For this game we (Neil and I) have sent out nearly 1000 letters inviting Junior Footballers and their families to the game at the discounted cost of £5.00 per adult.
This is another example of the efforts we are making to attract new and younger supporters.
To this end could I ask that supporters make a particular effort tomorrow to create an atmosphere and ambience that parents would wish their kids and family’s to be a part of?
I.e Plenty of good natured banter and singing.
What a shame, I’d planned to use tomorrow’s game for my new year streak.
What they can’t see wont hurt them Chris. ;D
With just 16 games to go its nice to think we have a fully fit squad for the first time this season, a few nice selection headaches for Jim and Nige, My thoughts are that Kearney should keep his place as well as Macca in midfield with Brown and new boy Tony Evans on the bench to come on with 25 mins to go would be a pretty exciting prospect, imagine being the opposition and seeing those two coming on!
Witton v Ilkeston: preview
By Andrew Simpson
Witton Albion v Ilkeston Town (ko 3pm)
UniBond Premier Division
Venue: Wincham Park
Odds (bet365): Witton 1/3, Draw 7/2, 6/1
Previous meeting: Witton 4 Ilkeston 1
Witton (from): Kennedy (GK), Coo, Pritchard, Barras, Kearney, Brownhill, Dillon, MacPherson, Wood, Lloyd, Brown, Craven, Peers, Brodie, Warlow, Thornley, Wilson, Evans, Rutter
Doubtful: none
Injured: none
Suspended: none
League form guide (last six home): W W W W W W
League home record: P11 W11 D0 L0 F34 A6 Pts33
Top scorer: Adam Warlow (19)
Ilkeston (from): Lindley (GK), Wilson, Baxter, Powell, Featherstone, Holmes, Gardner, Woolley, Winder, James, Walker, Muller, Newton, Hunter, White, Brewer, Lee
Doubtful: Jemson (back)
Injured: none
Suspended: none
League form guide (last six away): D L D L W L
League away record: P10 W2 D5 L3 F13 A16 Pts11
Top scorer: Adam Muller (10)
Match pointers
Ilkeston are the latest team to try and break Albion’s perfect home record.
Jim Vince’s men have all 11 home games at Wincham Park so far this term and will be confident of adding to that tomorrow.
They were 2-0 winners at Ilkeston earlier in the campaign.
Alex Brown should feature from the bench after coming through a cameo last weekend against Curzon Ashton, leaving Vince with a full-strength squad to pick from.
He needs to decide whether to bring back Tony Barras in place of Ian Kearney at the heart of the back four, but the rest of the team picks itself.
New signing Tony Evans should be involved and he challenges Rod Thornley and top scorer Adam Warlow for a starting shirt in attack.
Ilkeston boss Nigel Jemson was in complimentary mood when quizzed about Albion this week.
"We hit the post four times in the first meeting and their manager said some good things about us," he told the Ilkeston Advertiser. "They are a good side who will give us a tough game. They deserve to be top of the table and I thought they would have been promoted last year but missed out."
He may not feature himself due to a back injury picked up last weekend against Hednesford.
The Robins’ away form is pretty good considering their league position - 17th - with only three defeats from their ten away days to date. They have won only two though.
11:30am today
Ilkeston have a new signing for todays game CHRIS TIMONS (33)a centre half from Hucknall Town lets hope we can give him a torrid time on his debut
Any news from WP?
HT Fleetwood 0-1 Nth Ferriby
Apparently Witton Albion 0 Ilkeston 1 (according to non league vidiprinter!)
Marine 2 Eastwood 0 (at present)
Witton 2 Ilkeston 1 (Peers & Brown 25 yd strike!
Gateshead 2 Stamford 1
Buxton 3 Ossett 2
Worksop 2 Matlock 2
Absolutely fantastic win today. It’s always nice when the other team waste so much time. Not a great first half, but Ilkeston couldn’t keep up the harrying and full blooded tackles for ninety mins. I felt we stepped up a gear in the second half and should have had few more than the two we scored. Kearney was my MoM, he never put a foot wrong, and the new boy worked quite hard without getting in a scoring position too often (one clear chance in second half). Peersy’s goal was a belter but Browny’s was better, goal of the season maybe! It’s great to see how much it means to the players, their celebrations are a joy to behold.
Onwards and upwards, come on Wittteeerrrrrrrnnn !
Agree Danny we never got going first half today mainly due to a steely performance from Ilkeston playing better than their league position. JK made a rare clanger as all keepers do occasionally but second half was a different story. We dug in and Macca,Brodie(MoM) and Lloyd ran their socks off. Two classic goals from Mark and sub Alex. Was impressed with Tony Evans who worked very hard leading the line and the goals will surely come for him. Tense finish but we all went home completely BROWNed off. 
PS The car park was a mess.
I appreciate that we have 15 games to go, but todays win may just have won us the league!
We demonstrated both bottle and fight in the second half that went a long way in securing the 3 points. Obviously two wonderful goals from Peersy and Alex decided it.
I shall agree with Daniel and say that Kearney was MoM.
Thought Evans did ok for his first game. He’s going to be a different player to Warlow, and we will need to play slightly differently when he’s in the side i expect. FANTASTIC goal to win the game. How good is it to have Alex Brown back!!!
Brodie had one of his better games for Witton i thought, and kearney has again shown his ability.
I think Pritch was missed in the first half, he should be one of the first names on the sheet and i hope he was just being rested today to keep him fit for the title charge. The guy is ‘Mr Witton’ and should be on the pitch for every minute it is possible for him to do so.
Witton Albion 2 Ilkeston Town 1
Mark Peers 55 John Douglas 35
Alex Brown 84
Witton; Kennedy, Coo, Brownhill, Kearney, Barras (Capt), Brodie, MacPherson, Lloyd, Evans, Thornley, Peers. Subs; Pritchard (Replaced Coo 71), Brown (Replaced Brodie 81), Rutter (Replaced MacPherson 84)
ALBION extended their perfect home record to 12 consecutive league wins despite a lack lustre first half performance from the league leaders.
Ilkeston had far the better of the opening exchanges, as early as the third minute home keeper John Kennedy was forced to turn Lee Featherstone’s long range drive round his left post.
Rod Thornley came closest for Witton midway through the first period, he was inches away from converting a header from a Rob Lloyd free kick. Within a minute Witton left back Liam Brownhill was hacked to the ground on the edge of the box and namesake Liam Powell was lucky to only see a yellow card for the challenge.
A rare goalkeeping error from John Kennedy presented Ilkeston the lead, he failed to hold on to a cross and whilst he and the surrounding defenders looked to one another John Douglas sneaked in to net from close range.
Kennedy made amends in the first minute of the second half, a one handed save from an Adam Muller effort kept the visitors’ lead to a single goal.
Albion’s ordinary display was broken by an individual piece of brilliance from Mark Peers, the winger worked the ball from right to left beating four defenders before blasting the ball past Lindley at his near post.
A Rod Thornley header and a Dave MacPherson volley followed during a rampant ten minute display from Witton. The introduction of Brian Pritchard, having been surprising been left out of the starting line up, nearly brought the winner – his header from a Mark Peers corner was cleared off the line.
Another replacement Alex Brown scored the winner six minutes from time. The midfielder, back from a three month league absence after knee surgery, had only been on the pitch for 3 minutes! Brown’s unstoppable 25 yard strike to the top corner was a worthy match winner!
Match Rating; 3/5
Star Man; Ian Kearney (over 90 minutes) / Alex Brown (one moment)!!!
Quite agree Robbo, why Pritchard didnt start bewilders me, Think I know the reason but that would be entirely inappropriate to say on this website :-X :-X :-X, we are top of the league, maybe a league we wouldn’t be in without Pritch’s 13 years at the club but Im only a supporter.
Fantastic Result today, maybe we didn’t play freeflowing football but we got the three points. Agree with the people saying Kearney was MoM and i also think that Cavell Coo had a good game at RB. Two fantastic goals today from us with a fine individual effort from Peersy and you could see what it meant to peersy and the rest when they celebrated the equalizer. Macca had a good game too and was a driving force as usual but how good is it to see Alex Brown back eh?
;D
The only reasons a player should and should not start a football match are footballing, fitness and tactical reasons. Prior to today Pritch had only missed one match (also against Ilkeston away), in those 24 games we conceded 14 league goals, therefore why change?
We are blessed by having a good squad of players at the moment and as a result have capable replacements. We were better after Pritch’s introduction and he came close to scoring a winner, I think that says it all.
Tony and Ian are both good footballers but Pritch has to be in the starting line up for me. I wonder whether the anxiety and confusion during the first 20 minutes was due to his absence. Were the players and the goalkeeper comfortable with the line-up???
In terms of position I think Pritch plays better on the left of central defence than Barras, in my humble opinion. Kearney and Pritch is a better combination for my money. Pritch should be in on merit and no other reason, I would never suggest playing him for reasons of sentiment!
Wow what a game and what a goal to win it! I read Jim’s comments in the programme before the game about what a good footballing side Ilkeston are and thought we sould be in for a great game, then I saw a team kick, scratch grab and generally cheat for the the first 30 mins. The tackle on Brownhill (that should have been a pen) was awful the crack I heard convinced me it was a leg break but thankfullly not. The second half was fantastic both goals were class but Browns winner what can you say? as for the Pritch decision my opinion is this, Kearney was mom today and must play, Pritch and Barras together are not as good as either with Kearney alongside so the decisoin has to be made… Pritch or Barras and I think my earlier postings would give an indication on who I think it should be. But one further point though I should make was to take Cavell off was a good move and possibly one of the reasons we improved because he wasn’t having a great game
Thank God only my two sons came today, if I or my grandson had been present the team would not have stood a chance!! Where was Warlow? Pritch is a great servant to the club but managers make decisions that we don’t always agree with, but if the team wins the decision has to be viewed as correct. Jim Vince, like all managers, stands and falls by results, at the moment he is standing extremely tall!!
WHS.
Browns goal looks better each time you see it!
In much the same way as the Gallaghers go through periods of strain in their musical creativity, we have seen very little from the Robinson Green department - these two creative geniuses being responsible for 90% of the terrace classics!
I think we should get the chants back into full force for the final 15 games because just in case you had not noticed we are 12 points clear!!!
I’ll start you off with this one (please improve as appropriate), to the familiar tune of the The Strangler’s Golden Brown…
Alex Brown, beat Il-kes-ton,
We’re one down, until Peersy scores one,
Then on his right,
The ball in full flight,
He wears a crown, King Alex Brown!
Hopefully the Hartford Hare can better that effort… :o