BRAVE ILSON GO DOWN TO TABLE TOPPING TAMWORTH

25th February 2003

Ilkeston Town 0 Tamworth 1 Att 691 Dr Martens League Premier Division

Ilkeston line up:- 

Ilkeston Town took on table topping Tamworth with their fans fearing the worst after recent heavy defeats against teams vastly inferior to the champions elect. The Robins welcomed back Mark Lever in defence and Mark Clifford swapped positions with Emeka Nwadike. 

Despite being underdogs Ilkeston took the game to Tamworth and put them under pressure with Leon Kelly missing two good chances to give them a surprise lead. Andy Love continued to enhance his reputation with some fine saves which kept the Robins in the game. Just as it looked as though might go in at half time on equal terms Andy Love dropped an harmless looking cross at the feat of Darren Collins who netted from a couple of yards.

After the break Ilkeston continued to compete with Tamworth but failed to break down a very well organised visiting defence. Andy Love made yet another excellent save but the Robins gradually ran out of ideas and failed to put a worthwhile shot on target in the second half.

WhiteBallProject verdict:-

Andy Love – Had an excellent game apart from the mistake which cost Ilkeston the game. 

Emeka Nwadike - Again out of position but had a useful game.

Joe Atkinson – Struggled somewhat in the first half better in second.

Barry Woolley – WhiteBallProject Man of the Match - Third MOM in a row. Head and shoulders above the rest of the team.

Mark Lever - Looked solid and won most of the aerial battles.

Mark Clifford – Worked hard and battled well in midfield.

David Freeman – A good game and used the ball well.

Ian Robinson - Worked hard to impress.

Leon Kelly – Caused problems with his pace but missed some good chances.

Chris Freestone – A good game held the ball up well.

Ryan Ford - Worked hard and provided some neat touches.

Subs

Anthony Anderson – Came on as Ilkeston faded. 

Another defeat but a much improved performance and some pride restored. On paper Ilkeston should have been stuffed by Tamworth but the team proved that when it clicks they can live with anyone in this league. The question that must be asked is why can the same team match and compete with the best team in the league and then crumble and collapse when they play other relegation candidates. The answer must lie with the management who must be tearing their hair out working out they are to motivate this team in a consistent fashion. Motivation, passion and attitude all qualities on show against the probable champions.

ANOTHER FALSE DAWN AS MOOR GREEN RUN RIOT

22nd February 2003

 Moor Green 5 Ilkeston Town 0  Att 326 Dr Martens League Premier Division

Ilkeston line up:- 

Ilkeston Town came down to earth after last weeks heroics when they again lost heavily to a fellow relegation struggler. They faced Moor Green without the suspended Mark Lever and the injured Niall Hudson but returning to the fold was Mark Clifford on loan from Chester City.

The Robins were quickly in trouble when Martin Myers put Moor Green ahead after only five  minutes and despite having chances themselves Ilkeston went two down with Myers again providing the goal. After 35 minutes manager Charlie Bishop showed his displeasure with his defence by substituting debutant Jason Westwood and moving Emeka Nwadike and Ashley Murdock to the centre of defence to partner Barry Woolley with Mark Clifford moving into midfield. The Robins held their own until the 55th minutes when Jae Martin put Moor Green 3-0 up. Ilkeston continued to struggle to get back into the game and Martin added his second and Moor Green's fourth after 64 minutes. Elmes completed the rout with four minutes to go.

WhiteBallProject verdict:-

Andy Love – Kept busy and made some good saves but looked a bit immobile. 

Mark Clifford – Played OK! and moved into midfield after 35 minutes.

Joe Atkinson – Reasonable performance but looked a bit slow at times.

Jason Westwood –  Struggled to make the step up from the reserves.

Barry Woolley – WhiteBallProject Man of the Match - Another very good performance while those about were less effective.

Emeka Nwadike - Played out of position at the back and looked unsettled

David Freeman – Reasonable performance.

Ian Robinson - Battled well and came close on a number of occasions.

Leon Kelly – Missed some good chances.

Chris Freestone – Had a quiet game.

Ryan Ford - Had a very quiet game.

Subs

Ashley Murdock - Early substitution but played at the back as a third centre half. Showed some good touches though.

Anthony Anderson – Came on with Ilkeston struggling but showed some good touches. 

Tom Williams - Came on too late to make any impression.

This game probably signals the end of any feint hope Ilkeston had of avoiding relegation. A 5-0 defeat at Moor Green is a very poor result and was the result of a very poor team performance. Surely the club will now start planning for next season in the Western Division. Maybe the news that Matt Nurse is on the transfer list is the first step in this forward planning. Ilkeston will need to think very carefully about the future of those on contracts which extend past the end of the season. I believe Matt Nurse falls into this category. Others may follow but the identity of those can only be guessed at. It's a shame Matt Nurse may be leaving because I and a lot of the fans believe he has been one of the best players at the New Manor Ground this season. For some reason Manager Charlie Bishop does not see it the same way. Ilkeston face champions elect Tamworth on Tuesday night and barring a heavy frost it could be a stormy night for the Robins.

IT'S THE WONDER OF WOOLLEY AS ILSON WIN

15th February 2003

 Ilkeston Town 3 Hastings United 1  Att 402 Dr Martens League Premier Division

Ilkeston line up:- 

Kelly causes panic	Woolley flies in	Freestone is offside

Ilkeston Town went into this game hoping that the return from injury of Barry Woolley might lift the gloom that has pervaded the New Manor Ground since last Saturday drubbing against Welling United. Manager Charlie Bishop had Ian Robinson available after his bout of flu and gave Ex Forest player David Freeman his full debut. However the biggest surprise for the Ilkeston faithful was the return of keeper Andy Love who has not played a competitive since he last played for the Robins nearly a year ago.

The game kicked off in bright sunshine with Ilkeston pressing the Hastings defence back from the start. The Robins got their reward on 16 minutes when returning hero Barry Woolley headed home a Ryan Ford corner. Ilkeston pushed forward for a second and Chris Freestone looked to have completed the when he scored with a fine header. However the linesman has hid flag up and the goal was disallowed. Minutes later the strong running Leon Kelly was bought down inside the area and got up to take the spot kick himself. The keeper guessed the right way but Kelly put the kick past the post. Buoyed by this let off Hastings put Ilkeston under pressure themselves and forced Andy Love to make a fine save after Mark Lever's header seemed to be sailing into his own net. Ilkeston had dominated the half but went in on equal terms when Honey found time on the edge of the area to control the ball and fire a fine shot past Love and into the goal.

After the break Hastings had their best spell of the game but failed to trouble the Ilkeston defence superbly marshaled by Barry Woolley and Mark Lever. Ilkeston gradually regained control and on the hour Leon Kelly headed home a David Freeman cross to put the Robins two up. Ilkeston started to enjoy the sense of superiority they had gained and on 78 minutes David Freeman provided an excellent cross for Chris Freestone to tap in the third and final goal.

WhiteBallProject verdict:-

Andy Love – A very solid return and one excellent save.

Niall Hudson – Another excellent game. Uses the ball intelligently.

Joe Atkinson – Looked off the pace in the first half but improved as game progressed.

Mark Lever –  Looked solid snuffing out any Hastings threat.

Barry Woolley – WhiteBallProject Man of the Match - An excellent performance scored opening goal and then won everything in the air and most things on the ground.

Emeka Nwadike - A battling performance kept going for the whole game

Ryan Ford - Played really well in first half but gave ball away too often in second.

Ian Robinson - An excellent game. Kept battling for ninety minutes

Leon Kelly – Back up front and again worked hard and a constant problem. Missed penalty but made up for it with second goal.

Chris Freestone –  Worked extremely hard and got reawrd with third goal.

David Freeman – Started quietly but came into game and had an excellent game making two goals.

Subs

Anthony Anderson – Came on with the game won and showed some good touches. 

When Andy Love walked out to warm up most Ilkeston fans could not but feel that the clubs plight was becoming farcical. Surely there was only so many ex players we could re sign. But in time honoured fashion Ilkeston Town Football Club and most importantly the players themselves have shown that they can succeed. What is most satisfying is that the Robins did it with some style. Yes Hastings were not a great side and must surely now be one of the favourites for the drop themselves but Ilkeston played with shape and a conviction that they were the better side. A look at the table and the remaining fixtures show that Ilkeston still need a major miracle to stay up but with more performances like that today and at least we will go down fighting.

Ilkeston Town entertain Newport County in a rearranged fixture on Tuesday 18th February kick off 7.45 pm.

INEPT ILSON HIT FOR SIX

8th February 2003

 Ilkeston Town 1 Welling United 6  Att 432 Dr Martens League Premier Division

Ilkeston line up:- 

Hemmings on the ball	Welling go 2-0 up	Heggs challenges

Ilkeston Town showed today that saying things can't get any worse is a recipe for disaster. After last weeks calamitous second half display against Hinckley United surely the Robins would turn in a more disciplined and organised performance against struggling Welling United. Well apparently not!.

Manager Charlie Bishop dropped keeper Matt Nurse and replaced him with Matt Fletcher. James Impey dropped out with a broken toe and Ian Robinson went down with flu. Ashley Murdock filled the breach in midfield and Carl Heggs returned up front.

Hopes of a Ilkeston win were dented as early as the second minute when the skilful Anthony Riviere jinked past a defender and picked his spot from twenty yards out. After 21 minutes things got worse when Mark Lever was forced to hold back an attacker who had beat the Robins offside trap. The referee had no hesitation in sending off the experienced defender. from the resulting free kick John Farley put the visitors two up. Ilkeston ploughed on in search of a goal with Leon Kelly causing problems with his space on the right. 

The Robins were enjoying their best spell of the match and for a time it looked as though they might be able to get back into the game. Unfortunately on the stroke of half time Gary Abbott rose unmarked to score with a close range header to give Welling United a 3-0 lead at the break.

Harsh words could be heard at half time and Ilkeston came out for the second half with Joe Atkinson replacing Simon Futcher. It was Welling United however who score the first goal of the half when the ever dangerous Riviere tapped in after a goal mouth scramble. On 62 minutes Chris Freestone headed home a Tony Hemmings corner for a consolation goal as Welling continued to dominate the game against a tiring and despondent Ilkeston team. Riviere completed his well deserved hat trick when he was given plenty of time in the box to pick his spot and Paul Booth added the sixth from the penalty spot after Simon Brown had bought down a Welling attacker.

WhiteBallProject verdict:-

Matt Fletcher – Looked a bit out of his depth at this level.

Niall Hudson – WhiteBallProject Man of the Match - One of the few players to do himself justice. Good tackling and cool under pressure.

Simon Futcher – Steady first half. subbed at half time.

Simon Brown – Lack of pace cruelly exposed after Lever was sent off.

Mark Lever –  Had little to do and then was sent off.

Ryan Ford - Worked hard in first half but faded badly insecond.

Leon Kelly –Repeatedly beat the Welling defence but not enough quality ball.

Tony Hemmings – Quiet game . Good corners played at centre half second half.

Chris Freestone –  Scored only goal but little success otherwise.

Carl Heggs – Ran around a lot and argued with the ref a lot but not a good game.

Ashley Murdock – Looked useful in first half showing a good touch and a willingness to work hard. Subbed early in second half

Subs

Joe Atkinson – Came on with the game already lost but looked steady. 

Paul Freeman – A steady debut in a struggling side.

Tom Williams - Did not really get a kick after he came home.

This was possibly Ilkeston Town worst perfornace of the season and they have now lost heavily against two teams who are themselves battling against relegation and to be honest we have been outclassed. The team at present are not good enough for the league they are in and will almost certainly be relegated. The reason for this state is open to debate but individually the players presently at the club should be good enough to survive at this level. Whether Charlie Bishop and Carl Heggs can get them to work as a team is another question many fans and supporters are asking themselves. There has been some strange team selections in the past few games. Matt Nurse dropped after one bad game when he has carried for most of the season, Leon Kelly playing on the wing, Ian Robinson playing up front and Tony Hemmings  Ilkeston's only potential match winner playing at centre half against Welling United. A more immediate worry for the Robins management will be the apparent lack of discipline within the team. Three sendings off in two games is not a proud statistic and twice this season since Bishop and Heggs have taken off have Ilkeston been reduced to nine men. The suspensions that follow mean that Ilkeston are forever fielding weakened sides.

Could it be time for Ilkeston to be planning for next season?

ILSON THROW IT ALL AWAY AS RELEGATION LOOMS

1st February 2003

Hinckley United 5 Ilkeston Town 2  Att 391 Dr Martens League Premier Division

Ilkeston line up:- 

Ilkeston Town learnt what the phrase 'Its a game of two halves' really means today as they managed to throw away a two goal advantage against fellow strugglers Hinckley United. 

Manager Charlie Bishop bought back Ryan Ford for the suspended Carl Heggs and reshuffled his formation playing Ian Robinson as a striker and Leon Kelly as a right sided midfielder. The Robins opened brightly with Tony Hemmings orchestrating the play as the home side were pinned back into their own half. After several early scares the inevitable happened when an Hemmings cornered was headed home by Chris Freestone after 11 minutes. Ilkeston pushed forward causing all sorts of problems for the Knitters defence and on 27 minutes another Tony Hemmings corner caused panic for the Hinckley keeper and the curving ball went straight into the net giving Ilkeston a two goal lead.

Despite being totally outclassed the home side started to put their game together and venture towards the Ilkeston goal. Deep into added time Hinckley broke clear put their attacker was b