St Ives Updates

[Johnny Bud]

GOAL!!! 4.3 Hickman

[juanillo]

Looked like an own goal with a flicked header

[juanillo]

They just hit the bar from more chaos at a corner. We certainly haven't sorted out how to defend from corners.

Great entertainment though.

[juanillo]

End to end...
They just smacked one against the bar.

[Rich]

Thoroughly entertaining game in which it was clear to see why St Ives have scored/conceded so many this season.
We seemed much more at home playing a team not playing to just frustrate us and get men behind the ball.
Thought Lissimores? miss when we were 1 up and then they scored 2 straight away would come back to haunt us but fair play to the lads they dug in, kept working and got the result.
Disappointed to be honest with Okafore and think we may not see him next season. (Hopefully not Boothe either) Why didnt Greggs come on I dont know!!!

Think there will be a lot of players today who will have played their last home game today.
My MOM was Wynter who thought had outstanding game.

[andy]

Well that knocks the 'boring' games theory into a cocked hat. Probably a bit too open for Russ's liking I would imagine. But I guess it was always going to be with St Ives the opposition. Great entertainment and we just about ended up the winning side. One to go, and as Rich pointed out, i wonder how many of the side we will be watching for the last time?

[juanillo]

They missed a golden chance to equalise with the last kick and whilst they didn't parricularly impress for periods, they seemed to carve out chances very easily when they got into the final third. Our defending and keeping was as shaky as theirs.

We missed some gilt edged chances as well and it could easily have finished with double the number of goals that were scored.

[DJ]

Southern League Premier Central – Saturday, 20th April 2024

Halesowen Town 4 St Ives Town 3

McKauley Manning struck a brace as Halesowen won an exhilarating seven goal feast of football for the final home game of the season against the division’s top scorers, writes DJ.

Yeltz manager Russ Penn shared his thoughts on a thrilling game “We knew it could be a high scoring game - we weren’t quite on it defensively today but it’s the best attacking performance since I’ve been here. There were some fantastic individual performances today. I have a 100% record at home now - we want to be challenging for the top 5 next season.”

Prior to the kick-off a one-minute silence was held in the memory of both former physio Jeff Jones and former 1960s player Alec Wood.

Halesowen’s first minute corner was cleared by Jonathan Edwards and the tone of an exciting afternoon was set when Kieran Donnelly was put clear after 7 minutes, courtesy of Miracle Okafor, but he dragged his shot wide.

MANNING soon put the Yeltz ahead by burying a low powerful 8th minute shot from the left edge of the penalty area past goalkeeper Sam Bentley in an energetic start from the hosts. Donnelly then headed over the bar from Manning’s 16th minute corner and Jak Hickman’s 20th minute free-kick drifted just wide as the action continued.

Kai Lissimore missed a great 25th minute opportunity to double Halesowen’s lead when he fired over the bar from just eight yards in front of goal after Okafor and Donnelly did well.

The Yeltz paid the price as the high-scoring Saints grabbed the lead with two goals in three minutes. Home goalkeeper Dan Platt lost the ball low down from a through ball allowing Jonathan EDWARDS to turn and chip over Platt into the net for a 27th minute equaliser. Amaru KAUNDA then fired past Platt to give the visitors a 2-1 lead in the 29th minute after another through ball carved open the Yeltz defence.

MANNING’s superb second goal brought Halesowen level at 2-2 in the 34th minute when he spotted a gap in the St Ives defensive wall to place the ball into the net from a 25 yard free-kick.

Incisive Ives regained the lead at 3-2 in the 36th minute with a superb hard and low long range shot from Theo ALEXANDROU for their third goal in ten minutes.

However, Halesowen managed to turn the game around with two more second half goals to take all three points. The second period started in the same vein as Halesowen won two early corners and Okafor then flicked wide following a great 50th minute right-flank cross from Hickman as another chance went begging.

In end-to-end action, the Yeltz drew level at 3-3 in the 55th minute when Ryan WYNTER glanced a header into the net off a defender from Hickman’s corner.

Kaunda put wide from Platt’s mistake before the Yeltz grabbed their 66th minute winner when HICKMAN’s cross from the right took a deflection off a defender to beat goalkeeper Bentley. Okafor then headed wide from Hickman’s 77th minute cross at the end of another flowing move and Okafor drove over the bar three minutes later.

Home goalkeeper Platt had already made a great 67th minute save and an 84th minute thunderbolt from Saints’ substitute Myles Cowling cannoned back off the crossbar with Platt beaten. Platt then parried away an 89th minute effort from Alexandrou as the visitors sought a late equaliser.

Halesowen Town: Dan Platt (c); Reece Mitchell, McKauley Manning, Todd Parker, Ryan Wynter, Thomas Taylor (Luke Redfern 58), Jak Hickman, Kai Lissimore, Miracle Okafor (Ryan Boothe 82), Caine Elliott (Jack Holmes 68), Kieren Donnelly. Subs Not Used: Josh Ezewele, Richard Gregory.

St Ives Town: Samuel Bentley; Patrick Casey, Aaron Smith (Jonathan Herd 70), Michael Richens (c), Joshua Tomlinson, Jake Hutchings, Daniel Barton (Myles Cowling 18), Luke Harris (Kai Fifield 84), Jonathan Edwards, Amaru Kaunda, Theo Alexandrou. Subs Not Used: None.

Referee: Tom Wall Attendance: 1,206
Booked: Kaunda (32), Casey (40), Fifield (87), Boothe (90)
Tulleys Print HTFC Man of the Match selected by the Moseleys: McKauley Manning
Non-League Paper Man of the Match: McKauley Manning

[drummyb]

I actually thought the way we started that was very much how we started the season. Blood and thunder! And really lovely attacking football. Very much how we started the season. As has been said, some of those players wont be here next year, and while the season hasnt panned out with the same attcking footy, that was nice to see. Cracking game of footy from two sides that should have been playing out a bore draw at the end of the season. I think perhaps we again looked shaky at the back, but cant discredit the goals St Ives scored.

[Rich]

Few other observations from today.
An end of season game with nothing at stake. No home game for a few weeks yet still over 1200 turned up, with no away support to bolster the numbers. Our friends down the road had 700!!

AS I mentioned before surprised Greggs didnt get some game time. I dont expect him to be around next season so would have been good to see him to say thanks for his efforts (and goals) over the past few seasons

Good to see Eze back. Hopefully will be here next season.

Nathan Haywood?? Thought maybe injured but would have expected him on the pitch at the end of the game.

Finally a round of applause, thumbs up high 5. (or whatever is in these days) to the club for the pitch. Many teams at our level would have loved a pitch in that condition at the start of a season yet alone last match after the weather of the last few months.
Shows the investment they made has paid off along with groundstaff with immense pride in what they do. Well done to you all.