Ryman Div One North
Aveley 3 v 0 Ilford
By Scott Hately
Courtesy of www.pitchero.com/clubs/aveley
THE Millers recorded a routine 3-0 home win over lowly Ilford, thanks to goals from Petrit Elbi, Shane Oakley and Jordan Cox.
After a lacklustre first half with the sides looking like going into the break level, Petrit Elbi struck a rasping 20 yard drive into the top corner to give the home side the lead.
There was no drastic improvement in the second half, with the home side looking comfortable throughout, but not being able to kill the game off.
Eventually their dominance told as Shane Oakley capitalised on a slip from Ilford’s right back, Akambi Alexander, to all but wrap up the three points with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Jordan Cox finished the game off deep into injury time, latching onto a through ball before slotting past the stranded Daniel Mbaku in goal, to send Aveley back up to second in the league, ahead of Grays Athletic on goal difference.
Aveley were in the midst of a four game winning run prior to today’s encounter, but with the Millers’ game against Witham Town being called off last weekend, the side looked a little ring-rusty in parts of the opening period.
11 days on from their last competitive action against Tilbury, any such rustiness would have been wiped away with an early goal, and the home side almost got that through Jay Leader inside the first minute.
A Sheldon Sellears corner from the left hand side was flicked towards goal by Ellis Sands. The defender found Shane Oakley who struck towards goal on the turn, only for his effort to be blocked well by the goalkeeper on the line. However, the blocked effort fell kindly for Leader who, from six yards out, managed to drag his effort harmlessly wide.
Petrit Elbi was also guilty of missing a guilt-edged chance in the early moments of the game. A floated free kick on the left from Sellears was headed back across goal by Leader. Elbi had peeled off to the far post where he was unmarked and just a couple of yards out, but the Albanian striker could not get enough on his effort allowing Daniel Mbaku to save easily at his near post.
With Ilford providing little or no threat in the final third, the game was there for the taking for the home side, but they were unable to carve out many more clear openings in a frustrating first half of football.
Junior Dadson had a great opportunity at his feet, when played through and clear of the Ilford back line, the Aveley wing-man decided to try a delicate chip over the advanced Mbaku, only to play the ball straight into the goalkeeper’s hands to the vehement frustration of Justin Gardner on the Aveley bench.
As the half progressed Gardner was getting increasingly frustrated, at one point shouting ‘this is embarrassing’ after Junior Appiah had been caught offside.
However, as the half headed towards a close the Millers began turning the screw and finally got their lead through Elbi.
Ilford can certainly have their goalkeeper, Mbaku, to thank for Aveley failing to open the scoring prior to Elbi’s opener, saving twice from Oakley in quick succession. Firstly, with Oakley striking on the turn, diving to his right, and then secondly when Oakley was clean through, getting his body in the way of the Aveley top goal-scorers effort.
It wasn’t much longer, though, until Mbaku ran out of luck when Elbi stepped up to give the home side a deserved lead going into the break.
Whilst Ilford were trying to get the ball away from the danger zone, Danny Hopkins nipped in to steal the ball off Clydie Roberts. The Aveley midfielder then played a short pass inside to Elbi, who from 20 yards out lashed the ball into the top corner giving Mbaku no chance.
The form that Mbaku was in, it was going to take something special to break his and Ilford’s resistance, and break it they did as the Millers went into the break with the lead.
Manager Gardner would have hoped that the second half would bring an improvement in the finishing department, but it was as you were in the second period, with Aveley looking the most likely to score and Ilford creating very little.
The home side’s biggest threats appeared to come from their wing play, and they created two good chances just before the hour mark.
A lung-busting run down the left from Junior Appiah allowed him to get in a cross towards the centre of goal, towards Oakley and Junior Dadson. Neither of the Aveley men could get their head on the ball with the ‘keeper punching to Hopkins. Hopkins nudged the ball into the feet of Elbi who stabbed a tame effort towards goal.
Down the right hand side this time, Marcus Rose overlapped well to find himself in space. The right-back went on to play a dangerous low cross into the area which was sliced just over by Ilford’s Steve O’Hara.
The Millers continued to push for that elusive second goal, but even more heroics from Mbaku kept the away side in the match.
Just past the hour mark, Oakley was played clear of the back line before striking an effort across goal, which was well saved by Mbaku. From the resulting corner Dadson picked the ball up on the edge of the area before striking a shot across goal himself, which was again saved by Mbaku, only for the ball to be palmed to the feet of Oakley who couldn’t miss, but miss he did as the Aveley front-man hit the ball against Mbaku who was on the floor before seeing the ball cleared to safety.
Dadson did well to take control of a cross on his chest before lashing a volley well wide to continue the home side’s frustration, but with just over 10 minutes of normal time remaining Aveley finally struck the killer blow and won the points through Oakley, largely thanks to some misfortune from the away side.
A speculative poke forward towards the Ilford goal looked to be comfortably dealt with by Akambi Alexander, but the Ilford defender slipped as he headed towards the ball. The slip allowed Oakley to sneak in and steal the ball as Alexander tried desperately to recover. Mbaku panicked and came flying off his line, giving Oakley no alternative but to go for goal as stabbed the ball into the unguarded net to make it 2-0 with 79 minutes on the clock.
With the second goal the three points were all but secured, but the home side still found time to add to the score-line when second half sub, Jordan Cox, scored deep into injury time.
Whereas in the first half the Aveley front men were constantly being caught offside, on this occasion Cox held the line perfectly after being played through. One on one with Mbaku the Aveley striker appeared to take an age before deciding when to shoot, but when he did he shifted the ball onto his right foot before slotting past Mbaku, who was on the edge of the area, to send the home side away with a 3-0 win.
Justin Gardner after the match said “first half it was a bit scrappy, I felt we should have had two or three more in the first half. Their goalie was man of the match.”
He continued by saying “no disrespect to Ilford, it’s probably one of the worst teams we’ve played this season. The ball was in the air all the time, their best chance of scoring against us was by trying to hit it over the top of our centre backs, but our centre backs won everything. We weren’t at our best today, but we won 3-0 and I’m happy.”
Man of the match, Sheldon Sellears, agreed with the manager’s assessment that the game was scrappy, but said that “I think we sunk down to their level a little bit, but in the end 3-0, it’s a good result.”
Despite Ilford’s league position, Sellears said that the lads had their “heads on” and “knew it was going to be a battling performance.” He continued by saying “where they (Ilford) are in the league was not a reflection on the game today…we had to battle for everything and 3-0 was a good result.”
Aveley: Jack Giddens, Marcus Rose, Alfred Kamara, Jay Leader, Ellis Sands, Danny Hopkins, Petrit Elbi (Luke Wilson 83’), Sheldon Sellears, Shane Oakley, Junior Dadson (Teddy Nesbitt 73’), Junior Appiah (Jordan Cox 64’)
