Stotfold win as Saints pay the penalty

St Ives 0 Stotfold 1 A penalty 10 minutes from time kept the Stotfold bandwagon rolling. The match was action packed from the first minute when Paul Garrett closed down a clearance and passed to Joel Mason, unmarked just inside the box, who shot straight

St Ives 0 Stotfold 1

A penalty 10 minutes from time kept the Stotfold bandwagon rolling.

The match was action packed from the first minute when Paul Garrett closed down a clearance and passed to Joel Mason, unmarked just inside the box, who shot straight at keeper James Jackson after taking a touch.

A fierce shot from the right eight minutes later from Graham Thackery curled away from the target and off the outside of the upright.

Lee Allinson's ball forward set up Mason in the middle on 12 minutes but his touch and low shot was again straight at the keeper.

A clash, followed by retaliation, between Callum Donnelly and Dan Newman on the halfway line saw both sides reduced to 10 men.

Referee Steve Beswick consulted with his assistant before issuing two straight red cards a quarter of an hour into the game.

A good 15-minute spell from the home side followed with Tawhid Juneja and Tommy Hull both blocking shots in a goalmouth scramble.

There was a good low stop from Brad Gillham to keep Dan Pilsworth's stabbed shot from a free-kick out and Jamie Blackwell's header deflected on to the upright.

Allinson put Garrett through on 35 minutes only for him to shoot at the keeper, with Allinson shortly after chesting Paul Donnelly's cross down for Luke Donnelly to fire wide.

Mason then finished the half as he started. This time, after working some space for a shot on the left, he again found Jackson blocking his path.

The start of the second half saw a poor clearing header give Blackwell a shot at goal but his low effort was well held by Gillham.

Some build-up on the right teed up a shot for Scott Fielding to fire wide and Gillham's feet denied Thackery's shot from the right with Juneja blocking his overhead kick as he tried to follow up.

Hull's ball in was well chested down but volleyed over by Allinson on 63 minutes, and Gillham saved any embarrassment by punching clear Will Fordham's spilled shot before it could be followed in.

The deadlock was finally broken 10 minutes from the end.

Pilsworth's tackle halted Louis Lee's run towards goal, and Allinson converted the penalty to join Garrett on 19 league goals this season.

The home team's final push only resulted in Fielding's close-range effort being blocked by Gillham to secure maximum points.

Rokermen: Gillham, Hull, P Donnelly, Shambrook, Juneja, Lee, C Donnelly, L Donnelly, Mason (Case), Allinson, Garrett.