REPORT: Quorn 3-1 St. Ives Town
By Dan Sheward
The Reds made it back-to-back wins with a comfortable home win against the visiting Saints. Goals from Dennis Digie, Simeon Cobourne and Luke Cox were enough to claim all three points without the hosts really having to get out of second gear.
Quorn began with real purpose, pressing St. Ives aggressively from the first whistle. Their intensity was rewarded early as Player/ Manager Ryan Beswick delivered an inviting ball to the near post where Digie applied the faintest of touches to guide the ball into the bottom-right corner. With Ollie Taylor rooted to the spot, Quorn took a deserved 1–0 lead.
The Reds showed no signs of easing off. Cobourne and Zak Goodson both came close to doubling the advantage, as Quorn continued to dominate the opening exchanges.
After weathering Quorn’s early storm, St. Ives carved out their first meaningful opportunity around the ten-minute mark. Alfie Shepherd cut inside from the left and curled a shot toward goal, only for captain Mason Frizzelle to flick the effort wide with a vital header.
Goodson looked certain to score moments later, but a perfectly timed challenge from Duncan Idehen denied him at the crucial moment. Around the 20-minute mark, Quorn absorbed a period of pressure yet held their shape well, proving difficult for St. Ives to break down. Despite their control, Quorn’s missed chances remained a mystery to the home crowd. Another golden opportunity fell to Finn O’Boyle, who drove in from the left, only to be denied by a strong save from Taylor.
Adam Harrison was called into action for the first time in the 26th minute, diving to turn away a long-range strike from midfielder Jernade Meade. Quorn finally doubled their advantage thanks to the relentless pressing of Cobourne. Stealing the ball from the visiting centre-half, he calmly slotted into the bottom-right corner to make it 2–0. However, the cushion didn’t last long. A corner from the right caused chaos in the Quorn box, and after several failed clearances, Liam Cross pounced, smashing home on the bounce to reduce the deficit to 2–1.
The Saints grew into the match from there, pushing Quorn back as half-time approached. Harrison was tested several times, but Quorn still produced promising build-up play—just lacking the final touch. Before the interval, Jordan Williams received a yellow card for a collision with Cobourne. Tensions spilled over shortly after, with an altercation between both sides as they headed down the tunnel, though it was quickly broken up with no further action taken.
Town flew out of the break, with Tyrone Barker rattling the crossbar from a speculative effort on the left. Given the heated end to the first half, it felt inevitable that tempers would flare again. Early heavy tackles on Silvio Bello and O’Boyle added extra bite to the contest.
St. Ives continued to threaten, coming close again from a corner as a rising purple shirt sent a header narrowly wide. They upped their tempo significantly in pursuit of an equaliser.
Quorn made their first change in the 62nd minute, with Gafar Abari replacing Digie in an effort to restore some control. A quickly taken free kick then nearly caught St. Ives out, with Goodson’s deflected strike skimming across the box before being hacked clear—another agonising miss for the hosts.
Although Quorn defended well under pressure, the second half was largely dictated by St. Ives. Opportunities to hit them in transition appeared, but the finishing touch continued to elude the home side as they searched for a crucial third goal. With 15 minutes remaining, Jasper Tetlow came on for Zhani Burgess and a few minutes later, Austin Samuels replaced Cobourne up front, before a moment of magic sealed the result.
Luke Cox produced something spectacular: reacting to a looping clearance, he launched into an acrobatic overhead kick, sending the ball flying into the net. A stunning finish from the defender gave Quorn the breathing room they desperately needed. From there, Quorn saw out the game professionally, rounding off a solid defensive effort to secure all three points and finish the day sitting fourth in the table.