ANOTHER DRAW
Ilkeston 0 Yeltz 0
19 November 2003
Another two points were dropped, as Halesowen could only draw 0-0 against out-of-form Ilkeston. As ever, full details in DJ's match report .
We've now got a free weekend with Atherstone sadly no longer with us, so our next game is at home to Banbury next Tuesday in the B'ham Senior Cup.
Match Report from DJ
Ilkeston Town: Horrigan; Stephens, Jervis, Brown, Holyoak, Lyons, Thompson (Stant HT), Burns, Freestone (Hurrell 80), O'Connor, Lewis. Unused Subs: Atkinson, Laws, Hatton
Halesowen Town: Sheils; Colwell, Charlton, Grocutt, Jones, Baker, Hollis, Ashby, Mitchell (Hallam 75), Steane, Skidmore. Unused Subs: Smith, Small, Kavanagh, Lowe
Referee: G. C. Law (Leicester) Attendance: 337 Booked: None
Last season's relegated teams battled out a goal-less draw in an evenly matched contest although Ben Steane missed a golden chance to seal a Yeltz victory with just three minutes remaining.
Home goalkeeper Darren Horrigan raced off his line in the 5th minute to deny Simon Hollis from Jason Ashby's cross and in the 9th minute Ilkeston's Aaron O'Connor drove wide from 20-yards. Hollis's 10th minute cross was then turned away for a corner with the home defence under pressure from Leon Mitchell after Ashby chased a long ball. The home side won two corners in the 32nd minute and O'Connor hit over a dangerous cross in the 42nd minute but Halesowen just edged the first-half with two further telling crosses from Hollis flashing across the Ilkeston goal-mouth.
The Yeltz weathered a spell of Ilkeston pressure at the start of the second period and in the 51st minute Richard Colwell made an important goal-line clearance to keep the scores level. A minute later substitute Phil Stant flashed a header across goal from a John Burns corner. For the visitors Hollis hit wide from 20-yards on 53 minutes and Halesowen then forced four consecutive corners in the 63rd minute but could not find the killer touch.
Chris Freestone headed a 67th minute cross just wide and Michael Lyons curled just wide from 20-yards ten minutes later for Ilkeston. Lyons then hit a right-wing cross inches over Mark Sheil's bar in the 85th minute with Ilkeston searching desperately for their first win in their last ten outings.
Steane volleyed a Hollis cross over the bar with five minutes left before his glaring miss in front of the Ilkeston goal in the 87th minute when he hit tamely at Horrigan after being set-up by Ashby with an empty net and three valuable points at his mercy.