Street Work Soccer 2

Ilkley AFC 6

Progress was made into the second round of the West Yorkshire League Cup by Ilkley on Saturday. Ilkley's opponents were a community-based club that provides football opportunities for young people within disadvantaged areas of Leeds, hence the unusual name, and Street Work provided difficult opposition on another blustery afternoon.

With the pitch being dry and bumpy, the playing conditions made it harder for players to pass the ball with any certainty and the first ten minutes was scrappy and disjointed.

With wind and slight slope advantage, Ilkley settled earliest and forced three successive corners that home 'keeper Liburd did well to tip away to safety, with Nick Quaife and Andy Bloom seeking to force the ball into goal at the far post.

Liburd could do little about Ilkley's opening goal after 15 minutes when defender Miale failed to clear Damian Smith's pass and Joe Horne seized on the loose ball to drive it into goal from 12 yards. Though Street Work forwards Bones and Walker were tricky in possession, they found it hard to penetrate Ilkley's defence with Alan Stockdale coping well in his makeshift centre-back's role following David Dixon's ankle injury recurrence before the game started.

However, the home side scored a fortuitous equaliser after 20 minutes when Karin's free-kick took a big deflection of the Ilkley defensive wall and drifted into the far corner of the net with the goalkeeper wrong-footed.

If the first two goals were scruffy, the second Ilkley goal after 25 minutes was of high quality. Finding more space in wide-positions Ilkley full backs Graham Richardson and Paul Braithwaite pressed forwards, and the latter saw a long cross-cum-shot drift just beyond the far-post before Richardson combined with Barrow on the left wing before drilling a low cross into the penalty area.

Timing his run to perfection, Joe Horne forced his way in front of centre back Normanschild to stab the ball home.

With the home team beginning to argue with each other, Ilkley added to the turmoil when Horne raced on to a Jonny Keith through ball and, as he cut into the penalty area, he was scythed down by Normanschild. After pointing to the penalty spot, the referee showed mercy to the defender by only showing him a yellow card. Jamie Barrow showed no such mercy when he blasted the penalty past Liburd.

Smith and Horne combined to release Barrow in the penalty area and he drilled the ball low across Liburd into the net. The Ilkley striker completed his hat-trick after 65 minutes.

Smith side-footed home the next and Barrow almost added to the Ilkley tally.

On Saturday Ilkley entertain Pontefract Town (KO 2.30pm) Players meet at the ground at 1.30pm. Ilkley Reserve travel to Kippax Welfare, players meet at the swimming pool at 12.30pm.