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Two years ago today in the match before the 4-0 home defeat against Walsall Wood we played against Highgate United at home. These were the teams :

Ilkeston Town1 Liam Mitchell, 2 Tom Marshall, 3 Billy Bennett, 4 Fabian Smith, 5 Matt Baker, 6 Chris Shaw, 7 Reece Fyfe, 8 Jermain Hollis, 9 Elliott Reeves, 10 Alex Marshall, 11 Jamie Walker.
Subs :  12 Paolo Piliero. 14 Tim Hopkinson, 15 Kyle Dixon, 16 Rod Orlando-Young, 17 Kyle Perry. 

Highgate United1 Brad Catlow, 2 Richard Bryan, 3 Nathan Pulisciano, 4 Duane Cortnry, 5 Samuel Oji, 6 Corey Currithers, 7 Shay Palmer, 8 Jason Goddard, 9 Marco Addagio, 10 Stafan Moore, 11 Dale Taylor.
Subs : 12 Joao Gonclaves, 14 Isaac Jagroop, 15 Scott Rickards, 16 Danny Rolfe, 17 Todd Yahiya. 

 Ilkeston won the game 4-1 with goals by Jermain Hollis, Reco Fyfe and Elliott Reeves 2.   

This was Highgate’s match report : 

HIGHGATE UNITED 1ST TEAM 1 - 4 ILKESTON TOWN Away    06 April 2019 

ROBINS ON SONG 

Ilkeston's fire power too much for a Highgate side which despite enjoying plenty of possession created very little where it mattered. Most failing to take advantage of nervous looking custodian Liam Mitchell and falling victims to far too many costly mistakes. In the end a fairly comfortable win for the current three point league leaders of a division containing no particularly outstanding teams. Plenty of ambition though for hosts which with rising attendances, the highest average in the MFL, and should promotion be achieved will surely look to build a side capable of holding its own at the next level.

As for Gate they face a difficult end to the season and with South Normanton winning over the week-end will desperately be looking to add points to the board if a fight for survival is to be avoided over the final three games.

A first ever league visit to the New Manor Ground, hospitality good but not matched by a heavily diveted pitch with both keepers expected to perform to the best of their ability in goalmouth sandpits. An admission price of £2 sadly not tempting enough for a widely expected crowd of 2000 - 2500 but the 950 present still sufficient to have hopefully benefited the nominated Macmillan Cancer Support charity, a nice gesture from a club which itself has suffered financially over recent years.

Gate's line up showed returns for the previously suspended Shay Palmer and Sam Oji, Nathan Pulisciano passing a pre-match fitness test and Danny Rolfe making a surprise appearance on the bench. A back four of Richard Bryan, Duane Courtney, Oji and Pulisciano, Corey Currithers, Jordan Goddard, Dale Taylor and Palmer in midfield with Marco Adaggio and Stefan Moore up front, as strong a side as could be put out, with just the suspended Lei Brown the one absentee.

For the two female referee's assistants attired in rather unflattering black envious looks cast towards a Highgate team wearing its usual pink away kit, the Robins as might be expected in red, the afternoon sunny but cold with a deceptively strong wind blowing straight down the field of play. No time to relax as from the kick off a poor back pass presented Alex Marshall with a one on one with Catlow the keeper making himself big in standing his ground and the first chance put behind for a corner. Not the start the visitors wanted but Mitchell in the opposite goal tested by a Bryan free kick after Taylor had been sent tumbling thirty yards out with a resulting weak punch in an aerial challenge with Courtney. An early yellow for Oji for what appeared to be an unintentional and unavoidable handball, Bryan getting in a strong challenge on Kyle Dixon, Gate settling down and an Adaggio flick on from a Catlow kick putting Moore clear only for the number 10 to be pulled up for a shoulder charge on Chris Shaw. Moore played a pass wide for Palmer to hit a dangerous cross over the face of goal but beyond the far post, a promising start from the underdogs but requiring some defending with Oji rising to beat Reece Fyfe in the air and Pulisciano well placed to cut out an Elliott Reeves' cross. Reeves, described by many in the home camp as the best striker in the league, despatched a subsequent header high over the bar, Catlow then saving low down after Dixon had cut in from the left. Continuing to give a good account of themselves Gate went closest so far when Courtney's long throw led to a corner headed narrowly off target by Palmer but misfortune and the first goal was to come in 29th minute. Unable to defend Fyfe's cross an attempted clearance came back off a second pink shirt falling nicely for Jermain Hollis to slam the loose ball past Catlow from eight yards distance.

A goal at that point seemed harsh on a Gate side which appeared to be more than holding its own, Town though near to a second only to be denied by a clearance on the line. Mitchell continued to look vulnerable between the sticks by beating out rather than catching Goddard's twenty five yard free kick with Moore's follow up deflected for a corner, Gate not far away from the equaliser but almost caught on the break when Catlow was again to the rescue in saving from Dixon. With half time approaching and maybe content to be just the one goal in arrears came another disaster at the back, defenders misjudging Mitchell's long kick out of hands Fyfe pouncing to control and fire the ball past Catlow, not the finish to the half expected a difficult forty five minutes to come and the only real threat so far coming from set pieces.
 HT Ilkeston Town 2 v 0 Highgate United.

No changes at the break, Tom Marshall conceding a free kick making a back for Palmer, Goddard's free kick hit beyond the back post, Adaggio then failing with an attempted overhead kick this time from a Pulisciano dead ball and Taylor having a shot blocked on the edge of the box. Despite having time to stroke the ball around there was still very little creativity, Town looking stronger as the game progressed with Oji doing well to turn a Fyfe cross behind, there then being no way back when in 67th minute Reeve saw off two defenders to cut inside and curl an angled twenty five yard shot high into the roof of the well beaten Catlow's net. But then came a wake up call for the by now complacent Robins, Courtney's long 72nd minute throw headed on by substitute Isaac Jagroop as replacement for Moore, Adaggio spinning five yards out to beat Mitchell just inside the keeper's left hand post. Enjoying the moment a Goddard corner was headed into the danger zone by Oji and scrambled away and a Pulisciano cross despatched behind off the top of the cross bar. Such pressure to prove too little too late and after Kyle Perry had flashed an opportunity over the face of goal the game was put to bed ten minutes from the end, the substitute setting up Reeves to enhance his reputation by again turning defenders and stroking the ball past Catlow.

A disappointing final score line but perhaps no more than expected or deserved against a side brimming with confidence in their quest to continue on what would seem within its ranks to be an anticipated journey back up through the leagues.

 

Last edited by Matchman (06/4/2021 9:15 PM)