Match Report - Hereford 1 Ilkeston Town 1

Sam watching from A Block reports on this afternoon's Cup Tie at Edgar Street.

Yusifu Ceesay’s second-half equaliser earned Hereford an FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round replay at Ilkeston Town after a 1-1 draw.


The Bulls recovered from a lacklustre first half against lower-ranked opposition to remain in the competition, amid a second half with several good chances for both sides.


The game’s first shot came after 7 minutes. Andy Williams headed a long ball to Chay Tilt, who fed Ceesay into the left hand side of the box. 

The winger fired wide of the opposite post, and Hereford’s attack struggled to get involved for much of the rest of the half. Ilkeston asked questions of Hereford’s defence through a mix of long balls, threatening breaks, and Hereford’s own imprecise play.  

After half-an-hour, Hereford produced a decent spell, with Tate Campbell dragging wide from the edge of the box. 

Then Tilt won a corner after bursting through down the right. Matt Preston’s stooping header was excellently tipped round the post by Ilkeston’s goalkeeper Owen Mason.

Campbell drove forward and fed Ceesay down the left, and his blocked cross fell to Alex Babos, who had plenty of space in the box but curled high and to the right.


Two minutes before the break, Preston’s sliced clearance was pounced-upon by an Ilkeston attacker. Matt Cursons converted the subsequent square pass with his left foot into the bottom left-hand corner, giving the visitors a half-time lead.

At the break, Hereford replaced Preston, Aurio Teixeira, and Babos with Aaron Skinner, Lawson D’Ath, and Akheem Rose, and started the second half as the livelier side.

Ilkeston stung Chapman’s palms with a Di Canio-style volley on the hour mark, before Rose broke into a good position down the right. However, Hereford threatened to overplay the move, shifting the ball between several attackers as Ilkeston recovered defensive positions.

Eventually, Sammy Robinson fed Rose toward the right hand side of the 6-yard box. He hit the inside of the right-hand post, and with the keeper having tried to save Rose’s shot, the goal was largely empty as the ball fell to Ceesay on the penalty spot. He side-footed home to level the cup tie.

The ball pinballed around the box at a subsequent Hereford corner, though Ilkeston continued to threaten through Cursons, who twisted Kyle Howkins following a long ball and drilled low past the left-hand post.

Campbell fed Skinner down the right but Tilt was unable to connect with a cutback. Ceesay’s work down the left saw Williams spurn an even-better chance high and wide.

A Ball Into The Area By D'Ath Too High For Williams

With ten minutes to go, Skinner broke into the right-hand side of the penalty box and went down under a defender’s pressure. The penalty appeal was turned down, and his booking for simulation was considered very harsh by the home supporters.

Curson caused more problems in the final minutes by breaking through the middle, but Hereford were let-off as his one-on-one effort was narrowly wide of the right-hand post. In injury time, Campbell drove from the left and shot from the edge of the box, but his effort was steered past the right-hand post by Mason.

Paul Caddis was believed to have been sent off after the final whistle, following bookings for both sides throughout the game.

Hereford host King’s Lynn Town in the National League North next Saturday, and will have a trip to Ilkeston almost certainly before then next Tuesday evening.


Lineups:


Hereford - Chapman, Hudson, Campbell, Preston, Babos, Williams, Tilt, Teixeira, Ceesay, Robinson, Howkins


Substitutes: Horton, Skinner, D’Ath, Derricott, Rose, Rooney, Matwasa


Ilkeston - Mason, Minkley, Dixon, T. Marshall, Wilkinson, Brandy, Daniel, Cursons, Stevens, Walker


Substitutes: Brown, Meikle, Kirby-Moore (started game due to injury), A. Marshall, Hutchinson, Leivers


Attendance: 1,346 (including 104 away)