Stamford AFC v St Ives Town
Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central 17-02-2026
Written by Nigel Howlett
Ives poor start to 2026 continued as they stumbled to their fifth defeat in a row, a result that pulls them down into the scrap to avoid the bottom four. They now sit only five points above the drop zone and the team currently in that last relegation spot are the successful Daniels.
Give manager Ricky Marheineke his due though as he has brought experienced players into the squad to try and arrest the slump with Peterborough Sports loanees Ryan Fryatt and Mark Jones joining their old team mate Dan Lawlor and ex Ives favourite Jonny Edwards as new recruits. The former three players all enjoyed massive success with the Turbines as they established themselves as a competitive step 2 side. However bringing those four and another new recruit, Reuben Wyatt from Tamworth, into the side it was always going to take a while for things to gell and that was how it proved to be.
It could so easily have been a dream start for the visitors though as only four minutes in Jones cleverly fed through Jonny Edwards clear one on one with Daniels keeper Tom Alexander. Edwards rounded the keeper but the angle was narrowing and his effort at goal lacked power allowing covering defender Jack Keeble to deflect the effort away from goal.
That proved to be the only bright spark in an otherwise tough first half for Ives as the hosts took control. Daniels skipper Jordan Cooke was first to test Ollie Taylor in 15th minute as he rose above the crowd at the back post to get on the end of Ryan Wilson’s in-swinging corner. Taylor did well to dive low to his right and claw the powerful header away.
The opening goal for the hosts arrived five minutes later in simple fashion as left wing back Aaron Cashmore broke clear onto a long ball out of defence and outpaced the Ives cover to run fully seventy yards before firing low past Taylor from just inside the box.
The hosts continued their domination and Taylor was called into action again in 24th minute as Kai Sanchez-Tonge outpaced Duncan Idehen before cutting inside and firing straight at the, well positioned, Ives stopper who made a comfortable save. The visitors were saved from falling further behind by an assistant’s flag on the half hour. Wilson delivered a teasing free kick into the no-mans land between keeper and defenders. Cooke won the header and Taylor pulled off a brilliant reaction save to keep the ball out. But Luca Alonzi was first to react to force home the loose ball only to have his celebration cut short by the upraised flag.
The Daniels front line were proving a real handful and Fryatt bundled over Alonzi 25 yards from goal only moments later to set up another shooting opportunity for the hosts. Wilson curled his free kick over Ives three man wall, but inches wide of the post as Taylor scrambled across to cover.
Taylor continued his heroics to keep Ives in the game. Sanchez-Tonge broke clear down the right in 34th minute and it took another excellent block from Ives custodian to deny him. Two minutes later the mobile Sanchez-Tonge got away again. This time Idehen did well to block his intended cross but the ball ricocheted to Charlie Marzano following up and it took another brilliant save from the flying Taylor to tip over his fearsome rising drive.
Sanchez-Tonge continued to cause problems and four minutes before the break he got to the bye line again. Fyatt did well to prevent Alonzi forcing the cross home but again the ball fell to a Daniels player following up. This time Jake Duffy failed to test Taylor as he fired well over from just inside the box.
The final action of the half saw the hosts continue to threaten. Wilson delivered a corner to the near post where it was flicked on into the mix. A scramble followed in Ives goalmouth before Taylor bravely smothered the loose ball.
The second half was only ten minutes old when referee Callum Timperley damaged his ankle and had to be helped from the field of play leading to an 18 minute delay whilst senior assistant Mark Watkins took the middle and a replacement assistant was recruited from the crowd. When the match restarted the replacement assistant instantly earned himself a bit of banter from the rowdy home crowd by raising his flag to deny Sanchez-Tonge another run on goal.
Ives then created a fantastic opportunity to equalise with a flowing move down the left in 81st minute. Wyatt fed Jones through to the bye line a clever step over at the near post by Edwards allowed the ball to roll on to Tyrone Baker arriving unmarked 15 yards out. He struck his effort well but to close to Jackson who reacted fantastically to tip the fierce drive over the top.
Having failed to level things up Ives were then the architects of their own downfall as they once again allowed Cooke to get on the end of Wilson’s 86th minute in-swinging corner to kill the game off. This time he managed to direct his powerful, downward, header past the gallant Taylor.
Thanks to the injury to referee Timperley and the time spent finding a replacement, plus a couple of other injuries the board went up for 20 added minutes. Maybe still hope for Ives?, they huffed and puffed with substitute Alfie Shepherd pulling a routine save out of Jackson in fourth added minute. The chance being created as Jones and Edwards combined to set him up. But the closest that the visitors came to reducing the arrears was midway through that long added period when Edwards spotted Jackson well off his line and almost embarrassed the keeper with a 50 yard lob. But the Daniels agile custodian moved his feet well to claw the well directed effort away.
Perhaps fittingly the final action of the night, in 15th added minute, saw Sanchez-Tonge break away yet again to pull another excellent save out of the hard worked Taylor.
The final result leaves both sides still with work to do to avoid finishing in the bottom four. The Daniels are the team with momentum. For Ives their new squad must gell quickly before they find themselves swapping places with their hosts.
Final Score: AFC Stamford 2 St Ives Town 0 Half Time 1 – 0
Goals:
STAMFORD: Cashmore 20, Cooke 86
ST IVES:
Team Line Ups:
STAMFORD: Jackson, Marzano (Cavallo 90+4), Cashmore, Keeble, Cooke (capt), Collard (Bartle 90+12), Sanchez-Tonge, Duffy, Alonzi (Frew (90+17), Hobbins, Wilson, Unused subs: Challinor,
ST IVES: Taylor, Smith, Richens (capt) (Meade 46), Fryatt, Idehen, Edwards, Wyatt (Shepherd 90+2), Miles, Lawlor, Baker, Jones, Unused subs: Creary, Hickinson, Njie
Referee: Callum Timperly (replaced by Mark Watkins 56)
Cards: Yellow: STAMFORD: Duffy (76) ST IVES: none
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Ollie Taylor
Attendance: 337
