Trinity boss Russ Wilcox made two changes from the side victorious away at Emley three days earlier. Fraser Preston & Connot Brown failing late fitness tests, meant a return to the starting XI for vice captain, Lewis Butroid & a first start since returning from Australia for Frank Mulhern. Butroid took his regular seven shirt, Ronnie Kokkinos moving to the vacated #11 shirt – and Mulhern donning the ten. Ben Blythe & Elliott Whitehouse returning to the squad after illness.
Trinity made the dream start, going one nil up through Frank Mulhern’s spot kick, two minutes in. it was Mulhern who released Kokkinos, making his home debut. He drew the foul inside the box, with the assistant on the Carlilse Street Stand side recommending the penalty. Lashing the ball off the underside of the bar, Jason Alexander had no chance.
On ten minutes, Anthony Dwyer equalised for Ilkeston from the spot. A handball against Ash Jackson seemed harsh, but the Robins’ top scorer sent David Robson the wrong way from the spot. Kokkinos & Mulhern were linking brightly & Javelle Clarke was looking lively. Mulhern’s clever movement dropping deep, allowing Ronnie to exploit pockets of space – but the next real chance fell the way of former Trinity player, Terry Hawkridge, when he spotted David Robson off his line. Looking to lob the back pedalling Gainsboroug
h goalie, Hawkridge was a couple of yards over the top.
Mulhern unlocked the Robins’ defence. Freeing Clarke down the right. As he looked for Butroid, Alexander cut out the danger on the edge of his six yard box. One of Ilson’s two debutant’s, loan man Gunner Elliott did well to back in and make room to get a shot away, but the effort lacked power & Robson was comfortably down to gather.
Jordan Helliwell dropped on the loose ball, on the edge of the box, but checked back onto his right foot, allowing the Robins’ defence to block the shot. The ball spinning behind for a corner, saw Harrison Beeden well marshalled. The ball eventually falling for Mulhern. His long range effort, on target – but comfortable for Alexander.
Finding half a yard, Ash Hunter took an early effort, that took a wicked deflection into the side netting, at Robson’s near post. Taken deep, the corner was recycled back into the box, but Robbo commanded his box well, claiming to relieve the pressure. And on the stroke of half time, Kokkinos and Butroid combined in the box. Quick feet from the former Sherwood man, took him past a couple of challenges. Before nudging inside to his skipper, who was a whisker wide of goal. A brilliant opportunity to go in at the break a goal to the good.
Half Time: Gainsborough Trinity 1 Ilkeston Town 1
On the front foot, the Blues started the second half brightly. Mulhern putting himself about, hurrying Alexander into a panicked clearance, before he was smartly down at his near post. Making a strong left handed save to deny Javelle Clarke. Trinity saw a penalty appeal waved away, when an arm appeared to be in an unnatural position… you’ve seen them given. As the ball pinballed around the six yard box, before the visitors eventually cleared their lines.
Less than a minute later, another scrimmage in the box saw Kokkinos mark his home debut with a goal, bundling the ball over the line from close range, to the delight of the Gainsborough faithful. Surging forward from midfield, Helliwell then looked to dink the ball out to the left, Ash Jackson a willing outlet. The ball just wouldn’t drop quickly enough for the number three.
Ilkeston rallied, Aaron Simpson bravely put his body on the line, with a couple of huge blocks, Hawkridge then fizzed a rising effort wide of Robson’s left hand upright, before a blatant shirt tug on Clarke went unpunished at one end. The visitors striking the post at the other, before Hunter thumped another effort, just wide of the target.
Trinity were restricting Ilkeston to shots from distance, but Robson was rarely tested. As the Robins chased an equaliser, late substitute Ashton Offler (again employed as an auxiliary forward) made the game safe, as the match entered the fifth minute of stoppage time. Twice Alexander saved, before Offler steered home a headed finish from an acute angle.
Trinity had ridden the late storm, and come out with the victory. Three successive wins & up to sixth in the table. A good night’s work for Russ Wilcox’s Holy Blues.
The Teams
Gainsborough Trinity: David Robson, Aaron Simpson (Harvey Sutcliffe 80) Ash Jackson, George Hornshaw, Jack Leckie, Harrison Beeden, Lewis Butroid (Ben Blythe 83) Jordan Helliwell, Javelle Clarke, Frank Mulhern Ronnie Kokkinos (Ashton Offler 89)
Subs not used: Theo Williams & Elliott Whitehouse
Gainsborough goals: Frank Mulhern 2’ (p), Ronnie Kokkinos 56’ Ashton Offler 90+5’
Ilkeston Town: Jason Alexander, Jesse Omoregbee, Will Grewal-Pollard, Terry Hawkridge (Cherif-Dine Baba Yaya 68) Jack Thompson, Pharrell Johnson, Lvarn Brandy (Michael Abdullah 87) Sam Newall, Anthony Dwyer, Gunner Elliott (Dylan Reason 74) Ash Hunter
Subs not used: Darcy Jennings & Colin Daniel
Ilkeston goal: Anthony Dwyer 10’ (p)
Referee: Ryan Coulson
Attendance 470
Report by Rob Hughes (@AATM_Media)
Images by Ben Page & Sean Cook