The first half was rather uneventful in terms of real chances and incident, but gradually Northern Star gained the ascendancy and it was no real surprise when they took the lead after 39 minutes. Ali Nyang was prominent in midfield. Yellow-booted Josh Moreman received the ball on the left and someone shouted “One on One!” from the touchline. He made the space to shoot and finished well from just outside the area. The first clip shows Moreman finding his shooting range just before the goal. 1-0 at half-time
Northern Star nearly added a second right after the restart but Conroy-Owen made a good stop in the St Ives’ goal. However, the second was not long in arriving. St Ives’ Scott Fielding was booked for a cynical trip on an opponent. The ball was floated into the box from the free kick and Gibbs placed a header just inside the post. 2-0
St Ives made a double substitution and managed to exert some pressure while leaving themselves vulnerable to the break. Full-back David Cobb in particular ran his socks off and turned up anywhere and everywhere on the pitch. Northern Star should have added a third just after the hour when Jon Stead rounded the goalkeeper but his shot from wide towards the open net clipped the post.
The second and third clips show some of the St Ives' attempts to get back in the game. English viewers will enjoy the tackle at the end of the second and may reflect on how long the game would have paused for theatrics had that happened in the Premiership.
St Ives came close on a couple of occasions – Nicky Conroy saved at close quarters from substitute Liam Read, and then a stoppage-time consolation was denied for offside. This was a workmanlike and efficient performance from a strong and well-organised side – PNS were better on the day and deserved the win. Final score 2-0
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Conroy saves from Read late on |
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