Tamworth FC v St Ives Town
Tamworth FC
3-0
St Ives Town
Match Report
After the 3-0 New Years Day victory over local rivals and promotion hopefuls Hednesford, Tamworth welcomed St Ives to The Lamb for just the second ever time.
Sat in last but one place before kick off, The Saints had the upper hand in their three game record against The Lambs winning two in 2018-19 while the opening fixture of this season had ended in a 1-1 draw at Westwood Road.
Tamworth made no changes to the side that ran out at Keys Park three days previously with just one change on the bench with Jordan Clement taking a spot ahead of Cameron Howkins.
The Lambs got the game underway attacking the Meadow Street End in the first half with an expectant largely partisan crowd in fine voice early on.
Hoenes made the first chance of the game on 3 cutting into the box and driving a right footed shot towards the far post, but it was cleared away by Powell’s brave diving header and the resulting corner was long.
Yafai struck from distance on 5 but it bounced in the area and Iron was happy to let it go out past his far post.
Creaney nearly got on the end of a Hoenes cross which came from a long through ball from Forde out of defence but Iron got there first.
Yafai forced a corner on the right on 10 and met Beswick’s flagkick with a header at the back of the six yard box, but couldn’t keep it down or under the bar.
Tamworth kept the pressure on the visitors, and the ball in the final third for the next few minutes, but flattered to deceive as the final ball always seemed to be lacking.
Two Waite crosses from the left on 18 and 19 were either too long or somehow missed by the Lambs players and a similar fate befell Wilder’s cross from the same side thirty seconds later. However, at the end of the well worked move on 21 Creaney fired home from 12 yards past Iron to open the scoring – his 11th of the season (1-0, 21 mins)
Waite nearly doubled the advantage with a strike on 23 but Iron denied him, and from the corner the ball took a glancing touch and span past the far post and out.
Yafai was upended 6 yards of the edge of the area in the right channel on 29 allowing Beswick to step up and take the freekick.
Forde’s cross from the right was met by the head of Creaney on 30 but Iron denied him and his follow up shot took a deflection out for a corner which eventually made it’s way back, via a deflection, to the keeper.
Curtis forced Singh into his first real save of the game on 36, a low shot which the keeper smothered at his left hand upright, and on 38 Snaith finished a move into the box with a close range finish past Singh, but the offside flag was already up.
As the first half drew to a close, Tamworth were awarded a freekick and Beswick loaded it into the box and it fell for Waite, but his shot was high over the target.
HT: TAMWORTH 1 0 ST IVES TOWN
St Ives restarted proceedings and The Lambs started the second half in the manner they had finished the first, attacking the opposition final third, but a couple of early offside flags denied Hoenes’ runs into the penalty area. Hoenes was called offside again on 52 after Beswick had set Creaney free with a fine pass out of midfield into the final third but his shot deflected to Hoenes and his flick was turned in by Wilder, but denied by the flag.
St Ives forced a rare corner on 56 which came to nothing and Tamworth switched play to the other end with Hoenes knocking the ball off the opposition defender for a corner by the clubhouse on 57 which was headed over the bar by Yafai and Waite made way for Lait when the ball went out of play.
A freekick from the right by Beswick was headed over by Creaney in the next move and a shot from Lait on 62 was straight at Iron.
Hoenes felt he’d been brought down in the box on 67 but the referee waved away his second appeal of the game and when Wilder and Lait combined down the left in the next move Creaney’s header went straight back to the keeper.
Lait made it 2-0 on 71 but his shot from 20 yards struck the metalwork behind the right hand post and came back out causing a bit of confusion and discussion between the officials for a minute before the goal was given (2-0, 71 mins)
Three minutes later Hoenes latched onto a through ball from Yafai to advance into the area and take it around Iron before slotting into the empty net (3-0, 74 mins)
After the last Lambs change on 79 St Ives had more possession than previously and forced a corner on the right on 85 which Wilder headed away.
Clement fired a shot on target and made Iron push it behind for a corner as the clock ticked to 90 and the final whistle blew for another 3 points on the Lambs top of the table tally.
Tamworth Team:
Singh, Forde, Wilder, Beswick (Clement 79), Magunda, Rowe-Turner, Waite (Lait 57), Fry J, Creaney, Yafai, Hoenes (Obeng 75)
Unused: Little, Gough
St Ives Town Team:
Iron, Ward, Toseland, Wood, Powell, Wilson J (Clifton HT), Bailey (Seymore-Shove 68), Parker (c.), Foy, Curtis, Snaith (Wilson D 76)
Subs (three only): all used
Attendance: 638
Man of the Match: Teambuilder chose Henri Wilder
Referee: Mr. M. Scholes
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