by Peter Scherer
For 88 minutes it looked as though Mickleover were coming away from Ilkeston’s New Manor Ground with a point, until a late free kick broke the deadlock in the hosts favour.
Starting line-up: 1-Yusuf Mersin 2-Kieran Brown 3-Jake Bennett 4-Ryan Wilson 5-Will Atkinson 6-Danny Benson 7-Marcus Barnes 8-Gabby Adebambo 9-Stuart Beavon 10-Tyreace Palmer 11-Andy Dales. Subs: Jamie Soule, Curtis Weston, Brandon Ferron, Cieron Keane, Charlie Hickingbottom.
It was Ilkeston that set the pace from kick off, winning a corner after four minutes. Three minutes later Mersin palmed away a shot from Daniel, after a good build up down the Ilkeston left.
Mickleover then responded when Atkinson started a move via Brown and Beavon, with Barnes collecting the cross before his shot took a deflection taking it just past the right-hand post.
Brandy then put in a weak shot which failed to test Mersin, but the Mickleover keeper was in action 10 minutes in, palming away Cursons effort for another corner.
Two minutes later Palmer almost caught the home defence napping, after a mix -up when Yates came for the ball with his defenders seemingly unaware.
It had been a fairly even opening 20 minutes, but Ilkeston had started to press forward, pegging Mickleover in their own half. A long ball to Cursons was well intercepted by Atkinson, which was then followed by a succession of corners for the home side, ending with a shot going high and wide after 26 minutes.
There could have been a game changer after 32 minutes, when Adebambo was tripped right on the edge of the box. The referee waved away penalty appeals, but also failed to give a clear free kick.
The Mickleover defence were looking solid, with Atkinson and Benson in the middle, allowing Bennett and Brown to work positively down the wings, while Wilson looked after the defensive midfield role.
36 minutes in and another break from Atkinson set up a run for Beavon, but he was deemed just offside.
It was still end to end though, but Ilkeston wasted a number of crosses, either too long or straight out of play.
Barnes then forced Yates into a diving save with a powerful distance shot after 39 minutes. The home keeper failed to hold the ball, but was able to recover with no one in the vicinity.
Cursons put another shot over the bar for the hosts and in time added on Brown dropped a challenging cross into the box on the left, Yates managed to collect it though with Beavon closing in, and so it remained 0-0 after the first 45.
There were no immediate changes for the second half, but after an early flurry from the restart by Ilkeston, Mickleover started to push forward again.
Palmer fired a shot just over the bar from a Barnes cross after 50 minutes and a minute later a strong run from Dales on the left almost found Beavon in the middle.
But Mickleover had been strong in attack again, and almost the whole team were involved in a move, before Palmer’s 54th minute effort was finally cleared.
The referee had already cautioned Wilkinson and Cursons for Ilkeston in the first half and after 57 minutes Adebambo and the visitors Brandy joined them, after a touchline scuffle.
Brown became yellow car number five, before Ilkeston had another succession of corners, with no real threat following, before Eratt-Thompson was the sixth name in the book.
Weston came on for Adebambo after 63 minutes, but it was Ilkeston’s turn to attack, with Mersin saving a follow up after the initial effort was blocked.
Mickleover responded again but Dales break was halted when he was fouled on the half way line and again barely a minute later.
Mersin was then in action to punch clear a 65th minute cross, before a scramble in the Mickleover box took a while to clear, following a free kick.
The hosts won another free kick which cleared the stand, but with Mickleover pushing forward, Ilkeston skipper Marshall’s hefty clearance from their box after 70 minutes, kept Mersin on his toes.
With both sides having made changes, it was still a very even game and Minkley earned another Ilkeston corner after his shot went close to the left-hand post.
Dales was fouled yet again, but Wilson’s free kick came to nought and then after 81 minutes Keane came on for Beavon.
A strong attack down the right ended with Bennett’s shot just wide of the left-hand post, but then Benson joined the ever filling ref’s notebook.
Ilkeston had won a free kick on the edge of the box, which initially Mersin had saved, but Cursons was first to react and slotted in the rebound, so after 88 minutes it was 0-1. “The free kick took a slight deflection, but I still just managed to get to it with my feet, then they got the rebound,” said Sports keeper Mersin.
With just minutes on the clock it was a cruel conclusion to a strong performance from Sports, against play-off contenders. Soule replaced Bennett in final seconds but the damage was done and Mickleover were left on the wrong end of a late goal again.
