SPL Premier Central
Ilkeston Town 2 (Lita 3, Bennett 13)
Nuneaton Borough 3 (Stenson 19, 27, Noble 71)
Nuneaton came from 2-0 down to overcome the Robins and take all three points in our final home game of the season.
An entertaining encounter ultimately saw the visitors prevail as they prepare to battle it out in the play-offs, the jostling for position in the top five being their main focus as they came into this game.
But things didn’t go well for them initially as we were two up inside 13 minutes.
First, Leroy Lita was put in on goal at a slight angle and finished well inside the far post.
The lead was then doubled soon afterwards, as Lita this time saw a shot blocked by a defender but the ball fell to Tristan Bennett who controlled and then fired home his first goal for the club.
The visitors pulled one back on 19 minutes, as Ricardo Dinanga got in behind the defence and squared to Matt Stenson who netted from ten yards out.
And Stenson would then bring the sides level seven minutes later, running on to a ball through the middle which deceived Dec Eratt-Thompson and finishing well.
Jaden Charles was then denied by a fine save from Ilkeston keeper Harrison Foulkes, but it was more half chances that followed for a while as both sides battled to get in front.
Foulkes pulled off another save to deny Dinanga before the break, but the sides went in level at the break.
There were fewer chances overall in the second-half, although Robins sub Mitchell Woakes did well to take a high ball down, beat two players and shoot into the side netting on 63 minutes.
But it was Borough who got the lead on 70 minutes. First, they were denied from the penalty spot after a foul on Scott McManus by Harley Kozluk, Jaanai Gordon’s spot-kick saved by Harrison Foulkes low down to his left.
However, from the resulting corner, the ball found Cain Noble who steered it into the net from 12 yards out.
Lita and Charlie Dowd were both inches away from scoring for their respective sides late on, the latter striking the post with a fine effort, but Nuneaton had done enough.
Ilkeston: Foulkes, Kozluk, Wilder, Thomas, Eratt-Thompson, Fenton, Campbell, Hilton, Lita, Wilson (Woakes 46), Bennett.
Not used: Woodward
Nuneaton: Breeden, Charles (McManus 56), Dowd, Magunda, Storer, Stenson (Gordon 46), Waite, Mancinelli (Noble 46), Dinanga, Rowe-Turner, Osborne
Not used: Benbow, Chong
By Mark Duffy