Tuesday night saw a important match up at The Hive as second placed Basildon took on sixth placed Ilford. The Bees knew a win or even a draw could take them back to the top providing Barking got something from their match against FC Romania whilst Ilford knew a win would take them above Wadham Lodge into fifth and within touching distance of the top three.
Most thought this would be a fairly entertaining encounter between to sides who could score goals but the first quarter of an hour was anything but that and the only efforts, if you could call them that, from both teams were wayward at best as the game lacked quality. There was also a fair bit of niggle in the game too, partly or maybe mostly due to the importance of the fixture no doubt.
Something needed to happen you felt and on 21 minutes came the opening goal, and it came from the Foxes, as the first shot on target from either side came about when a free kick into the Bees area wasn’t dealt with and the loose ball fell to Karolis Atutis who fires past Russell Harley from twelve yards. The hosts tried to response immediately when Robert Clark fired a decent effort just over from the edge of the box but yet again they had failed to test keeper Chris Clark in the Ilford goal.
As I said earlier there was quite a lot of niggle in the game and it wasn’t helping the quality of play, which had been far from decent so far as we came up to the half hour mark. Just past the half hour the Bees had probably their best chance of the half and only a fantastic double save from Ilford keeper Clark denied the hosts a leveller.
Two minutes later and Ilford were back up the other end and the always dangerous WaleOdedoyin drove into the box but saw his ambitious effort from the angle saved comfortably at the near post by Harley but with nine minutes of the half to go the Foxes doubled their lead when Odedoyin’s pace took him beyond the full back and he burst into the box and slotted past the advancing Harley to give Ilford a firm grip on proceedings as the teams went into the changing room at half time.
Half Time Basildon United 0 Ilford 2
The Bees knew they had to come out and try and take the game to the visitors and for the first five or so minutes of the half they did that, playing with much more tempo and purpose. Two minutes into the half Ben Sartain struck an effort just over from range and then the Bees went closer still two minutes after that when a cross from the right saw Sipho Mtyanda’s volley brilliantly tipped over by Clark and then the resulting corner was headed off the line at far post.
It looked like being a match where the hosts would make a game of it after a poor first half but sadly those opening minutes of the half were a false dawn as eight minutes into the half Basildon gave the ball away in midfield and saw Ilford break and play the ball to Luke Thomaswho broke clear into the box and fired past Harley emphatically and virtually kill off any hopes of a Bees comeback.
Thereafter the game returned to its niggly affair with both sides putting in a naughty tackle as neither side would shirk a challenge. It did rather spoil the contest somewhat and at times threatened to boil over. Things then went from bad to worse for the Bees on the hour mark as keeper Harley, injured after coming to claim a cross, was carried off after lengthy treatment and saw outfield player Daniel Howett come on and don the gloves for the final half hour.
It was a half hour with barely a chance at goal as the game rather went through the motions. Had the Bees got one back early in the half maybe it would have taken on a slightly more different route but to be honest they didn’t deserve anything after a fairly lacklustre display overall. So a great result for Ilford who put in a tireless hard working performance to frustrate their opponents and the win sees them go fifth whilst for the Bees they remain second but three points behind FC Romania after they won at Barking.
Full Time Basildon United 0 Ilford 3
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