by Gavin Warren
Sunday, 14/9 Venue: Ilkeston Athletic
Conditions: Wet, windy, and a heavy grass pitch
MFC Vets 1 continued their strong start to the season with a hard-fought 2-1 away win against Ilkeston Athletic, making it three wins from four and keeping us top of the table.
The weather and pitch made for difficult playing conditions — wet, windy, and a small, uneven surface. But there are no excuses at this level; it was the same for both sides, and it’s something we need to adapt to better moving forward.
We started brightly, creating plenty of chances in the first half. Pez saw a couple of headers go just over and wide, Clifton scuffed a decent opportunity, and Sav launched one high enough to clear Ilkeston town centre. Despite the chances, neither keeper had much to do in the first 40 minutes.
Jay Jay come off the bench, bringing energy and voice into midfield, while Steve replaced Aidan up top as we looked got fresh legs to break the deadlock.
Second half Against the run of play, Ilkeston took the lead after we gave the ball away on the edge of the area — a misplaced pass when a simple clearance was needed — and their player finished well. 1-0 Ilkeston.
Lille replaced Jay Jay shortly after — with him still nursing an injury, we managed his minutes carefully. Lille made an instant impact with his trademark long throw-ins, which caused chaos in the Ilkeston box.
With around 15 minutes left, club captain and top scorer C. Palms got us level, calmly placing a low shot into the bottom corner after good pressure. 1-1 and all to play for.
Looking to push for a winner, Dom and Yeomans came on to replace MOTM Sav and Betts, adding fresh legs late in the game.
With just minutes remaining, another Lille long throw from the 18-yard line caused problems again. The ball fell to Dom Meah, who struck a shot goalwards. The keeper saw it late, and it trickled into the back of the net for the winner. 2-1 MFC Vets.
Final Score: Ilkeston Athletic 1–2 MFC Vets 1
Goals: C. Palms D. Meah
Man of the Match: Sav – put in a real shift and set the tone.
Top of the league and momentum building – well done, lads. Let’s keep it going!
All the best to Ilkeston for rest of season.