ILKESTON FC 1-2 MARINE AFC: INDEPENDENT MATCH REPORT...

Late Unwanted Gift Drops Into Ilkeston’s Christmas Sack

Ilkeston FC 1-2 Marine AFC

And so it came to pass that I travelled towards the north, guided by a celestial glow upon my dashboard: a S.T.A.R. (Satellite Technology Arterial Route) and eventually I beheld the little town of Ilkeston. There was room in the New Manor in-gate, where I paid someone who might have been an innkeeper two shekels to leave my ass for stabling. This was no stall though and there was no manger inside but it was also the 21st Century and one was expected to pay even more shekels to watch the miraculous, momentous event: an away victory in the Northern Premier League for Marine AFC. The ailing Ilson, whose goalkeeper had migrated to Boston, not to join a tea-party but to create Lincs there (get it?) would come to rue their seasonal home game… 

The Scouse guests, wearing non-seasonal colours of yellow and green, coped fairly well with the eager, sprightly Robins forwards, before taking the lead through the right boot of the skilled Kurt Sherlock, who really should have been partnered by Coalville’s Jared Holmes or Nat Watson… Ilson regained parity with a well forged goal by Luis Rose, following smart play by striker Ben Morris but any chance of the hosts winning the match evaporated once Rose and Brandon Clarke had looped headers too high and Warren Bellew had displayed the bare necessities of left-foot volleying and essentially won the game for Marine. Although at times, sub-Marine, the visitors then wrestled more control of the encounter and Sherlock’s actual strike partner Dan Mitchley was denied first by home goalie Jamie Hannis, then by the top of the cross-beam in the closing seconds. 

THE PLAYERS HESITATE AS THE BALL JINGLES, LIKE BELLS...

Having heard Christmas songs playing in stores for the last few weeks, their titles have haunted me enough to have been spirited into my match report below… I apologise sincerely.

Despite the movement and pace of Morris, Clarke and left-sider Dexter Atkinson, Ilson might have conceded an early goal from a free-kick but Bellew’s shot from 25 yards struck the defensive wall and skipper Mitchley smacked the rebound well off target, the ball seemingly ‘Walking In the Air’. Jaylon Bather looked comfortable on the ball in the home midfield but his header from a left-side corner lacked some conviction as it dropped wide and then Rose shot straight at Marine ‘keeper Calvin Hare. The hosts maybe ought to have scored when fine play on the right by Morris led to Atkinson racing into the goalmouth but the ball was slightly behind him and he muffed his chance. No ‘In Dulce Jubilo’ for Dex, then…

SHERLOCK, AT HOLMES AT ILKESTON...

Home defender and skipper Matt Baker smuggled a right-side Marine cross past his own post and it became clear that with midfielder Zac Thompson raking long passes and Mitchley looking to bring right-flank attacker Sherlock into the game whenever possible, then perhaps the guests might spoil the Ilkeston Christmas party. Mitchley saw a lifted shot from an offside position find the net but in an often frenetic half, during which the ball was headed a lot, bounced a lot and was squandered a lot, following a low shot by Ilkeston’s Rose to Hare, the visitors sprang a surprise by finding the net.

HARASSMENT...

Sherlock held the key with a neat pass for central midfielder James Foley to latch onto, moving towards the byeline on the right and his angled effort was blocked by ‘keeper Hannis. The ball flew out to Sherlock and his clipped shot took a helpful lift off home left-back Charlie Scanlon’s toe-end as it soared over a scrabbling defender and dropped sweetly into the net. Sherlock celebrated like he wanted to roast his chestnuts over an open fire and Ilson looked like they’d seen ‘Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’. 

0-1...

After Sherlock had tested Hannis with a low drive and Mitchley was unable to do more than loop a header over the goal-fame from Bellew’s deep free-kick, the hosts suddenly rushed forth like red-shirted Rudolphs to equalise in smart fashion. Morris fought off defenders as he entered the right side of the penalty-box and his low cross-shot beat the dive of Hare and might have gone into the net but Rose had to make sure and slid in at the far upright to register a goal. 

1-1...

Half-time was reached, one home fan wearing a 

Santa beard and hat took out a bell and rang it (really…) and I wondered about the serious looking chaps around the bar area… “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” I thought, but this unusual character was no ‘Santa Baby’. The fans went off to enjoy ‘Mistletoe and Wine’, there was ‘Peace On Earth’ for fifteen minutes and the players were probably told by their coaches: “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen…” 

MARINE FREE-KICK...

After the break there was much rapidity, as the temperature dropped and my hands felt more like ‘Frosty the Snowman’s’ than mine. I’m sure though that ‘Last Christmas’ was colder than this… Anyway, Hannis did well to claw away a difficult Sherlock delivery from the right, before ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’ twice for Ilson, in the guises of Rose and Clarke, for both launched themselves to loop headers too high from crosses by Atkinson and then Scanlon. Ilson’s only replacement Tevahn Tyrell entered the fray at the expense of Atkinson, Ryan O’Hare replaced the busy Thompson for Marine, who now had a Hare and an O’Hare, as well as a Field on the pitch. No idea why I’ve mentioned that. Well perhaps I’m dreaming of a ‘White Christmas’…

And the visitors soon won the match with a superbly controlled left-boot volley from the left corner of the penalty-area by Bellew, whose effort dropped over the leaping Hannis… Bellew ‘Wished It Could Be Christmas Every Day’ and was surely in ‘Winter Wonderland.’ 

1-2...

9? 11? NO, SURELY IT'S THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS..?

BELLEW: CELEBRATED BY SCRATCHING HIS BACK ON A TREE TRUNK...

O’Hare shot a free-kick straight at Hannis, James Short replaced Caleb Richards at left-back for AFC and he nearly scored when he fastened onto Bellew’s neat pass and drove into the 18 yard box only for his angled delivery to take a defensive deflection and go to safety. Mitchley headed Bellew’s free-kick wide and then was denied by Hannis’ low save, following a pass by right-back Lewis Field. Defender Andrew Nicholas headed a Bellew corner straight down to Hannis grateful mittens on the goal-line and in truth, despite their effort, Ilkeston had taken a back seat as their guests’ strength began to tell and their legs tired on a sapping pitch.

HANNIS IS DISTRESSED AT LETTING IN THE WINNER.
SANTA WILL STILL LEAVE HIM SOMETHING THOUGH.

Bellew jumped in his team’s defensive wall and Rose’s powerful shot struck him on the head, so that he looked like he was actually in ‘A Fairytale Of New York’ and was substituted like a groggy partygoer, mumbling “Merry Christmas Everybody” as he passed them. Denzel Williams replaced him but Marine continued to look the more effective herd of reindeer, as first Sherlock was hauled down by home defender Max Thornberry, who had had a decent game but was cautioned for this misdemeanour and was instantly removed from the referee’s Christmas list, then Sherlock shot the subsequent free-kick low at Hannis. 

Despite a very late bit of action on the Marine decks, the visitors won an even later free-kick, which was surprisingly taken quickly and NOT into a corner by Sherlock, who delivered a smart short cross onto Mitchley’s head, who headed the ball onto the top of the crossbar. The game ended: in Liverpool ‘Solstice Bells’ were rung out, Marine’s hard working midfielder Michael Monaghan simply wanted to ‘Step Into Christmas’, but as Ilkeston’s players left the field with heads drooping like a used Christmas tree, they must have dreaded being ‘Lonely This Christmas’…

Thornberry and Baker, Ilson’s ‘Holly and the Ivy’, were prickly at the back for the hosts, the cautioned Keenan Meakin was combative enough in the trenches and Bather’s use of the ball at times was commendable but with the speed and guile of Clarke, Morris, Rose and Atkinson in their infrequent attacks, Ilkeston might have hoped for more at this ‘Wonderful Christmastime’. 

Certainly Sherlock looked bright more centrally for Marine but defenders Adam Hughes and Nicholas gave little away and did enough to ‘Stop the Cavalry,’ but the culprits of Ilson’s downfall were Sherlock and Bellew and not only for their goals. ‘Little Saint Nick’ presented two spectacular strikes from the pair and as the team prepared to ‘Drive Home For Christmas’ (Chris Rea) they probably saw a decent new year ahead ‘In the Bleak Midwinter…’ 

VIEW FROM WINDOW EARLIER...

VIEW FROM WINDOW NOW...

Me? Will probably drive to Stratford next week and see swans-a-swimming but actually, as I’m writing this in Mousehole: ‘Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!’

TEAMS:

ILKESTON FC:

JAMIE HANNIS, CONNOR WALTERS, CHARLIE SCANLON, MAX THORNBERRY, MATT BAKER (CAPT), KEENAN MEAKIN, LUIS ROSE, JAYLON BATHER, BEN MORRIS, BRANDON CLARKE, DEXTER ATKINSON.   

SUB:

TEVAHN TYRELL.

MARINE AFC:

CALVIN HARE, LEWIS FIELD, CALEB RICHARDS, ADAM HUGHES, JAMES FOLEY, ANDREW NICHOLAS, MICHAEL MONAGHAN, ZAC THOMPSON, DAN MITCHLEY (CAPT), KURT SHERLOCK, WARREN BELLEW.

SUBS:

JAMES SHORT, DENZEL WILLIAMS, SEAN HESSEY, RYAN O’HARE, DEAN PORTER.