Tamworth
V
Wealdstone
Tamworth v Ilkeston Town
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Tamworth
1-1
Ilkeston Town
Match Report
Matchday 01:
After a successful pre-season The Lambs welcomed The Robins of Ilkeston to The CR MOT Community Stadium for the Southern League Premier Central opening day fixture.
Ilkeston, with familiar faces Dan Bradley and Jack Thomas in their ranks were promoted as champions from the Northern Premier League Division One Midland last season, and so would be wanting to start their campaign on a similar footing. Meanwhile Andy Peaks brought his updated and remastered Tamworth squad into the game looking for more of the same that saw his team end last season 14 games unbeaten.
After an impeccably respected minutes applause for former Lambs boss Graham Smith, Ilkeston kicked off towards the Castle End and started the brighter with Gibson rolling a low shot wide of the mark on 2.
Jack Thomas threaded the ball to Gibson on 4 and his shot skipped past the far post via a slight deflection for a Robins corner by the clubhouse which was only half cleared for another on the opposite side.
A couple of Dolman’s clearances halted progression but Ilkeston continued to press The Lambs defence and forced another flagkick on 8 which was dealt with effectively.
Dolman got in the way of Troke’s shot on the turn on 10 and when The Lambs advanced a foul on Creaney 25 yards out on 12 set up Bradley with the freekick which he powered into the wall but the ball was rifled into the area and met by the head of McKeown, only to see it denied by the quick reactions of Deeney.
The game settled a little until the mid point in the half, when Thomas fired into Troke and he set up Gibson with a strike from the edge of the area but he lifted his shot over the target and Singh was happy to watch it go over.
Bradley as felled by his Ilkeston namesake on 29 for an indirect freekick 25 yards from the target and he dusted himself down and hit the target but Deeney took it easily at head height.
The Lambs pressurised and Finn forced a corner which worked it’s way back to Bradley but his shot from distance only troubled visiting fans in the segregated away end.
A forward push by Tamworth ended on 35 with a rattle of the woodwork from Collards strike, but a foul in the build up had already halted play.
Creaney dragged a shot from 18 yards wide of the left hand upright on 40 as Dan Bradley picked up a knock and allowed a quick drinks break for both sides.
Finn whipped a cross in on 42 Creaney flashed his header from a similar distance as Bradley had to be replaced before play restarted.
Finn somehow missed the target leaning back as he struck from the right of the box in first half added time and McKeown forced a left sided corner on 47 which Collard nodded over the bar when well placed in the final action of the half.
HT 0-0
Tamworth restarted proceedings and inside the first minute Bradley was upended by an erroneous tackle but quickly recovered. Play continued and McKeown and Creaney combined with the latter firing past Deeney but into the side netting.
A combination of players down the left ending with Finn feeding Bradley in the D but his attempt was blocked by Robins captain Fenton and a deep cross from the right from Milnes on 52 was taken at height by Deeney.
Gibson found space on the left of the box to try a shot on the outside of his boot on 55 but found the top of the net and Brown-Hill forced Singh to drop and smother a shot from the left at the second attempt on 59 as the balance of play swung like a pendulum.
A foul on McKeown on the hour and a deep dead ball from Bradley found Collard past the post but his header back was cleared, and Finn tried to race onto a loose ball a minute later but was beaten to it as was McKeown to Bradley’s incisive pass 30 seconds later.
There was a booking for Jack Thomas on 64 after a trip on McKeown in front of the home dugout which brought the home bench to life and Collard headed the launched deadball wide of the mark under pressure.
A Bradley corner on the left was headed back by Creaney and Collard hit the bar before play was stopped for a foul on Deeney, then Bradley drilled the ball into the box from the right and McKeown got a good touch but Deeney was equal to it.
Milnes was booked for a foul on Goodson on the right corner of the box on 70 and Goodson was booked for retaliation after the foul.
Singh denied substitute Ward’s curling effort with a one handed bat away and Kalern Thomas’ header rebounded away.
The Lambs made their first change on 75 with Jones replacing Bradley and he nearly had an immediate impact but the half chance that came from his ball into the box was dealt with.
Dolman showed nothing was getting past him with a hefty challenge to deny the advance of the visitors and there were two more Lambs changes before a knock on Ward set him up with a freekick on the left of the area on 85.
His deadball deflected off the wall for a corner on the same side and from the corner Kalern Thomas met it with his head at the far post and it went in off the underside of the bar (0-1, 86 mins)
But The Lambs got themselves back into the game quickly via a massive clearance from Singh which fell for Deacon who beat Deeney to the dropping ball and fired home from 18 yards into the empty net (1-1, 89 mins)
Deep into added time Ilkeston loaded the final third with a freekick and then a deflected shot for a corner which came to nothing in the final action of the game.
Tamworth
Singh, Curley, Fairlamb, Mussa, Dolman, Collard (c.), Finn, Milnes (Hurst 83), Creaney (Deacon 83), Bradley (Jones 75), McKeown
Subs: Cockerill-Mollett, Cater
YC: Milnes 70
Ilkeston Town
Deeney, Bird (Campbell 81), Wakefield, K. Thomas, Brown-Hill, Fenton (c.) Troke, Bradley (Goodson 43), O’Grady (Ward 66), Gibson, J. Thomas
Subs: Hilton, Bukowski
YC: J. Thomas 64, Goodson 71
Referee: Mr. S. Wesson
Attendance: 667
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