At: Welfare Ground, Leicester Road
Kick-off: 7-45 pm
Admission: £4; Programme: £1 (12 Pages)
Attendance: 35
Weather: mild, mostly dry
Duration: first-half: 46:56; second-half: 48:05
It was about 2.5 miles between the grounds of Ellistown FC and Ibstock United, so I had plenty of spare time before the second leg of my Bank Holiday double got underway.
After some games were lost to FA Cup replays or switched to tomorrow, there were six East Midlands Counties League games on today and all bar this one were played this afternoon.
Ibstock’s ground was easy to find and actually on Leicester Road (on the left just before the roundabout) which links the centre of Ellistown with the northern edge of Ibstock. It was also close the A447 Coalville to Market Bosworth road: travelling south from Coalville and A511, turn left into Ashby Road (signed Ellistown 1 ½ miles), past the Jet garage to the next roundabout by the Co-op, left into Leicester Road and the entrance was 100 yards on the right. A drive led away from the road into the car park with the Welfare on the left and ground on the right.
I popped into the village centre and got my tea from the Ibstock Fish Bar. Close by I spotted an impressive clock, erected to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee in 2002, which was worth closer inspection. After parking up outside the ground, it was a trip to the nearby Co-op for a banana, chocolate and Pepsi to wash everything down!
Two ‘hoppermobiles’ arrived, a car or four and another of one – all had both been to the Coleshill v Coalville afternoon game in the Midland Alliance (which Coalville won 1-0 with former Stafford keeper Richard Williams impressing to keep a clean sheet). I pointed one car load in the direction of Ellistown so they could have a look at that ground while the other lone traveller ‘Epsom Nigel’ took some photos. The time until things opened up flew by a lot quick than I anticipated.
Through the impressive entrance, a reminder of the days of Ibstock Welfare FC, the pitch (orientated north-west–south-eat) ran widthways. I emerged near to one corner flag with all the facilities down the near side. Immediately to the left of the entrance was the refreshments building and next to that was an area of covered standing set back from the pitch which included three rows of benches on the left hand side. On halfway down the nearside was a modern building which incorporated the changing rooms. The other three sides were hardstanding with no additional cover. The pitch was mowed before kick-off with strip down the middle left uncut.
By the time the programmes became available, hot off the press with this afternoon’s results included, one traveller had decided to change plans at the last minute and hot-footed over to nearby Heather St John who also were kicking-off at 7-45 pm as well. We (I and ‘Darlington Harvey’) were both indebted to officials from both clubs for loaning their teamsheets.
Before kick-off there was, of course, time for a mug of tea (50 p)!
Ibstock began the day in 16th position in the 20-team league table with three points from five games – they were still looking for their first league win of the season having drawn three and lost two. Visitors Hinckley Downes were three places better off in 13th on the same number of points but better goal difference and having played just four games. They had won one – at home to Holbrook Miners Welfare – and lost three games.
As the norm in this league, the teams emerged in fair play fashion. Wit lights on from the start, Hinckley Downes (wearing blue shirts with blue and white striped sleeves, blue shorts and blue socks) got the game underway attacking the near Leicester Road end. Before the game I got chatting to the ‘Darlington Harvey’ and the other travellers in the car from the north-east (Graham, Ray and John – though one was up from South Wales) and were walked round to the far side for the first-half.
Ibstock (wearing red and white striped shirts, red shorts and red socks) won the first corner in the third minute and almost scored. Mark Pallett hit a right-foot volley which Hinckley’s Adam Smith cleared off the line.
Chances were scarce and Andy Tidey headed straight at Ibstock keeper Steven Fowkes from Tom Hodson’s long free-kick.
John Lovitt broke down the left, having stayed onside, and delivered a low cross from which Ben Weir saw a shot blocked by a defender.
By the time, Hinckley were awarded a free-kick in the 39th minute just outside the Ibstock area, neither keeper had been unduly troubled. And the free-kick, which Tidey sent over the five-man wall, bar and fence behind the goal didn’t either.
Just before the break, Luke Bradshaw played a delightful diagonal forward ball into the Ibstock area. Greg Richards looked set to shot until defender Rich Wileman made a vital saving tackle.
At half-time we walked back round to the refreshments building and opted to stay put to watch the second half from the patio-like area by the entrance.
The second-half was less than two minutes old when a moment of magic from Dan Stevenson gave Ibstock the lead. The referee brought play back for an infringement just outside the Hinckley area. Stevenson stepped up and hit the free-kick past the wall and into the bottom left corner past the static keeper Wayne Connolly who really had no chance of keeping the ball out.
Ibstock were certainly lively during the second half and Tom Hodson’s tackle prevented another chance for Stevenson. Hinckley also survived a scare in the 56th minute when Curtis Smith sliced an attempted clearance over his own bar.
Not long after spots of rain began to fall, Hinckley made a double change in the 72nd minute. Marc Orton and Ben Laxton replaced Adam Smith and Bradshaw. The visitors almost levelled things up from Richards’ shot but the diving Fowkes got down at the near post to save.
Ibstock replaced Lovitt with Jack Lewis in the 75th minute, and seven minutes later, Hinckley sub Orton was booked for his part in an off the ball incident right in front of the referee’s nose.
Hinckley almost equalised in the 83rd minute. Louis Hamilton whipped the ball across the face of goal and Richards couldn’t quite get on the end. Two minutes later, Hinckley made their third and final chance as Brett Marvin replaced Hamilton.
Ibstock must have thought they were heading for their first league win of the season. However, Hinckley agonizingly equalised in the 89th minute through Tidey’s deflected shot which eluded the diving Fowkes and ended up in the bottom right corner.
Both sides showed some urgency to find a winner in stoppage time, without success.
Goals:
1-0 Dan Stevenson (47)
1-1 Andy Tidey (88)
