REPORT: Melton Town 3-1 Ashby Ivanhoe

Melton finished the year with a home match against in-form Ashby Ivanhoe. It was manager Tom Manship’s 200th game in charge so there was incentive enough to get a result, and, having lost at Ashby only a few weeks back was a further reason.

It was the visitors that started on the front foot and in just the 4th minute a deflected ball fell nicely to Acott who tried to chip Bill Harrison but the Melton keeper managed to get a hand to it to prevent the goal.

A few minutes later and the early Ivanhoe pressure was rewarded when a ball into Sam Grouse on the edge of the area saw him rifle in a shot that took a deflection and wrong footed Harrison to put the visitors one up.

Melton’s first effort came half way through the half when Paul Anderson found Tom Wakley out wide and he tried a speculative shot which Taylor saved with ease. Ryan Calver had a long range effort that never really troubled the keeper.

Ashby played with the wind in the second half and in just the 2nd minute a long clearance from Taylor caught out the defence and Groocock’s attempted chip went inches over the bar. Melton went up a gear and started to dominate the game.

Greg Mills made a run down the left and sent in a great cross which found Wakley unmarked in the six yard box only for his cushioned shot to go over the bar. Then on the hour mark a quick passing move from Melton saw the ball arrive at Calver’s feet who from 25 yards out fire a shot past the keeper to level the score.

With 13 minutes to go a freekick on the edge of the D saw Mills hitting the wall and go out wide to Anderson who floated the ball back into the area where Tyreace Palmer had a glancing header beat the keeper.

Ashby came close to levelling the score in the 83rd minute when a low ball into the Melton penalty area fell to Grouse who turned and stabbed a shot that hit the foot of the post. Then in the 88th minute Melton put the game to bed.

A defensive error was pounced upon by Wakley who sent in a low cross which Kairo Edwards-John collected and calmly moved towards the penalty spot before finding the bottom corner with a powerful shot.

Melton were laboured in the first half but came out in the second half and dominated with some clinical finishing which leaves them just six points from the top. Next up are the league leaders Sherwood on Saturday with the prospect of closing the gap on the promotion spot.