SPL Central
Ilkeston Town 3 (O’Grady 47, Tomlin 55, Arlott-John 90)
Alvechurch 0
By Harry Worgan
We returned to winning ways with a 3-0 win over Alvechurch at home on Saturday.
The visitors were the better side in the first-half but we held out to keep the score goalless at the break. We then turned the game on its head in the second half and raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to Chris O’Grady and Lee Tomlin before Dempsey Arlott-John added a third late on.
We had a couple of chances to start the contest with a succession of corners before a combination of wasteful finishing and some scrambled defending kept the game goalless. Silvio Bello was on hand to smash the ball clear before Alvechurch forward Tyrell Skeen-Hamilton somehow fired wide after Saul Deeney failed to hold a long-range strike on 15 minutes.
Deeney then kept the score down with a diving save to deny Dan Waldron, who had gone close earlier in the half. The visitors went close again on the half hour mark before we had our first real chance of the contest as O’Grady fired wide of the target.
We had another chance just a minute later as Remaye Campbell’s effort found the side netting. Up the other end Deeney made another good stop before Tomlin forced Harvey Randle into action.
The visitors continued their pressure down the left-hand side and were unlucky not to take the lead as a low cross was deflected onto the post by substitute Finn Delap, before Jediael Abbey flashed the ball across the face of goal.
We then went close to snatching the lead as Arlott-John burst into the area but his low effort was just the wrong side of the post. A succession of corners followed but we were unable to force Randle into any work as the half ended goalless.
We got on the front foot at the start of the second-half and took the lead in the opening minute. Kieron Fenton’s cross found O’Grady, who controlled well and calmly stroked the ball into the bottom corner.
Tomlin then added a second on 54 minutes as he capped off a slick counter attack with a good finish.
Jamie Ward then looked to add a third but was denied by Randle before O’Grady’s follow up was blocked.
The visitors had their first chance of the half on 70 minutes but Jack Hallahan’s effort was well wide of our goal. They continued on the front foot for the remainder of the half but we were able to add a third thanks to Arlott-John’s cool finish as he broke away from several defenders to wrap up the win.
Ilkeston: Deeney, Bello, Wilder, Eratt-Thompson, Bradley (Delap 20), Fenton (c), Campbell, Ward, O’Grady, Tomlin (Fyfe 88), Arlott-John.
Not used: Thomas, T Wilson, Fyfe, Woodward
Att: 741