), Glennon, Hadi, Allen (Pereira 67), Munday (Creary 77), Unused subs: none
SUDBURY: Bradbrook, C. Lewis, Goredema, Turner (capt), Henshaw, Dickens, Peters, Neal, Page (Miles 82), M. Lewis (Bradley 82), Cowling, Unused subs: Pearce, Tower-King, Cox
Referee: Thomas Kelly
Cards: Yellow: ST IVES: none SUDBURY: none
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Jernade Meade
Attendance: 329