League Play-Off

Harborne
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Ritchie Pickard took the kick off in the first half of the match. 3 minutes into the match, Manchester United's goal looked a bit too open when Ritchie Pickard came free, but Bradley Whitmore reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Manchester United's Bradley Whitmore played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Ritchie Pickard in the 12th minute of play. 17 minutes into the game, Brad Oliver was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Ilford's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Manchester United the free kick. A collision led to Ilford getting a freekick after 17 minutes play. Brad Oliver hit a great ball. The audience thought it was a sure goal in the 19th minute, when Manchester United's Freddy Dyson after having done a great run through the defense got himself free with Robbie Stone in Ilford's goal and fired away a shot, but it missed the goal by a fraction of an inch. 22 minutes into the match, Manchester United's goal looked a bit too open when Loyd Warner came free, but Bradley Whitmore reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. After a rather tough play, Manchester United's Rufus Busby got a free kick in the 23rd minute. Bradley Whitmore showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Ritchie Pickard in the 26th minute of the match. In the 27th minute, Ritchie Pickard left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Ilford fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 0-1. Loyd Warner fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 35th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Bradley Whitmore having to interfere. 37 minutes into the game, Ilford's Loyd Warner nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Bradley Whitmore made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 0-2. If Loyd Warner had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 42nd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead.

The wind increased when Benjamin Purkiss made the kick off in the second half. Bradley Whitmore showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Ritchie Pickard, who was totally free with the ball in the 55th minute. 57 minutes into the match, Ilford's Loyd Warner sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Bradley Whitmore narrowly saved just below the crossbar. 61 minutes into the game, Graham Lawton was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Ilford's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Manchester United the free kick. After 61 played minutes Ilford got a freekick which was hit by Graham Lawton. Benjamin Purkiss received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 63rd minute. Robbie Stone tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. In the 64th minute, Gav Edison hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. After having played for 78 minutes, Ritchie Pickard managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Ilford's supporters crossed their fingers, but Ritchie Pickard was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. If Loyd Warner had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 80th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Stan Pollard received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 82nd minute. Robbie Stone tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Benjamin Purkiss fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 84th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Robbie Stone having to interfere. Robbie Stone showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Stan Pollard, who was totally free with the ball in the 86th minute. Ilford's Robbie Stone played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Stan Pollard in the 88th minute of play. Stan Pollard sent away a hard shot on goal in the 91st minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. The Ilford players were relieved to hear the final whistle blow to end the match. The away crowd was happy to see their team win after a very tight game.