St Ives Town v Bromsgrove Sporting
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 11-04-2026
By Nigel Howlett
The Rouslers came to quattro tech Westwood Road and did a very effective job on Ives to take maximum reward from a game billed as a relegation six pointer. Ives went into the game sitting in the final relegation spot just one place and one point behind their opponents and it was quite obvious from the outset that visiting manager Tim Flowers was looking to at least get a share of the spoils out of this game as he lined up with a solid looking back five.
Despite poor runs of results which have seen these two teams arrive at the wrong end of the table both came into this game with a positive result fresh in their minds. The Rouslers winning at high flying Spalding at the end of March whilst Ives claimed their first maximum return of 2026 at local rivals Royston on Easter Monday.
Manager Ricky Marheineke kept faith with the side that won at Garden Walk and the Ives did start the game positively with Theo Alexandrou forcing a save, albeit a comfortable one, out of visiting keeper Rory Brown with a shot from just outside the box in the third minute. There was a strong wind blowing down the pitch and the hosts were almost caught out from Brown’s long punt down the pitch which drifted over Duncan Idehen allowing Billy Shaw to latch onto it, but the Rouslers number seven wasted the chance slicing wide from a good position.
Three minutes later Neo Dobson did a little more to test Brown as he forced the first diving save out of the keeper with a left footed effort from the edge of the box having been fed in through the left channel by Alexandrou. But Brown was equal to the effort diving low to his left and holding on well.
Ives continued to press forward but were finding it very difficult to find good shooting opportunities in a crowded visitors box. The next noteworthy effort did not come until 26th minute when skipper Michael Richens tried his luck with a 35 yard free kick that screamed a couple of metres wide of Brown’s left hand post.
Amaru Kaunda was working very hard leading Ives attack and he almost managed to put the hosts in front two minutes later as he robbed Nile Timson inside his own box and went on a mazy run that took him past two defenders and almost around the keeper before he got crowded out without being able to get his shot away.
Seconds later Richens was provided another opportunity from a free kick as Reuben Wyatt was upended by George Wynne on the edge of the D. But this time the Ives skipper only succeeded in firing his effort into the heart of the visitor’s five man wall.
Luke Benbow had been running a loan furrow up front for the visitors. But the experienced striker is always a dangerous man to lose in the box as he showed in 33rd minute when Shaw fed him in through the left channel and the bustling number nine showed how it should be done unleashing a screamer from just inside the box that Ollie Taylor in Ives goal did brilliantly to keep out, leaping high to his left to tip the ball over.
The hard working Ives front line were also producing chances but were unable to find the accuracy of Benbow. In 37th minute Wyatt cleverly fed in Dobson cutting in from the left and the young Northampton Town loanee matched the power of Benbow but failed to test Brown as his shot was fired into the side netting.
The game appeared to be drifting towards a goalless first half until the match officials intervened to make the closing stages of the first period the minutes that defined the match. Referee Christopher Poole decided that a clash on the touchline on hallway was worthy of a free kick to the Rouslers when most in the ground expected the decision to go the opposite way. Jack Kelly delivered the ball long into Ives box where keeper Taylor was deceived by the wind and allowed Theo Robinson to nip in front of him and head the ball into the empty net.
Ives responded well but two more controversial decisions from Mr Poole in the run up to the break denied the hosts the chance of getting level or even having a man advantage for the second half. In 44th minute Richens gently lifted a ball over the visitors back line and Alexandrou was looking favourite to get on the end of it when he was tugged back by Jack Newell inches outside the box. Was he last man?, Mr Poole decided that he was not and only issued the offending defender with a yellow card. There was no chance to get the free kick up and down so Richens went for power but the hosts seven man wall held firm.
There was still time for huge appeals for an Ives penalty to be turned down in the final added minute as with everyone back defending a corner for the hosts Benbow took the very risky action of trying to dramatically clear a dropping ball with an overhead kick inside his own box. The flying kick made contact with Alexandrou’s head as the striker bravely went in to try and win the ball. Referee Poole and his assistants were probably the only people in the ground who did not think that it was a cast iron spot kick.
The hosts came out with all guns blazing at the start of the second period but the green and white wall around the Rouslers box held firm although they were a little fortunate on occasions. Five minutes after the restart Dobson got on the end of a long ball and had opportunity to lift it over the stranded Brown but failed to hit the target. A couple of minutes later Wyatt was brought down wide right. Dan Lawlor delivered the free kick deep to the back post where Idehen won the header but the ball was scrambled clear.
Ives kept pressing forward, Alexandrou curled a 25 yarder just over in 55th minute. Two minutes later Richens fed Wyatt through the centre but the youngster snatched at the chance and fired over from just outside the box. Dobson did manage to find a way through the packed defensive lines in 58th minute as he cut inside from the right and curled in an effort that the diving Brown palmed away at full stretch low to his right.
Dobson tried again in 66th minute as he got onto a Richens through ball and again tried to beat Brown low to his right but the keeper flung himself to make another excellent one handed diving save. Brown continued to thwart the hosts stretching to fist away a dangerous cross from the right by Hart in 72nd minute and then catching the follow up effort from Richens.
Ives knew it was not going to be their day ten minutes later and no surprise the ebullient Benbow was heavily involved in setting it up and eventually claiming the goal that clinched the game in favour of the visitors. Benbow won another long ball down the park and flicked it on for Shay Willock to run onto. The Rouslers substitute was bundled over inside the box by Idehen. This time there were no complaints at Mr Poole’s decision. Benbow applied the coup de gras firing his spot kick home high past the diving Taylor.
This second goal took all of the stuffing out of Ives and they were unable to create any further threat to the visitor’s goal allowing the jubilant Rouslers to move four points clear of Ives with just two games to go. Ives ten year run in step three now hangs by a thread and if the results go against them could end next week at Worcester City.
Final Score: St Ives Town 0 Bromsgrove Sporting 2 Half Time 0 – 1
Goals:
ST IVES:
BROMSGROVE: Robinson 41, Benbow 81 (pen)
Team Line Ups:
ST IVES: Taylor, Creary, Source (Smith 65), Richens (capt), Idehen, Dobson (Baker 88), Hart, Kaunda, Wyatt (Meade 79), Lawlor, Alexandrou (Njie 88), Unused subs: Miles
BROMSGROVE: Brown, Flint, Kelly, Roberts (capt), Belmonte (Lyden 74), Shaw (Ryley 81), Wynne, Benbow (Trustram 90), Timson, Newell, Robinson (Willock 75), Unused subs: Softley
Referee: Christopher Poole
Cards: Yellow: ST IVES: none BROMSGROVE: Newell (44), Timson (53)
SPONSORS MAN OF THE MATCH: Theo Alexandrou
Attendance: 309
