KELLY'S THE HERO THEN VILLAIN AS ILSON DRAW AT BATH

29th March 2003

Bath City 1 Ilkeston Town 1 Att 678 Dr Martens League Premier Division

Ilkeston line up:- 

For the third away game on the trot Ilkeston Town took an early lead only to be pegged back in the second half. Manager Charlie Bishop made only one change from the side that were victorious against Weymouth last week with Niall Hudson replacing Mark Clifford who left the New Manor Ground to join Nuneaton Borough. Ilkeston Town made a dream start when Leon Kelly gave them the lead in the first minute. A Tony Hemmings corner was headed by Barry Woolley into the path of Leon Kelly who prodded the ball home from five yards out. The Robins should have increased their lead after 26 minutes when Aaron O'Connor had a shot parried. The ball fell to Leon Kelly who managed to hit the bar from three yards with the goal completely unguarded. Ilkeston were worth their one goal lead at the interval but the balance of the game changed on the hour when Leon Kelly was harshly sent off after a clash with James Rollo. Kelly had been getting the better of the cumbersome Bath defence with his searing pace. After a number of niggling incidents Kelly  and Rollo challenged for a high ball. Kelly appeared to catch Rollo in the chest with his elbow but the Bath defender went down holding his face and Kelly was given to red card. Down to ten men Ilkeston were up against it and the inevitable equaliser came after 78 minutes when substitute Darren Cleverly dispatched a loose ball from twelve yards. Cleverly came close to securing all three points for the home side in injury time but Ilkeston survived to gain a well deserved away point and extend their unbeaten run to four games.

WhiteBallProject verdict:-

Andy Love - Played well and looked secure.

Niall Hudson - Back from injury and had a fine game.

Joe Atkinson - Had a decent game.

Barry Woolley - Another very good game. Had a hand in the goal.

Mark Lever - WhiteBallProject Man of the Match - Had a very good game. Solid and reliable.

Ian Robinson - A typically hard working and busy performance. Had a hand in the goal.

Chris Freestone - Had a decent game.

Tony Hemmings - A bit disappointing for a player with so much talent.

Aaron O'Connor – Very busy and did well.

Leon Kelly –  Early goal and pace caused problems for Bath defence. His sending off changed the nature of game.

Steve Coates - A useful performance.

Four games undefeated but another game that Ilkeston could have and probably should have won. It's ironic that Bath looked a poor side and for much of the Ilkeston outplayed them but it is the Robins that are going down and they are safe. It would appear that the team are starting to gel and play as a team rather than a disjointed set of individuals. Sadly this is all too late and relegation is now almost a certainty. 

On Tuesday 1st April Ilkeston entertain Newport County in a game that has been postponed several times.

Followers of local non-league football were shocked to hear that Worksop Town had sacked manager Paul Mitchell because of poor results. They were fifth in the Unibond Premier Division. Some people are never satisfied. Before he joined Worksop Mitchell reportedly applied for the managers job at Ilkeston.

Ex Robin Paul Williams has joined Hyde United where he teams up with Simon Coleman. Scott Huckerby is turning out for struggling Eastwood Town and congratulations to Saul Deeney who made his first team debut for Notts County at the weekend.

WOEFUL WEYMOUTH STUFFED BY ROBINS

22nd March 2003

Ilkeston Town 3  Weymouth 1 Att 365 Dr Martens League Premier Division

Ilkeston line up:- 

Ilkeston Town stuck with the team that played so well against Weymouth eleven days before but were denied their away win of the season by a Lee Phillips goal five minutes into added time. They got the perfect start however when Ian Robinson scored after three minutes with a deft header from an excellent Tony Hemmings corner. Weymouth tried to fight back and had a goal disallowed for off side when Lee Phillips put the ball in to the net. Despite the bright start the game soon became very scrappy. Ilkeston's biggest threat came from Tony Hemmings free kicks and corners.  Weymouth however relied on long balls which Mark Lever and Barry Woolley had no problem dealing with. Just before half time Hemmings forced a good save from the Weymouth keeper with a.ferociously struck free kick.  

After the break the game continued in a disjointed fashion until the 55th minute when Leon Kelly's strong running earned a penalty. Chris Freestone sent the keeper the wrong way to put llkeston 2-0 up. Minutes later an excellent run by Hemmings forced a good save from Jason Matthews in the Weymouth goal. Just as Weymouth looked to be falling apart Lee Phillips gave them hope with a well executed goal after 65minutes. Ilkeston's grasp on the game started to slip and Weymouth started to play with greater urgency. The Robins nerves were calmed after 71 minutes when Leon Kelly scored after being put through by Ian Robinson. His pace took him past the last defender and he coolly chipped the keeper. Weymouth had Phil Andrews sent off for dissent with ten minutes left on the clock. But despite this setback they nearly got back when Simon Browne thumped a header against the post. With minutes remaining Chris Freestone hit a post from a Tony Hemmings short corner and then Hemmlngs himself hit the same post when he collected the rebound. 

WhiteBallProject verdict:-

Andy Love – Had very little to do in first half but looked very solid in second. 

Mark Clifford - A quiet game with one or two crunching tackles.

Joe Atkinson – Improved and had a good second half.

Mark Lever - An excellent display and he dominated in the air.

Barry Woolley –  A solid display dominated in the air.

Ian Robinson - Worked hard and had a very good game. Made third goal.

Chris Freestone – A workman like performance  Dispatched his penalty with panache.

Tony Hemmings - Excellent set pieces and looked full of running in second half.

Aaron O'Connor – Very busy but tightly marked and struggled to make an impression.

Leon Kelly – WhiteBallProject Man of the Match - His strong running caused problems all the game. Won penalty for second and scored an excellent third.

Steve Coates - Some excellent passing and he worked hard.

Three games unbeaten a settled side and a 3-1 victory at home. These are heady days indeed for Ilkeston Town. Alas it is probably going to be late and even the Conference restructuring now looks unlikely to give us an escape route. But after today's performance there would be more hope that if Ilkeston can keep the bulk of this team together they may be able to make an impression in the Western Division next season. Charlie Bishop and Carl Heggs will have been impressed with the work rate and teamwork shown by the Robins today. Unfortunately the game was watched by the lowest gate of the season in the league at the New Manor Ground. The hardy souls who travelled from Weymouth must be worried that they could be quite easily partnering Ilkeston Town through the relegation trap door come May. Weymouth were probably one of the poorest seen at Ilkeston this season.

For Weymouth view of game click here includes picture of club shop hostess