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25/10/2016 8:08 AM  #1


November fixtures

Following an excellent 12 points return in October we now face a really tough set of fixtures in November. 

Tues Ist Nov :   Rushall (H)
Sat  5th Nov :   Marine  (A)
Tues 8th Nov :  Spennymoor (H)
Sat 19th Nov :  Workington (H)
Mon 21st Nov : Stourbridge (A)
Sat 26th Nov  : Nantwich (A)
Tues 29th Nov : Sutton Coldfield (H)

Rushall are 4th in the league and considered by many to be playoff contenders. They beat us last month at their ground. Marine made a good start but are now in a downward spiral having lost their last four so this game has to be targeted as winnable. Spennymoor are in a strong position with 25 points from  just 13 games. On a points per match basis, they are fourth. so this will be a tough one. We're then home to Workington who usually make the playoffs. So far they've been inconsistent so we should be looking for points from this one. Stourbridge away is always difficult and they recently beat us at the NMG in the Cup. I can't see us getting more than a point from that game. Nantwich have now hit top form after a slow start. They are unbeaten in their last eight league games. The last game in November is Sutton Coldfield which on paper is the easiest as they are below us with only 14 points from 17 games.
Looking at November's fixtures realistically, three wins from the seven would be a satisfactory return in my opinion. No games should be taken for granted but Marine away and Sutton Coldfield home should be winnable. One other win from the other five would be nice and Workington at home seems the best possibility. I don't anticipate us getting anything from the Rushall or Spennymoor home games or Stourbridge and Nantwich away so any point we may get from these would be a bonus.

 

Last edited by Matchman (25/10/2016 8:11 AM)

 

25/10/2016 9:17 AM  #2


Re: November fixtures

I watched Sutton Coldfield when they entertained Whitby at Coronation Park Eastwood. They were not a great side that day but they may have changed things about by now. Yes November looks a difficult month but confidence must be growing after the win at Coalville. We might be underdogs in a number of Novembers games but on their day Ilkeston can defeat anyone as they proved against Buxton! I still believe we only need to add a couple of players to the squad to have a very good side. The spine of the team is looking stronger Durrant Foster Baker Brown Shelton and now Lavelle Moore give us a core to build around and add flair players to!

 

30/10/2016 11:39 AM  #3


Re: November fixtures

Saturday's FA Trophy defeat at the hands of Barwell was a reminder of how much we rely on Luke Foster. Without his reading of the game and calming influence we looked more vulnerable. Jaylon Bather who replaced him on seven minutes was probably our best player but he is a different type of player to Foster. Losing Luis Rose to injury also upset the team but it was a day when we just didn't play well enough. We seemed ok until Barwell scored but after that the visitors were always in control. We failed to put them under pressure, our passing and ball retention was not good enough and we created very few chances. Malachi Lavelle-Moore is now fast approaching high level match fitness and was winning many of the high balls yesterday. Another bright spot in my opinion was the introduction of Brandon Clarke late in the game. He showed some urgency and was prepared to take on the Barwell defenders with his powerful running. Maybe after already having beaten Barwell twice we were too complacent. Every win has to be earned.
So it was definitely a game to learn from as we go into Novembers fixtures starting with Rushall Olympic on Tuesday night. Hopefully influential Anton Brown is now nearing fitness and will be available. We really need Luke Foster playing if we hope to take any points from a robust Rushall side. Here's hoping we can bounce back from Saturdays below par performance. I'm still hoping for nine points from November's seven games and anything from the Rushall game will be a bonus.

Last edited by Matchman (30/10/2016 11:44 AM)

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01/11/2016 1:09 PM  #4


Re: November fixtures

I did not get to the game against Barwell but from reading others accounts we definitely missed Luke Foster and Anton Brown. These two are our enforcers and enable our flair players to prosper. If the team can recapture the spirit they showed against Coalville I do not think there is any team in this league they cannot get a result against. Rushall are known as a physical side but you never know they might end up playing like Birminghams Barcelona!
It's been interesting readers supporters on social media complaining about the owners of their clubs! I have also noticed that it is usually teams that are not doing well on the pitch. Unfortunately or fortunately social media means that everyone can now have a say on how they would run their club and more importantly let a much wider audience know how they feel. The down side is that owners will not listen to anyone's opinions if they have to read the bile and abuse to find the sensible suggestions. The biggest solution to any clubs woes is a winning side. Ilkeston Town in the years before they went bust were a car crash waiting to happen. They however got promoted and I can still remember the fans being so excited on that lovely day. Those helping behind the scenes knew by then it was all over and that the players and management were going. It was like the opposite of a silver lining whatever that is! Those years still sadden me but put the present situation into perspective! Not perfect but ten times better than those dark days!

 

04/11/2016 2:31 PM  #5


Re: November fixtures

The first game of November against Rushall yielded no points but it may have been different. We had a great chance to go ahead at the start of the second half. We missed it and were punished. Overall it wasn't a bad performance and we were unfortunate to lose but it's goals that count.

Another league game has been added to the November fixtures. We will travel to Skelmersdsale on Sat 12th November. This was a blank Saturday reserved for the  FA Trophy 2nd round matches. The match has been brought forward from Saturday 11th February '17.

Last edited by Matchman (04/11/2016 2:36 PM)

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09/11/2016 4:04 PM  #6


Re: November fixtures

We're now three games into November's fixtures and have just one point to show. The game at Marine which I hoped we would win, ended in a draw. We were two up after goals by Morris and a deflected Rose shot but the goals came against the run of play so when Marine levelled the score there could be no complaints. The second half saw both sides create many chances with Ilkeston twice coming closest to scoring the winner when Baker and Bather were denied. But on the other hand Ross Durrant made several saves to keep out Marine. The ten supporters who came on the team bus saw a decent game in a friendly atmosphere.
Tuesday night we had a difficult home game against a very good Spennymoor Town. Ben Morris gave us the lead with a well taken goal but the visitors levelled just before half time.  Spennymoor showed their class in the second half and Ilkeston were forced to defend for long periods. The visitors eventually went ahead on 77 minutes and doubled their lead 3 minutes from time. Luis Rose got an excellent consolation for Ilkeston in added time make the final score 2-3. No points from this match but that was not unexpected. Saturday we have a rearranged fixture at Skelmersdale which we really need to win if we are to get back on track to achieve my targeted nine points for the month. 

Last edited by Matchman (09/11/2016 4:21 PM)

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13/11/2016 7:58 PM  #7


Re: November fixtures

Saturday's defeat at Skelmersdale was a poor show and and three points definitely lost. No excuses we messed up. We have just one point from four November games and challenging for a playoff spot now looks like an impossible dream. Tuesday night we have a Cup game at Rugby and this now becomes more important as we need a confidence boost. The next league game is against Workington and we can't afford to lose again or we may be in for a long battle at the wrong end of the table. We've missed Luke Foster's presence in the last few games so let's hope he's back soon. Everyone at the Club are doing their best in these challenging times and hopefully the Club's fortunes will soon be changing. 

Last edited by Matchman (14/11/2016 6:45 AM)

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26/11/2016 10:33 PM  #8


Re: November fixtures

With just one game to play in November we've only managed two draws from six league matches. Defeats against Rushall, Spennymoor and Workington were not totally unexpected but the Skelmersdale loss was very disappointing. The draws against Marine and Whitby at least came on the back of decent performances. In my opinion we were poor against Workington and the 0-2 scoreline flattered us. Today we had a rearranged game at home to top of the table Whitby and turned in a much improved performance. Whitby are a footballing rather than physical side and that suited us. The visitors had the better chances but we undoubtedly deserved the draw. The more experienced players, Baker, Gordon and Durrant all did well and of the younger players I thought Thornberry was excellent. He's not been in the first team lately but he came in and looked comfortable.  The final game this month is home to Sutton Coldfield. who have lost their last five league games and both teams will be viewing this fixture as a must win match. If we do manage to win then November's results won't look so bad.  If we lose we are in trouble. 

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02/12/2016 7:32 PM  #9


Re: November fixtures

Ilkeston's November 2016 NPL results:

Rushall            (H)  lost  0-2
Marine             (A)  draw 2-2  
Spennymoor    (H)  lost   2-3      
Skelmersdale  (A)   lost  1-2
Workington      (H)   lost  0-2
Whitby             (H)  draw  0-0

Just two points from the above six games indicates that we now look like being in a relegation battle. The young players need to step up and take the opportunity now given to them. We need to start winning again as our last win came all of 6 weeks ago at Coalville. 

The month of December gives us a fair chance of picking up some much needed points. If we do this then it would be a significant boost to confidence. These are the scheduled December NPL fixtures:

Sat  3rd Dec.  Grantham   (H)
Sat 10th Dec.  Frickley      (A)
Tue 13th Dec  Stafford      (H)
Sat 17th Dec   Marine       (H)
Sat 26th Dec  Mickleover  (A)

We should be targeting points from each of these games and in my opinion we should be looking for at least nine points from the five matches. 





 

Last edited by Matchman (02/12/2016 7:43 PM)

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