PREVIEW: St. Ives Town (H)
By Will Phillips
When: Saturday 29th November (15:00 KO)
Where: The Stotto Stadium, Farley Way, Quorn LE12 8RB
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After a convincing win last time out Quorn host St. Ives Town in a battle of two sides looking to break into the playoff places.
Quorn’s Form:
The Methodists went to Bromsgrove Sporting and came out of the game with one of their biggest wins this season, 5-1, crushing the hopes of the home fans. This is the first game Quorn has won since a 4-3 victory away to Bishop’s Stortford at the start of the month, that match was the last in a six-game unbeaten streak in the league.
Simeon Cobourne scored a brace at Bromsgrove to take his tally to nine goals so far this season, making him the clubs second top goal scorer behind Zak Goodson with eleven. Prior to the Bromsgrove Sporting game Quorn played Real Bedford, ending a three-game losing with a 1-1 draw. Before this the Reds had lost to Kettering Town, Banbury United and Harborough town,
The Opposition:
St. Ives have lost their last three games, and are winless in four. Most recently the Saints suffered a 3-1 defeat at home to Leiston at home. Micheal Richens, formerly of Peterborough, was able to get a consolation goal for Town but this was not enough to overcome the three-goal deficit that they had already endured.
The previous two losses came against Redditch United at home and away to AFC Sudbury; this has left St. Ives tenth in the division. In terms of goals St. Ives have scored the least out of any side in the top eleven, with twenty-five, but with just 24 conceded they still have a positive goal and one of the stingier defensive records in the league.
The Saints last win came against Banbury United, coming out on top despite a late goal from the Puritans in the form of a penalty. St. Ives themselves had already scored a penalty in that match and were able to finish the game on the right side of the 2-1 result.
Overall, the Saints have struggled on their travels this season, losing seven out of eleven in all competitions, failing to score in six of those contests. Their only wins on the road have been impressive ones though, 4-0 at Bromsgrove Sporting and 3-2 at Spalding United.
Head-to-head:
This is the first meeting between the clubs in almost 13 years. The Saints visited Farley Way in February 2013, coming back from 2-0 down at half time to snatch a draw as they went on to finish second in the United Counties League Premier Division. The only other meeting was in November 2012, when the Reds visited Westwood Road, winning 3-1 to snap a 14 month home unbeaten streak for Town. Current General Manager Liam Turner scored the third goal that day to seal the win in stoppage time.
One to watch:
Michael Richens will be on the mind of the Quorn defenders going into this match, being the Saints’ top scorer this season with nine goals. Richens is the St. Ives captain and his name carries weight in English football, previously playing for Stevenage in League Two. Playing for the club for four years now, Richens is a fan favourite for St Ives and will be expected to do well against Quorn, having scored six in six heading into the weekend.
Ticket Prices:
Adults £12.00, Concessions £9.00, U16s £3.00, Under 14s Free