Ilkley scrape victory against Dearne and District

In a closely fought match, Ilkley Town AFC came away with the three points at the MPM stadium against Dearne and District thanks to a first half opener, writes Evan Seaman.

After the first half an hour, there were few chances for either side until the hosts won a free kick outside of the box. Alfie Dean stepped up to take the free kick, which was carried away by the keeper, but the rebound fell into the path of Maville-Anku who tucked it into the back of the net.

For the rest of the half Ilkley dominated possession and looked good value for their lead, but Jack Lane got booked towards the end after a few questionable decisions which made the game somewhat heated.

The attendance was 52, which was lower than previous weeks so Ilkley will be hoping for late push from supporters for the final few games of the season.

The result means Ilkley remains in seventh for now but only six points off the playoffs whereas the visitors dropped out of the playoffs as their promotion hopes took a hit.

Next up for The Baht’tatters is Louth Town who are 17th in the table, so this presents a good opportunity to keep their good run of form going to try and get their own hopes of promotion back on track.