Great defending header by Wafula stops the ball reaching Howe.

Gainsborough take the lead. Wafula trying to clear slices the ball over the line.    0-1.   45 mins


Half time.    Ilkeston 0 Gainsborough 1



 

Last edited by Matchman (10/8/2024 1:50 PM)

Parkers cross into the goal mouth is well held by Render under pressure. 
GOAL. Daniel scores on debut. It took a deflection and looped into the net.       1-1       49 mins

Last edited by Matchman (10/8/2024 2:11 PM)

Cursons finds Daniel but his cross finds nobody.  Ilkeston are pushing but not able to penetrate so far 
1-2.    60 mins

Att 612
 

Great run into the area by Dixon results in a corner. Walker's corner is met by Parker's header but it's over the bar.    Parker replaced by Kirby-Moore.  2-2.     80 mins

Corner for Trinity. It's cleared.     2-2.     87 mins

Walkers cross held by Render. Render is keeping the ball , happy with a point. 

The points are shared,     Ilkeston 2. Gainsborough Trinity. 2

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Sat 10th Aug 2024
Northern Premier League
Ilkeston Town 2 Gainsborough Trinity 2
Injury hit Ilkeston twice came from behind to take a point in their opening game of the season. The first half was bereft of any real scoring opportunities and it looked bleak for Ilkeston when Gainsborough took the lead just before half time. 

Ilkeston started well with some good possession but without really threatening. Gainsborough looked the more likely to score when breaking forward and on 10 minutes only a superb saving tackle by Jonathan Wafula prevented a decent Trinity opportunity. Ten minutes later a Declan Howe first time volley flew wide and the same player was close again soon afterwards but this time he was denied by a good save from Matt Yates. Jamie Walker tried to catch Trinity custodian Josh Render off guard with a cheeky effort but the keeper was alert to it. Ilkeston’s closest scoring effort was from a Walker free kick which didn’t quite bend enough to go into the far top corner of the net.  As the half looked like ending goalless, Gainsborough went ahead in a somewhat fortunate manner. A good right side run and cross resulted in an own goal by Wafula who in a desperate attempt to clear only succeeded in slicing the ball into his own net. 

Ilkeston came out for the second half showing more directness and within 4 minutes they were level through debutant Colin Daniel. As with the Gainsborough goal there was element of good fortune as Daniel’s strike took a big defection before looping perfectly into the net. Unfortunately for the jubilant home supporters, Ilkeston’s parity was short lived. A misplaced pass resulted in Howe being set free and he raced 20 yards before whacking the ball past Yates and into the Ilkeston net. Gainsborough looked set to win but Ilkeston found a way back. On 70 minutes a close range effort by Tom Cursons was blocked by Render and a minute later Wafula atoned for his own goal with a spectacular overhead kick which hit the underside of the bar and went in off the keeper. Ilkeston pushed for a late winner but it wasn’t to be. They came close with a couple of high-octane surges into the area by Connor Dixon which deserved better outcomes and Sam Parker’s header which was just too high.

 

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Not a great performance against Gainsborough but probably due to the very tough pre season schedule which caused many of our players to pick up injuries. Declan Eratt-Thompson and Mitchell Robinson were not fit to play and a few of the other players were carrying injuries. Then L’Varn Brady limps off after 15 minutes.

With two games per week for the next four weeks we’re going to need all of our squad 

Our first half performance wasn’t brilliant but it was better after half time. Credit to the team for twice coming back after going behind. It seems to me that Declan Eratt-Thompson is our key player. When he’s in the team we always seem to play much better. And we need to be better against Mickleover. 


 

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The Northern Premier League kicked off this weekend with seven teams claiming victory on the opening day.

Mark Bower's Guiseley sits at the top of the table after a 2-0 victory over Workington at Nethermoor. Will Longbottom emphatically marked his competitive debut for the Lions, guiding home a stunning free-kick just before half-time. Returning fan favourite John Lufudu wrapped up the three points with 15 minutes remaining to give the hosts a perfect start to their campaign.

It was also a flawless beginning for new boys Stockton Town, who bested their fellow newly promoted side Leek Town 2-0 away from home. Michael Sweet fired the visitors in front after 10 minutes, before a stoppage-time goal from Michael Fowler ensured the Anchors would return to County Durham with their first win under their belt.

A dramatic encounter at The Giant Axe between Lancaster City and Basford United saw the Dolly Blues snatch a victory in the final seconds. Basford took the lead after 17 minutes through Ashley Chambers, but their fortunes took a turn for the worse when Victor Nierennold was shown a straight red card for a handball in the box, allowing Nic Evaneglinos to level the proceedings from the spot. A penalty for the visitors saw them head into halftime 2-1 up, but just three minutes after the interval, Lancaster hit back through Charlie Bailey. The Ambers were reduced to 9 men in the closing minutes of the match after goalkeeper Kieran Preston received a second yellow card for handling the ball outside of the box, and the ensuing free kick found Jamie Mellen who tapped the ball home from close range to send the home crowd into delirium.

Elsewhere in the division, Bamber Bridge fought back to claim a 2-1 victory away at Whitby Town thanks to two second-half goals from Olly Molloy and Billy Bould.

In a replay of last season's play-off semi-final, there was no revenge for Worksop Town as they were beaten 1-0 by Macclesfield on home soil. Luke Duffy's 89th-minute goal gave Robbie Savage the perfect start to his managerial tenure at the Silkmen.

Former Premier League striker Adam Le Fondre marked his debut for FC United of Manchester with a second-half finish in a 1-0 win away at Morpeth Town.

The points were shared at the New Manor Ground between Ilkeston Town and Gainsborough Trinity after an own goal for each side saw the game finish 2-2.

Blyth Spartans' first match back in the Northern Premier League ended in a 2-2 draw away at Ashton United. Nobby Solano's men rescued a point with four minutes of regular time remaining after the Robins scored two goals in the second half to cancel out Nicky Deverdics' early finish.

Hebburn Town marked their return to Step 3 with a 1-0 victory at home against Warrington Rylands, with Olly Martin's 19th-minute goal being the only thing separating the two sides.

Fellow newcomers Mickleover fought back to earn a point in a 1-1 away at Hyde United, while Prescot Cables were held to a 0-0 stalemate at home to Matlock Town.

Results - Saturday 10 August
Ashton United 2-2 Blyth Spartans
Guiseley 2-0 Workington AFC
Hebburn Town 1-0 Warrington Rylands
Hyde United 1-1 Mickleover
Ilkeston Town 2-2 Gainsborough Trinity
Lancaster City 3-2 Basford United
Leek Town 0-2 Stockton Town
Morpeth Town 0-1 FC United of Manchester
Prescot Cables 0-0 Matlock Town
Whitby Town 1-2 Bamber Bridge
Worksop Town 0-1 Macclesfield