Ives get massive win against Kettering!
Kettering Town v St Ives Town
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 08-03-2025
Ives took a massive step towards safety and the prospect of a tenth consecutive season at step three as they became only the second team this season to take maximum points away from the Poppies cauldron at Polwell Lane. The result extends the visitors unbeaten run to seven games and even more importantly, with other results going in their favour, it opens the gap to the bottom four to eight points with just eight games to go.
Ives started the game with a strengthening breeze at their backs on a hard bumpy pitch which had dried out considerably following a few days of sunshine and it was the visitors who seemed first to adapt to conditions which were alien to both sides after a wet winter.
George Munday fired a third minute effort wide after good work down the left by Benji Mensah had created the opportunity. Five minutes later Amir Hadi fired a 25 yarder wide of the opposite post after battling hard to win the ball high up the park.
The hosts were slowly working their way into the game and carved out their first half chance midway through the first period when Kyle Storer and Ben Hart combined well down the right. The move ending with the latter delivering a teasing cross into the centre where Ed Hottor did brilliantly to head away from Isiah Noel-Williams as the big striker looked destined to head it home.
Ives second corner of the game lead to the opening goal. Peter Abimbola delivered it deep, in-swinging from the left. Alex Collard got onto it beyond the far post and directed his header onto Dan Jezeph’s left hand upright. The ball rebounded into the six yard box where Munday was just about to power it home when he was unceremoniously hauled down from behind. Referee Gareth Davis had a perfect view of the incident and instantly blew for the penalty. Will Glennon powered home his spot kick sending the keeper the wrong way.
As was to be expected going behind stung the high flying hosts into action and Sam McLintock had their first effort at goal two minutes later. Noel-Williams headed down Hart’s cross from the right for the young midfielder who volleyed his effort from 20 yards just over the top.
But that effort was a sporadic one for the Poppies and play quickly swung back to the other end where the speedy Mensah was still having a lot of joy down the left. In 32nd minute he outpaced Hart to get down the line before slipping the ball inside to Josh Allen and if Abimbola had anticipated his low cross to the back post he would have had a tap in but sadly he was slow to react and the chance was gone.
Allen picked up the games first yellow card in 38th minute as he took one for the team by pulling back Andi Thanoj as the midfielder looked like bursting clear through the right channel. Thanoj picked himself up and fired the resulting free kick through Ives four man wall but straight into the hands of the waiting Dan Wilks.
The final half chance before the break also fell to Ives who definitely shaded this first period. That final opportunity was again manufactured by the busy Mensah who once more did brilliantly to get down the left. This time his pull out found Hottor 25 yards out, but the powerful midfielder fired his effort well over the top.
After letting a two goal lead slip last week against the Poppies promotion rivals Telford the question on Ives supporters lips at half time was “can we ride out the first twenty minutes of the second period and see this game out”. Little did we know what to expect in what turned out to be a barnstorming second period.
Our worst fears were very quickly proved right as Ives provided a repeat of last week by conceding within minutes of the re-start. This time less than four minutes from the kick off and it was a very well taken equaliser for the hosts as Noel-Williams got down the left and delivered a cross to the near post where Kai Fifield adroitly flicked it past Wilks from close range.
For the next twenty minutes it was all Poppies pressure as the hosts showed a little of why they currently sit second in the table. In 55th minute Kyle Storer, Wes York and Aaron Powell combined well to get down the left and Powell’s resulting cross was turned wide at the back post by Fifield.
But for all their possession the hosts did not manage to force a single save out of keeper Wilks and it looked like Ives may manage to weather the storm only for them to concede a soft 62nd minute penalty as Glennon was harshly adjudged to have pushed over Noel-Williams right on the edge of the box as the pair chased a fairly harmless looking chip over the top. Noel-Williams had to wait a full three minutes before he could take the resulting spot kick whilst Glennon received treatment inside the box. But the Poppies centre forward kept his cool and beat Wilks low to his left to put the hosts in front.
They probably expected to coast their way home from that point but Ives are a very resilient side these days and they were not about to go down without a fight. Manager Ricky Marheineke made positive changes with Sidney Pereira, Johnson Gyamfi and Aaron Smith replacing the tiring Allen, Hottor and Mensah. Two of those replacements had a big hand in Ives equaliser with seven minutes to go. Smith’s first touch was to deliver a long throw from the right that was only half cleared to Gyamfi who curled in the perfect clip to the near post where Glennon ghosted in unmarked to head past the exposed Jezeph from eight yards.
Once more the hosts responded and Storer’s 87th minute near post corner was flicked on to the back post where Fifield prodded it wide. But with that chance going begging it was suddenly Ives who looked the more likely to find a winner. With Jordan Williams now playing as an emergency striker after Hadi had been helped off with a knock to be replaced by Ethan Creary who slotted into his usual right sided defensive role.
Williams joining Munday up front meant a double dose of pace and power for the tiring Poppies back line who were struggling to cope. There was one minute of the ninety left when Munday harried and robbed a dallying Alex Gudger. He picked out Jernade Meade in a little bit of space inside the D but the midfielder took a touch allowing Hart to get back and dispossess him before he could get his shot away.
After some lengthy stoppages the board went up for an added seven minutes. But it was clear that the big home crowd were feeling nervous as that was not greeted with the anticipated cheer and sure enough their fears were proved right as Ives grabbed the winner in the second of those seven. Meade curled in an in-swinging corner from the right that Williams attacked eight yards out in the centre. Under heavy pressure he was unable to get any power in his header but the ball dropped on the edge of the six yard box for Munday to lash it high into the net to send the tiny Ives contingent in the 1100 crowd wild.
There was still time for ex Ives fans favourite Jonny Edwards, who had come on as a substitute for the hosts with fifteen minutes to go, to conjure up one last chance for the Poppies to grab something from the game. Edwards went down under challenge from Collard 25 yards out and referee Davis deemed it a foul. Storer curled his free kick up and down over Ives four man wall. The diving Wilks was beaten but it was Ives day as the ball rattled the crossbar and looped high into the air. Edwards then being penalised by the referee for fouling an Ives defender as he tried to get on the end of that dropping ball.
As previously mentioned the win extends Ives unbeaten run to seven games and even more importantly it lifts them to eight points above the relegation zone with eight games to go. With other results also going their way our gracious hosts still sit second just two points behind league leaders Bedford but with a game in hand.
Final Score: Kettering Town 2 St Ives Town 3 Half Time 0 – 1
Goals:
KETTERING: Fifield 49, Noel-Williams 65 (pen)
ST IVES: Glennon 25 (pen), 83, Munday 90+1
Team Line Ups:
KETTERING: Jezeph, Hart, Powell, Johnson (capt), Gudger, York, Thanoj, Fifield (Pennant 88), McLintock (Edwards 75), Storer, Noel-Williams, Unused subs: Ranger, White,
ST IVES: Wilks, Williams, Mensah (Smith 78), Meade, Hottor (Gyamfi 72), Collard (capt), Abimbola, Glennon, Hadi (Creary 80), Allen (Pereira 72), Munday, Unused subs: Makanjuola
Referee: Gareth Davis
Cards: Yellow: KETTERING: Hart (84) ST IVES: Allen (38), Williams (42), Wilks (60)
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Will Glennon
Attendance: 1169
