St. Ives Town have taken their place in the first round proper of the Isuzu FA Trophy following a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Pitching In Southern League Premier Central rivals, Kettering Town.
A goal from Amir Hadi just before the hour-mark was enough to see them through as a trip to Ilkeston Town awaits on October 25th
“I was happy with our performance but really happy with the result,” manager, Ricky Marheineke, told us. “I thought for long periods we controlled the game without creating too many clear-cut chances and that’s an area I think we can improve on going forward.
“A run in any of the FA competitions is always huge for the club, both on and off the field. It’s a tough draw for us, we would have preferred to have had another home tie, of course, but we will go to Ilkeston full of belief.
“The start to the season has been generally good. It’s a new group who are improving week on week and game by game. I’m really looking forward to seeing where we can go with it.
“After the opening ten games we find ourselves just inside the top ten but it is still very early days yet. The League is very strong; it looks similar to last season where there will be no easy games, with everyone capable of beating everyone.
“Our aim, as always, is survival first and foremost; beyond that let’s see if we can keep causing some upsets, surprising a few and strive to finish as high as possible.”
Saturday’s winning goalscorer, Amir Hadi, was naturally delighted to have added to his tally with an important goal as his own form continues to improve.
“I am always happy to get my name on the scoresheet, but the main thing in any cup tie is to make it through to the next round, and I am delighted that we were able to do that,” he told us. “I was happy with my performance, especially in the final third where I think I caused them plenty of problems.
“As a team it was an impressive display. Make no mistake, this is a very strong Kettering Town side, who I expect to be right up there challenging for promotion this season, but through our own sheer hard work and quality we made them look average.
“Our performances both individually and collectively are improving each week. The belief is growing that we can challenge for the play-offs; we’re finally showing what we already know we are capable of.
“Personally that’s three goals/assists in the last three games, so I am happy that things are picking up for me after a slow start. If I’m able to get between 30 and 40 goal contributions then that will represent a good season for me.”
IMAGE: St. Ives Town FC
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