ILKLEY Town AFC successfully put Tuesday’s defeat behind them with a deserved win over a physical Nostell Miners Welfare side on Saturday, writes Matt Lambe.

A solid defensive performance throughout in tandem with well-taken finishes from Toby Marriott and Luke Baldwin ensured the Baht’atters gained all three points.

In the opening half hour chances were at a premium as the match proved too scrappy for aesthetic football to flourish. However, Joe Snowden came close, while a timely block from Josh Parker deflected Jamie Miller’s goalbound effort onto the bar.

After an especially cagey period, talisman Marriott broke the deadlock. James Nightingale was at the centre of Town’s build up and played the crucial through ball into Marriott, who beat goalkeeper Adam Walters at his near post, to inject energy into the game.

Sam Dexter’s side looked to capitalise on the momentum and were denied a second in quick succession by coordinated defending. Nostell failed to clear Baldwin’s whipped delivery, leading to a tussle in the six-yard box; spectators were left in the dark as to the ball’s whereabouts before it was volleyed out of play.

At the other end, the hosts’ Matthew Waller came inches away from equalising. He ran beyond Luke Barker to enter the box, but his attempt ricocheted off the inside of the post, returning into open play. Despite the scare, Town led at the break.

Early in the second half the referee lost control, in doing so causing the game to further be an ugly affair for the neutral. Several contentious challenges were waved away, most notably Marriott being barged over the barriers surrounding the pitch.

Nostell provided some threat to Ilkley’s lead, but Jay Harris calmly diffused the danger with a crucial interception which otherwise would’ve allowed Miller to be one on one.

Ilkley weathered the temporary storm and pressed forward in search of a second. Kevin Gonzalez had a sight of goal but failed to hit the target from the edge of the box.

Town’s pressure paid dividends in the 74th minute, when Baldwin scored directly from a free kick. Seeing the difficulty of beating the wall from such close range, he opted to strike low and hard instead, finding the bottom corner with a pinpoint effort.

Approaching the final stretch, the game opened up and opportunities became more frequent. The hosts could’ve pulled one back after a couple of dangerous crosses, but Matthew Keen and the defence held strong. Meanwhile, Baldwin almost bagged his brace but fired narrowly over, and Gonzalez missed the target inside the box.

Additionally, tensions reached a maximum when Waller received a sin bin for abusive language in the 84th minute, leaving Welfare a man down for the subsequent 10 minutes. During this time, Marriott was once more the target, as an elbow to the face off the ball left him bloodied and needing to come off temporarily.

Nevertheless, with the final whistle blown moments later, Sam Dexter’s side registered the victory and an impressive second clean sheet in only three games in the debut NCEL season.

Next up, Town play consecutive home fixtures, first welcoming Swallownest to the MPM Stadium this evening (kick-off 8pm), before attention returns to the league against Selby Town on Saturday 10 August.