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Sat 23rd August 2025
Northern Premier League
Bamber Bridge 2 Ilkeston Town 0
Two cracking goals condemned Ilkeston to back to back defeats. There was no stopping the hosts after they had taken an early lead though Kofi Moore;s rocket. Jack Baxter added a second 15 minutes from time and Ilkeston couldn’t find a way back into the game. They were outfought by a very good Bamber Bridge who now sit 4th in the table.
The game started evenly with both sides creating openings but it was Bamber Bridge who struck the early blow. It came from a swift counter down the left with Kofi Moore curling an unstoppable effort right into the top corner from just outside the area after just 7 minutes. Bridge were making the better chances and could have gone two up when Ewan Bange was played through on goal by Jaimie Allen. But the big Bamber forward tripped himself up at the crucial moment and Ilkeston keeper Dylan Wharton was able to gather, Harvey Kirby-Moore weaved his way into the Bamber area before losing possession and there were shouts for a foul when Sam Essien went down right on the edge of the Bamber area but the referee disagreed. Ilkeston then had a chance from a free kick in a similar position following a handball but Dylan Youmbi’s effort hit the wall before being cleared. A competitive first half ended with Bamber Bridge ahead by a single goal.
The second half started with Jamie Walker winning a corner from which Robbie Fox’s header was just off target. At the other end a strong close range Bange header brought a superb reaction save for Wharton. Bamber’s fast counter attacking continued to threaten more goals but Ilkeston had a strong penalty shout rejected when Fox appeared to be fouled. There was a bizarre moment involving the Ilkeston physio who had just treated Youmbi and Connor Dixon. On his way back to the dugout he was involved in an argument with an Ilkeston fan behind the goal and was shown a yellow card. Walker had a chance from a Jordan Stevens cross but couldn’t convert before the game was settled by Baxter’s goal on 75 minutes when he found the net from a tight angle. Ilkeston made a late bid for a consolation goal and Bamber keeper Aidan Dowling was very lucky when a deflection took the ball straight into his path. Colin Daniel fired an effort over the bar before Ilkeston had another penalty shout rejected when Youmbi went tumbling after dribbling his way into the area.
Last edited by Matchman (24/8/2025 10:00 AM)