Ilkeston 2 v Notts County 2 - Friendly

Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more.

Saturday 2nd July 2011 - Friendly
Ilkeston (1) 2 (Gary Ricketts 27 , Darryl Thomas 82)
Notts County (1) 2 (Craig Westcarr 44, Trialist 62)
Admission £5, Programme £1, Attendance 1148

Hmm, Trialist always gets on the score sheet for loads of teams every pre-season, I wonder why nobody ever signs him up?
Mad dogs, Englishmen and football supporters go out in the midday sun.
I'm really glad we did too ... 'Kinnel it was hot at the New Manor Ground this afternoon, but it was great to see Ilkeston (technically a new club as of now) back in business.
Ilkeston FC are the reborn Ilkeston Town FC, who had a winding up order served on them in September 2010, due to an unpaid tax bill of approx. £47,000 ... a parting 'gift' from the club's former chairman Chek Whyte. At the time that the clubs record record for 2010-11 was expunged they were just starting their second season in the Conference North, following an 8th place finish in 2009-10.
Manager Kev Wilson has stayed with the New Manor Ground club, who start the new season in the Evo-Stik southern division. He's appointed Gary Ricketts as player coach.
It was the 35 year old Ricketts who smashed home the opening goal of the afternoon (and the season), when the ball found it's way out to the Ilson striker on the edge of the area, from a right wing cross from Tyrell Waite on 27 minutes.
With County's keeper, Rob Burch, static in his six yard box, the big number 9 made no mistake.
Burch used to play for Lincoln City so he's bound to flap and get a bit nervous when the opposition pump the ball into his 18 yard box, though you would've thought he would've got used to 'bombscare' situations at wearingly frequent intervals during his time with the Sincil Bank outfit.
Hopefully for Burch, he'll be able to rebuild his career at a Football League club.
So the first goal recorded this season on THE66POW was created by a guy called Waite ... very apt :-)

Here comes the corner detailed above.

County equalised with virtually the last kick of the 1st half through Craig Westcarr, his 20 yard shot from the edge of the box beat Aaron Butcher hands down.

Martin Allen in deep thought (or asleep???)
on the 'Clock End' terrace during the first half

Martin Allen, the Notts County manager spent most of the first half watching the game from the stands and even took time out to take his dog for a walk.
Though he did make an appearance on the bench during the second half ... without his pet!

Ah, the closed season, it plays hell
with a footballers physique and stature

When Notts went ahead through 'Trialist' in the second half, following an attack down the left flank, it looked as though they might shut up shop and finish off their Evo-Stik South League hosts for a while.
I don't know who the trialist was and neither did the County fans stood nearby. He appeared to be playing in defence and shortly before he scored, Martin Allen had been shouting at him for straying too far forward.

County's 2nd half subs enjoy a spot of sunbathing

But it was Ilkeston who ceased the initiative and they were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when Tom Caclough was pulled to the ground as he rounded the Pies second half keeper Fabian Speis ... alas the referee Jim Thornhill waved play on.
Ilkeston produced the better chances from then on in and it was no less than they deserved when Darryl Thomas latched onto a ball in from the right to cleverly knock in the equaliser with 8 minutes to go.

Ilson's well deserved equaliser near the end of the game

Eagle eyed readers will have noticed that Ilkeston are wearing two different red and white kits in the photos I've posted. That is because they played one side in the first half (wearing the new Arsenalesque shirts) and another in the second who played in the red and white halved shirts (both teams made wholesale changes as you'd expect), though if you look closely at the picture of the second goal the guy to the left obviously preferred the 1st half shirts.
After this game that kicked off at 1pm, another Notts County squad (inc. some of the players who turned out at the New Manor Ground) played another game at Hucknall Town which started at 3.15pm.
But we didn't want to be greedy on the opening day of 2011-12 and decided one helping of 'Pies' was enough for today.
So while the County fans and ground hoppers in pursuit of a second game queued at the roundabout to get up to Watnall Road through Kimberley, we headed home via the easy route instead, i.e. northbound on a virtually deserted M1 ... and we were home within 35 minutes.
Just two of us made the trip today, everybody else was either too busy working or taking part in competitive sports, on a fine day like this too ... crazy fools.

Ilkeston's first & second half team sheets and match programme
(left click to enlarge)