Ilkeston Town  v  Tamworth

Sat 10 Dec - 15:00 Southern League Premier Central

Ilkeston Town

0-2

Tamworth

Match Report

The Lambs travelled to The New Manor Ground for the first encounter with The Robins in Derbyshire since an FA Cup tie in 2009 and with recently laid artificial turf now adorning the pitch the cold snap covering the country did not put the game in any real doubt ahead of kick off.

Martin Carruthers, Ilkeston’s manager when the sides met on the opening day of the season at The CR MOT Community Stadium, ending in a 1-1 courtesy of a goal each in the final five minutes, had since departed the Derbyshire club so Jamie Ward had stepped as player boss for the home side winning six of the last eight league games to take them to eighth place, 13 points behind Tamworth and The Robins featured former Lambs Dan Bradley, Henri Wilder and Jack Thomas in their ranks.

Elsewhere in the league third placed Nuneaton Borough welcomed second placed Leiston, in the pick of the other non-postponed Southern League ties.

Buoyed by the 3-1 midweek win over league strugglers Rushden and Diamonds, Tamworth boss Andy Peaks made two changes to the starting eleven with Liam Dolman and Ben Milnes coming in for Ben Bailey and Alex Bradley.

The red and white Robins got the game underway kicking into the sunshine, against the light blue Lambs with Tamworth attacking the clock tower end of the ground but the home side had the first half chance when Arlott-John burst through only to find Dolman in his way.
A left sided cross onto the head of Eratt-Thompson on 4 went wide of the mark, while Creaney nearly added another to his tally on 5, rifling a shot from the edge of the box just wide of the right hand post.
Curley had picked up a knock early on and was unable to continue on 5, forcing Peaks to make an early change and bring Hart into the game.
Creaney, Jones and Finn combined on 7 utilising the space on the pitch to their advantage with the latter curling a shot come cross past the far post and he tried a similar shot on 8 but was further away from the target with the second attempt.
Hart fouled Arlott-John in the left channel on 10 to set up Ward with the freekick but he could only put the ball into the car park behind the terrace behind Singh.
Ilkeston enjoyed a spell of possession and after a defensive clearance by The Lambs, a shot from Ward cannoned off Dolman for a right sided corner on 17 which was headed by O’Grady back to Singh and from the push up field, Jones threaded the ball out right to Milnes on 18 and he whipped it in to the box just a whisker away from the head of Creaney.
At the other end O’Grady fired and off target half volley when in space on the edge of the box from a lift sided pass and Tomlin got into space on the left of the area in the next move on 22, but shot wildly off target.
Jones found Fairlamb down the left on 23, but Battersby got to the cross first, and found Bradley who launched a long ball downfield for Tomlin and it took a sliding tackle from Singh to take the ball away from the Ilkeston man who was looking to take it around the keeper and open the scoring.
Ward was booked on 28 for booting the ball away (and hitting the referee in the process) after freekick had been awarded for a foul against his teammate (!), and O’Grady’s deadball was headed behind for a corner which Wilder took and nearly found the head of Eratt-Thompson.
The game continued to go from end to end, and Collard was called upon to put O’Grady’s ball behind for another corner on 34 and it fell to Campbell but his snap shot went over the bar with Singh at full stretch just in case.
Tomlin picked up the loose ball on the edge of the box on 38 and fired straight at Singh, as Ilkeston continued to win the %s on the pitch but a foul on Jones, which required treatment on the field to his ankle before he could be replaced by Bradley, set up Milnes with the deadball in the left channel but the freekick came to nothing.
After a good Tamworth move upfield in added time at the end of the first half ended with a slightly off target Fairlamb cross, Tomlin had time to shoot low but harmlessly at Singh and a long throw from Hart on the left was cleared before the half time whistle blew on a goalless first half.

HT 0-0

The Lambs restarted proceedings, and went on the attack, and from Milnes strike from 18 yards on 47 Battersby was called into action to push the ball around the post for a corner on the right but Ilkeston countered and a low strike from Tomlin forced Singh to protect his goal too.
Creaney turned provider on 50 with some skills on the left of the box to end a teasing cross onto the head of Bradley, but his flying header was just off target and the Lambs midfielder punched the ground in frustration when he landed.
The Lambs pushed on, and Finn picked up the ball on the edge of the box on 53, shooting on target but a deflection took it away for a corner which was put behind for another which was cleared after Creaney had crossed back in.
Arlott-John tackled hard with Mussa on 54 and needed treatment when the ball went out of play, but he was Ok to continue and Tamworth restarted play.
Dolman stood his ground to prevent Campbell advancing on 63 and the play swung Tamworth’s way with Hard advancing down the right-hand touchline until a foul brought him to ground and Finn’s freekick was headed behind the far post by Bradley.
Eratt-Thompson advanced to the edge of the Tamworth box on 69 and found Ilkeston MOM Artlott-John with his through pass. The latter fired a cross into the box and there were shouts for handball from the home faithful behind the ball against The Lambs defence but the referee was having none of it.
At the other end Milnes was upended by Thomas just to the left of the D but before the freekiock could be taken, Eratt-Thompson needed the attention of the Ilson physio, and Milnes lifted the deadball just over the bar.
Then, on 75, Bradley robbed the ball off Thomas 20 yards out, advanced to the edge of the box and before he could be closed down he struck low to Battersby’s right and the ball nestled in the bottom left corner much to the delight of the travelling contingent (0-1, 75 min)
Creaney smashed a shot against J. Wilson on 77 resulting in a corner on the left and it fell to Collard past the far post to head it back into the mix for Cockerill-Mollett to head home from close range (0-2, 78 mins)
Tamworth went in search of a third, with Fairlamb forcing another corner on 80 minutes which evaded everyone before going out on the far side.
Singh needed treatment for cramp on 84 and after attention from the Lambs physio get back go his feet and play continued, smothering a long ball which Arlott-John nearly got control of.
McKeown replaced Finn on 88 as the clock ticked down and Tamworth protected their first clean sheet in 8 games as four minutes added time was shown.
Creaney tried his luck on 92 but his shot was charged down for a corner on the right but Ilkeston managed to get it away and a timely challenge from Fairlamb denied Arlott-John a chance before the final whistle blew on three more points for The Lambs and fans headed home to watch England’s World Cup Quarter Final against France.

Ilkeston Town
Battersby, J. Wilson, Wilder, Eratt-Thompson, Bradley, Fenton, Campbell, Ward (Thomas 61), O’Grady (T. Wilson 74), Tomlin, Arlott-John
Subs: Fyfe, Delap, Deeney
YC: Ward 28

Tamworth
Singh, Curley (Hart 5), Cockerill-Mollett, Mussa (c.), Dolman, Collard, Finn (McKeown 88), Milnes, Creaney, Jones (Bradley 40), Fairlamb
Subs: Deacon, George
YC: none

Referee: Mr. A. Royston

Att: 782