Match Report
St Ives Town v Halesowen Town
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 05-04-2025
This vital point for Ives, their first in four games, just keeps their noses above the relegation zone but it could so easily have been more as the Yeltz had Jamie Willets dismissed in 18th minute so will probably be the happier of the two sides with a share of the spoils.
With manager Ricky Marheineke away joint assistants Adam Fisher and Jim Freeman took charge of the side for the first time and as if it was not a tough enough baptism facing the third placed visitors who came into the match on the back of an eight game unbeaten run. The pair also lost Jordan Williams and Ed Hottor to injuries picked up in what was no doubt an intense Thursday evening training session.
What proved to be the game’s best chance arrived as early as 12th minute when Conor Tee’s clever clip over the top held up on the breeze to put McKauley Manning clear on goal through the centre. Keeper Dan Wilks quickly closed down the attacked who proceeded to snatch at his opportunity slicing the ball wide of Wilks’s right hand post from just inside the box.
Hesitation from Yeltz keeper Dan Platt presented George Munday with Ives first shooting opportunity three minutes later. Peter Abimbola’s ball over the top was carried on the breeze and although it was wide left it looked like Platt could comfortably beat Ives striker to the ball to hack it clear but the keeper stopped allowing Munday to get to the ball but his first time effort flew harmlessly across the face of goal.
Next came the moment that turned the game as Benji Mensah latched onto a short pass and accelerated through the centre of the Yeltz back line. He got past two defenders and looked likely to go clear as last man Willets clumsily scythed him down to earn himself the instant red card. There was however a degree of controversy about the incident as Munday had latched onto the loose ball with only Platt to beat but the whistle had already gone with Willets quickly on his way. The resulting free kick came to nothing and the visitors very quickly made a change to shore up the hole in their back line replacing sacrificial lamb Manning with Ryan Wollacott.
Ives then came within inches of going in front midway through the half as Munday got across in front of his marker at the near post to get a flick onto Jernade Meade’s in-swinging corner. The ball bounced agonisingly across the face of goal without anyone able to get a decisive touch. It then hit the base of the unguarded back post and rebounded to safety.
Amir Hadi was causing problems down Ives left and his 33rd minute tricky run and delivery served up another half chance for Munday who again got across in front of his marker but failed to find the target with his flick.
It was then the turn of the visitors to go close three minutes later. Jak Hickman delivered a dangerous deep cross from the right that a stretching Ethan Creary did brilliantly to stop Keiren Donnelly getting on the end of at the back post. The ball was kept alive by Todd Parker who delivered it back into the near post area where Tee bravely went in with keeper Wilks. The ball rebounded onto the crossbar and over to safety. Despite the referee giving a goal kick those in close attendance were convinced that it was a brilliant point blank save from Wilks that deflected the ball onto the crossbar.
At the other end Yeltz stopper Platt was called upon to make his first save of the game four minutes before the break as Meade played in Munday through the left channel and the big striker found the target with his first time effort from a narrow angle forcing Platt to dive to his left to make a relatively comfortable stop.
Perhaps not surprisingly against ten men Ives had enjoyed the majority of possession throughout the first period whilst struggling to break down a resilient Yeltz back line well lead by skipper Ryan Wynter. But the start of the second half has been a period of trepidation for the hosts in recent games as they have conceded a goal within five minutes of the resumption in four of their last five games. But Fisher and Freeman made sure that was not the case today and it was switched on Ives who came closest to scoring in the early period of the second half. A 48th minute Meade free kick from 30 yards forced Platt into another comfortable save. Alex Collard got the ball in the net four minutes later as he got on the end of Claudio Dias’s in-swinging cross from the right but the assistant’s flag was up and the “goal” was chalked off.
Mensah was still causing problems for the visitor’s defence with his direct running style but his involvement in the game was ended in cynical fashion just after the hour as Josh Smile took him down 30 yards from goal. The speedy wing back limped out of the game to be replaced by Josh Allen and Meade fired the resulting free kick into the Yeltz four man wall.
Ives continued to huff and puff without really looking likely to find a way through the very solid Yeltz back line until the closing stages when they carved out three opportunities in the final four minutes of the ninety. In 86th minute substitute Allen fed Hadi on the left allowing the tricky striker to get outside Jack Birch before sending in a fierce rising drive from a narrow angle that Platt reacted well to tip over the top.
The resulting corner was knocked back to Meade who wriggled his way past Donnelly back helping his defence. The number nine made a clumsy centre forward’s tackle and Meade went down but referee Matthew Friend was in the perfect position to see and waved away Ives appeals for a spot kick.
The last chance of the game fell to the ever willing Munday and it was probably a better chance than it looked as Creary’s long ball held up on the breeze deceiving Wollacott and allowing Munday to get on the end of it just outside the box. The powerful youngster had chance to look up and see Platt off his line and decided to try and lob the keeper but did not get enough on the shot presenting a comfortable save for the agile stopper.
With results elsewhere going in favour of the Yeltz they still sit third in the table, firmly cemented in the play off places and only two points off top spot. Ives can celebrate their first clean sheet at home in the league all season but with their main relegation rivals in Barwell and Sudbury both winning the gap between them and the bottom four is now a solitary point with four vital games to go.
Final Score: St Ives Town 0 Halesowen Town 0 Half Time 0 – 0
Goals:
ST IVES:
HALESOWEN:
Line Ups:
ST IVES: Wilks, Creary, Smith, Meade, Abimbola, Collard (capt), Mensah (Allen 62), Glennon, Hadi, Dias, Munday, Unused subs: Williams, Pereira, Makanjuola, Gyamfi
HALESOWEN: Platt, Hickman (Birch 76), Cassidy, Smile, Wynter (capt), Willets, Flanagan (Mitchell 62), Tee (Cameron 62), Donnelly, Parker, Manning (Wollacott 20), Unused subs: Oliver
Referee: Matthew Friend
Cards: Red: HALESOWEN: Willets (18)
Yellow: ST IVES: none HALESOWEN: Birch (81)
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Ethan Creary
Attendance: 399