FA Cup First Qualifying Round:
Matlock Town 0
Ilkeston Town 2 (Gibson 61, Campbell 65)
By Mark Duffy
We secured our first win of the season at the expense of county rivals Matlock Town on Saturday in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup.
The victory came largely thanks to an assured second-half performance, which included two goals in four minutes that would be enough to win the game.
The hosts, who parted company with manager Paul Phillips on Thursday, had the better of the first-half but couldn’t break our defence down and paid the price in the second-half.
Jorome Slew saw a low early shot easily gathered by Saul Deeney in the opening couple of minutes as the hosts began on the front foot, then had a more powerful crack five minutes later but again Deeney was equal to it.
Callum Chippendale was then released by a long ball down the right and opted for a half volley at goal which was only just wide of the far post.
Matlock were creating all the early openings, Reece Kendall next to have a sight of goal but mis-hitting his effort well wide of goal.
Al Byrne’s looping header dropped just too high on 22 as the hosts continued to be the bigger threat, but we responded well and Joe Wilson’s cross was headed just over the top by Montel Gibson on 28 minutes.
Chances then dried up until first-half stoppage time, Kendall’s header from a Byrne cross dealt with low down by Deeney as we went in level at the break.
The hosts began the second-half well too and Kendall nearly scored, albeit unintentionally, on 55 minutes when his cross from the left floated onto the top of the crossbar and away from danger.
We had a good counter-attack soon afterwards as Remaye Campbell broke and fed new boy Tom Solanke on the left edge of the penalty area but his shot went across the face of goal and wide of the far post.
But we would get the lead on 61 minutes and there was a degree of fortune about it, as Deeney’s long clearance saw Mark Lees unable to clear under pressure from Campbell who eventually beat the Matlock defender and keeper Jim Pollard to the ball before squaring to the incoming Gibson who was able to roll the ball into an empty net.
Four minutes later it was 2-0, as another long Deeney clearance and then good play down the right sent Declan Eratt-Thompson into space and when he got to the byline he was able to square to Campbell who slid the ball home from a couple of yards out.
It was nearly three moments later as Matlock skipper Ryan Qualter’s back pass went under the foot of Pollard but the ball would hit the post with Campbell unable to turn it in.
The hosts responded with Slew blazing an effort too high after he’d broken into the penalty area, then Jordan Barnett saw a free-kick parried away by Deeney.
Campbell had a crack from distance as we looked for a third but Pollard was easily equal to it, the goals having noticeably boosted our lads’ confidence, as you would expect.
Solanke smashed a volley just wide at the back post following a corner with four minutes left, but we’d done more than enough to claim the win and progress into the second qualifying round – the draw taking place on Monday.
Matlock: Pollard, De Girolamo, Kendall, Evans, Qualter, Lees, Byrne, Njaria (Whelan 63), Slew (Day 82), Chippendale (Murphy 19), Barnett
Not used: Higgins, Blakeley, Mantack, Coppin
Ilkeston: Deeney, Wilson, Brown-Hill, Solanke, Willock, Fenton, Eratt-Thompson, J Thomas, Campbell (Troke 83), Gibson, O’Grady (Bennett 58)
Not used: Wakefield, Bukowski
Att: 695
Ref: Callum Parke