Ware 2 Ilford 1
24 September 2011
A SECOND half header from Lewis Taylor scooped three vital points for Ware and helped to register the club’s first win of the season.
Taylor nodded home Michael Elliott’s right wing cross just three minutes after ten-man Ilford had stunned the hosts with a leveller which cancelled out Ricci Crace’s first half penalty.
With four defenders suspended and another injured, Ware were suffering from a desperate lack of options at the back. This forced manager Stuart Nethercott to play 90 minutes at centre-half alongside the ever impressive Jack Friend.
Elsewhere, there was a debut for Danny Hayes – signed from Waltham Abbey – on the left, while Tony Martin started up front after completing his loan move from Ryman League Premier Division side Billericay Town.
Ware started with a spring in their step and went close after only three minutes, albeit inadvertently.
Tom Querry sent in a corner with his left foot which curled towards goal and glanced off the bar without anyone in the area getting a touch on it.
CLOSED DOWN: The Ware defence gets to grips with an Ilford attacker (PIC: Phil Friend)
On 13 minutes, after Tony Martin took a quick throw-in on the left, Danny Hayes crossed the ball in where it was met by the onrushing Ricci Crace who headed just over the bar.
Hayes himself fired wide with a speculative effort mid-way through the half, before Ware took the lead on 34 minutes.
After being played in on goal, Martin saw his weak right-footed shot saved by goalkeeper Rob Budd, but after collecting the rebound, the big striker’s second effort hit the arm of defender AJ Olatunbosun.
The defender was shown a straight red card, and as he made his way down the tunnel with his head in his hands, skipper Ricci Crace put the spot kick beyond the keeper’s right-hand fingertips.
The sudden realisation that they may be able to go on and boost their lead saw Ware up the tempo, with James Winchester curling a left-footed in-swinging ball just beyond the far post on 37 minutes.
Right-back Michael Elliott then collected the ball inside his own half and embarked on a confidence-boosting run before firing just over the bar from a tight angle after intruding into Ilford’s 18-yard box.
The visitors made a couple of changes in the opening stages of the second period, and they went close to equalising on 59 minutes.
Striker Leon Smith outpaced veteran defender and Ware manager Stuart Nethercott but his tame effort was gathered low to his left by home goalkeeper Obey Murefu.
HEADS UP: Stuart Nethercott heads clear (PIC: Phil Friend)
On 65 minutes Ilford stunned the hosts with an equaliser. After the visitors had won a free kick from Jack Friend, Stuart Houghton swung the ball into the box and Richard Simpson stole in front of his marker and headed past Murefu.
The hosts knew that if they kept their cool and didn’t panic they were capable of re-taking the lead, and that they did on 68 minutes.
Michael Elliott crossed the ball in from the right-hand side with the unmarked Lewis Taylor nodding home from close range.
Ware were unlucky not to have had a third when former Tottenham Hotspur striker Steve Slade, who signed for the club in midweek and came on as a substitute, controlled a Lewis Taylor pass expertly but fired over the bar from inside the box.
Ilford substitute Joel Etienne-Clark tested Murefu late on, but the hosts held on to secure a morale-boosting win.
Ware: Obey Murefu, Michael Elliott, Tom Querry, Lewis Taylor, Stuart Nethercott, Jack Friend, James Winchester (sub: Syrus Gordon, 90), Ted Clark (sub: Steve Slade, 69), Tony Martin, Ricci Crace, Danny Hayes (sub: Darrelle Russell, 74). Subs not used: Leigh Rose, Rhys Madden (GK).
