Match Report | St Ives Town (A)

Halesowen earn biggest league win for 11 months with statement win at St Ives

Match Report

The Yeltz took the lead three minutes after the half hour mark, and for 7th time in our 12 league away games, scored the first goal away from home. The opener came from a mistake at the back from Duncan Idehen, as Kyle Finn slid past the defender to go 1v1 but fail to beat Ollie Taylor. The resulting corner from Jak Hickman bounced around the box, where Fin Holmes took on the bobbled ball and found the centre of the goal.

A narrow but positive 1-0 lead would have put Yeltz fans on the edge of their seats ahead of a nervy second 45, but those worries were put to bed two minutes from the restart. We made it two as Reece Mitchell crossed from the left to Jason Cowley, who brought the ball down on his chest in the box and found Ben Cassidy on the right. The latter crossed to the back post, where Milan Butterfield headed home on his 28th birthday no less.

The Yeltz made it three on 69 minutes through Cowley’s 24th goal of the season in all competitions. A terrific four man break from a Kellan Dickinson free kick, saw Cassidy bring the ball forward, play it out to Finn, who put a cross into the middle for Cowley to slot home. A fourth followed in the fourth minute of stoppage time, as an audacious 30 yard lob from substitute McKauley Manning gave him his first league goal since Matchday 2 of the campaign.

It was a dream start for the Yeltz in the opening stages, even if the goal didn’t arrive until the latter part of the first half. A loose pass inside five minutes from Ethan Creary was hit straight to Kyle Finn, who quickly found Fin Holmes on the break with Jason Cowley. The former headed to the by-line, and smashed a low cross which Duncan Idehen cleared over his own crossbar. Four minutes later, Josh Smile brought the ball forward and placed a pass around the back of Creary to Holmes. The latter cut inside towards the box and forced a smart stop from former Redditch United man Ollie Taylor.

Around the quarter hour mark, the hosts slowly started showing their teeth in the contest, but failed to overly force a test onto Dan Platt glove’s. A 15th minute Liam Cross shot went straight at the Yeltz keeper, before one minute later the Saints worked the ball well down the left. Theo Alexandrou played a ball through to Jahrel McKoy, who worked his way backwards to move the ball out to Aaron Smith. The left back crossed to Michael Richens, whose header went through to Platt.

The Yeltz domination continued after the brief spell of St Ives pressure. A second poor Creary pass in the middle fell to Cowley, whose shot was blocked by Idehen. A 25th minute free kick down the right near to the home dugout was awarded after Idehen brought down Finn. The delivery from Jak Hickman reached Milan Butterfield at the back post, whose header was tame and crawled towards Taylor. 

Three minutes later, another free kick was given after Holmes was brought down. The ball was placed just outside the box down the left, and it was to be Rob Evans who took the shot on, and direct the ball to the right of the wall to the bottom right, but Taylor saved. Our opener followed five minutes later, and although the hosts will be disappointed at the way the goal came around, there was no doubt it was deserved.

Our number 9 Cowley was almost at the double late on into the half as we searched for a second. A shot two minutes after the goal curled straight into Taylor’s gloves, before a 43rd minute strike from the Yeltz frontman went just over the bar, The hosts had chances of their own in the final 10 plus minutes of the half after Holmes’ opener, but our defense never seemed under serious threat.

A 42nd minute Saints free kick found it’s way to Jordan Williams, whose header reached St Ives’ captain Michael Richens at the back post. Their top goalscorers shot was saved by Platt, before the resulting corner was cleared. Two minutes later an Aaron Smith throw was headed on top of Platt by Williams. The ball bounced over his head, but Hickman was on the line to clear, but the clearance ricocheted off one and onto the bar.

As we entered into the second 45, the goal was necessary, and to no surprise other than a 52nd minute strike from Smile, the hosts dominated until the hour mark. The Cambridgeshire side very nearly got a goal back just three minutes after our second goal. Jonny Edwards did well to get the ball out wide to Creary on the left of the area, whose header from close range was blocked on the line by Ben Cassidy. Four minutes later, a Liam Cross long run down the left, saw the midfielder win a throw off Smile. The ball was delivered into the box by Smith, whose long throw reached centre half Williams in the centre, who headed over.

The hosts fell flat after the hour mark, and it showed even before we got our third of the afternoon. Two minutes before our 69th minute goal, Finn worked the ball backwards to Reece Mitchell who put a ball through to Holmes down the left. The latter ran towards the box at an angle and forced Williams to put behind for a corner. The Hickman delivery just missed Wollacott at the back post.

As the game entered into the final 20, an Idehen header was saved wonderfully by Platt, before a minute later a shot from substitute Tyrone Baker went wide. Five minutes later, the hosts chances to revive the game stayed strong, for a moment. Hickman brought Richens down just outside the box on the left, and it was the Saints captain who took on the free kick, but hit the wall. 

The Yeltz flourished in the open space at the back towards the very late stages of the 90, due to the hosts desperation to get forward. An 84th minute passing phase of play of dreams saw Manning pass to Finn in the middle. The latter swung the a ball out to Mitchell on the left, who crossed to Manning and Finn at the back post, but the cross was just ahead of the pair.

The Manning goal sealed the win, and what a way to do so with just his fourth of the season, and arguably best in his 208 appearances in a Yeltz shirt. It’s four games without defeat for the Yeltz against St Ives, and a remarkable four successive clean sheets against Ricky Marheineke’s side. We end our poor three game winless record at Westwood Road, and in doing so claim our fourth successive league win for the time since March last year.

Attendance: 325

Teams

St Ives XI: Ollie Taylor (GK), Ethan Creary, Aaron Smith, Michael Richens (Matty Miles 88′), Jordan Williams, Duncan Idehen, Jahrel McKoy (Kellan Hickinson 63′), Jonny Edwards (Alfie Shepherd 88′), Liam Cross (Tyrone Baker 63′), Gibou Njie (Nathan Tormey 75′), Theo Alexandrou

Unused Subs: None

Yeltz XI: Dan Platt (GK), Jak Hickman, Ben Cassidy, Josh Smile (C), Ryan Wollacott, Jason Cowley (Todd Parker 90+1′), Kyle Finn (Jim Kellermann 86′), Milan Butterfield, Rob Evans, Fin Holmes (McKauley Manning 79′), Reece Mitchell

Unused Subs: Alex Gudger & Ty Barnett