Ilkley Town 1 Old Headingley 3

Ilkley Town failed to get their West Yorkshire League Division One campaign back on track, losing on this outing to Old Headingley in a game where they failed to capitalise on long spells of dominant possession and were sunk by two late breakaway goals.

Town started the game brightly, moving the ball well with Sam Dexter and Danny Bryan, making his league debut, dictating the game’s early tempo from midfield.

Despite dominating possession Ilkley Town failed to create any real clear-cut openings, which was to become a theme for the game, and they were duly punished when Old Headingley opened the scoring. A careless free kick conceded by Town on the left of the penalty area led to Old Headingley’s opener.

The ball, delivered into a dangerous area, was met by an unmarked Old Headingley player who had managed to escape the attentions of Ilkley’s defence and left with the simplest of headers to beat James Hirst from less than 10 yards.

Disappointing defending overall, particul- arly in the light of Town’s season openers where it had seemed they had addressed defending from set pieces which had been such an Achilles heel in the last campaign.

Ilkley did respond well to going a goal down and continued to do those things they had been doing well before the goal, albeit without creating any real clear cut chances, and as a result the half-time whistle went with Town 1-0 down.

Town started the second half strongly, and really started to pin back Old Headingley into their own half. All that was missing from Town’s excellent build up play was the decisive pass or cross to create the clear opportunity.

Ilkley however were to be given an easy way back into the game from the penalty spot. A ball played over the top of the away side’s defence was chased down by Danny Henderson who looked set to win the race to the ball with the Old Headingley defender when he was floored in the box by his opponent.

Adam Turner stepped and duly dispatched the penalty low into the corner of the net. At this point, it looked like there would only be one winner and Ilkley would now convert possession into goals. But instead it was Old Headingley who would go on and win the game.

As Ilkley pushed to take the lead, a rare attack by Old Headingley down Ilkley’s right saw the away side’s winger beat his full back to deliver a ball into the box where it found an unmarked forward.

He took it down with his back to goal before turning and finishing under the body of Town’s goalkeeper Hirst. Ilkley, pushing for the equaliser they richly deserved, went close when Ross Hutchison’s strike from the edge of the box dipped onto the bar, but were they undone when Ben Dexter was beaten in the air by an Old Headingley forward and his flick on was chased onto by his centre forward partner who finished calmly as Hirst advanced from his goal.