SPL Premier Central
Nuneaton Borough 2 (Benbow 59, McManus 64)
Ilkeston Town 0
Two goals in five second-half minutes saw us defeated at Nuneaton Borough on Saturday.
Having controlled the first-half and also had plenty of possession in the second, we conceded both goals from set pieces to give Borough the points and leave us still searching for our first clean sheet of the league campaign.
We had the first opening on seven minutes when a ball into the box found Montel Gibson and he knocked back for Chris O’Grady whose shot was parried away by Tony Breeden in the ‘Boro goal.
Then Tope Obadeyi nearly got on the end of a Gibson header across goal seven minutes later but his effort under pressure lacked power and Breeden cleared.
Clear chances were few but we were having the better of things, Gibson’s 25-yarder deflected wide midway through the half.
Boro’s first shot didn’t come until the 39th minutes, Max Brogan’s free-kick from just outside the penalty area deflected and nearly wrong-footing Ollie Battersby who gathered the ball well.
The second-half again saw us start well, Gibson mis-cuing from an Obadeyi cross when in space ten yards out.
But the visitors would take the lead on the hour when Wilder was booked for a foul out on the right, Ryan Beswick’s free-kick finding Luke Benbow a few yards out who bundled the ball home.
We responded well with O’Grady’s header well saved by Breeden, but another set piece would undo us moments later when a left-wing corner found Scott McManus who rose to head home from ten yards out.
Former Robin Kane Richards headed over the top as the hosts looked for a third, the same player’s shot striking the foot of the post soon afterwards.
We huffed and puffed in search of a way back in, a handball in the penalty area not spotted by the referee and sub Tyree Wilson’s effort in the dying moments of stoppage time well saved by Breeden as the hosts ultimately took the points.
Nuneaton: Breeden, Richards, Magunda, McManus (Cox 81), Benbow (Waite 85), James, Brogan, Mancinelli, Rowe-Turner, Osbourne, Beswick (Forde 68)
Not used: Noble, Dowd
Ilkeston: Battersby, J Wilson, Wilder, Thomas, Bradley (Fyfe 76), Fenton (C), Campbell (T Wilson 62), Sherif, Gibson, O’Grady, Obadeyi (Arlott-John 62)
Not used: Eratt-Thompson, Delap
By Mark Duffy