By Joseph Pearson
This is the game that everyone talks about. This is the biggest derby in Wharfedale. This is Burley v Ilkley. These two sides had never played each other before in so this game was huge for local bragging rights.
Both sides had good chances early on but none of any serious note. The game was very scrappy due to the game being a derby and also because of the condition of the pitch. The game was end to end right from the first whistle to the last and defences were stretched. Elliot Drew had a free header yards from goal which he couldn’t control and the game’s first great chance was gone. Sam Rowley was busy in Ilkley’s goal and he made a number of impressive saves to thwart Burley’s attacks.
Suddenly, Elliot Drew was through on goal and he had another great chance. He rounded the keeper, shot towards goal but he found Marcus Lee who brilliantly cleared his effort of the line. It was a heroic piece of defending and Lee continued to deny Drew. Will Atkins’ header hit the top of the bar after an Ilkley corner and the ball eventually fell to Drew. His shot was goal bound but once again, Lee was in the right place at the right time.
Burley immediately countered and it took some desperate last ditch defending from Callum Richardson to deny Burley. Rowley continued to keep Burley out but he couldn’t keep out the game’s first goal. Will Davingoff’s sweetly struck first time shot from twenty five yards found the net and Burley were ahead. Ilkley were stunned. They had created more chances but they just couldn’t score. Town misery was soon doubled. Kyle Moulson’s brilliant volley put Burley 2-0 ahead right on the stroke of half time.
Despite this setback, Town responded very quickly into the second half as Elliot Drew halved the deficit. The game was there for the taking for Town. Burley hadn’t come out of the traps and Town had all the momentum. Incredibly, Tom Ashurst scored Burley’s third despite Town’s start to the second half. Chances were being created at will now as the game really opened up. Drew had another chance for Town when he was through on goal but Tom Day made a great save in Burley’s goal. Day was busy in the second half and the game descended into mayhem. It was quite literally end to end throughout the entire second half.
Unfortunately, James Driver was badly injured and he had to be carried off the pitch. Both sides exchanged possession and both sides created more and more goal scoring opportunities. Fabien Trouille was denied by Tom Day after Drew’s superb through ball and Burley were missing their chances to finish the game.
Ilkley fell apart for five minutes and gifted Burley two goals. Nick Corless made it 4-1 and Alex McNamara’s bizarre own goal sealed victory for Burley. The score line looked very harsh on Ilkley but they continued to fight until the end. Fabien Trouille pulled one back with a brilliant individual goal and James Bullock’s header made it 5-3 with minutes remaining. Amazingly, Town had a chance from nowhere to get something from the game and given the way goals were flying in from all over the place, anything was possible. Town’s minor renewed optimism was destroyed when Will Nash scored Burley’s sixth goal. The game was drawing to a close and it was well and truly finished now.
The final whistle was the end of a pulsating game of football and as the dust settled, Ilkley must reflect on a disappointing defeat but realistically, there could have been more goals for both teams and either team could have won. Man of the Match was Marcus Lee for his performance in the centre of Burley’s defence. His heroic interventions in the first half turned out to be very crucial in the context of the game.
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