Ilkeston Town 1 (Ward 31)
Redditch Utd 1 (Bunn 25)
By Mark Duffy
We remain in search of our first win of the season after a 1-1 draw at home to Redditch on Saturday.
Both sides had spells of pressure during a game that also saw us reduced to ten men on 70 minutes when Ben O’Hanlon was sent off.
But in the end, neither could find a winner.
Redditch had the first big chance seven minutes in when Ryan Nesbitt was released inside the penalty area but hammered his shot against the crossbar and the ball went to safety.
Max Sheaf put a 25-yard free-kick just over the top two minutes later, before our first effort saw Jamie Ward shoot straight at Kieran Boucher in the Redditch goal.
Sheaf again tested Saul Deeney from distance but his shot was easily gathered, then United somehow didn’t score when Lewis Hudson’s shot was pushed out by Deeney and the incoming Nesbitt could only bundle the rebound against the post and Sheaf then fired across goal.
But they did then register on 25 minutes when a ball into the box was only cleared to Robbie Bunn in space and he drilled low into the corner of the net.
Six minutes later, it was 1-1, as Ward lined up from 25 yards out and fired a cracking effort into the top corner of the net for his first Robins goal.
Sheaf was a real threat for Redditch and on 36 minutes his curler was heading for the top corner but Deeney was able to tip the ball over the bar.
Then Ward fired just over the top after the ball reached him on the edge of the box, before a superb tackle from O’Hanlon denied Nesbitt in the penalty area two minutes before the break.
Liam Daly’s looping header was gathered by Boucher in our first key moment of the second-half, as we began to get a real hold on the game and apply much more pressure.
Chances were few, however, and we were then reduced to ten men on 70 minutes when O’Hanlon went in late on Sheaf and ref Daniel Tracey produced a straight red card with few complaints from the Robins’ bench.
Redditch responded well and nearly won the game in stoppage time but a superb save by Deeney low down denied Bunn after Kieren Donnelly had pulled the ball back from the byline.
That would be the last chance, as we ultimately made do with a point.
Ilkeston: Deeney, K Thomas, O’Hanlon, Troke, Daly, Fenton, Ward (Brown-Hill 90), J Thomas, Goodson (Eratt-Thompson 74), Gibson, Wakefield (Campbell 57)
Subs not used: Brown-Hill, Willock, Bukowski
Redditch: Boucher, Donnelly, Hudson, Byrne, C Flanagan, Wollacott, R Flanagan (Smith 81), Nesbitt (Moore 79), Mensah Jnr (Hart 70), Sheaf, Bunn
Not used: Rowbottom, Osadchyi
Att: 639