NCEL Division One - Ilkley Town 1 - 1 Club Thorne

 NCEL Division One - Ilkley Town 1 - 1 Club Thorne - 04.10.2025

There were four changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Maltby Main in midweek, as Marc Newsham, Louis Seddons, James Baxendale and Dom Mellor all returned to the starting eleven.

Storm Amy was the dominant force of the afternoon, making conditions incredibly difficult for both sides. Both teams came into the fixture looking to rediscover form - Ilkley with four points from their previous five games, while Thorne had picked up five from the same number.

Despite playing against the wind in the first half, Colliery started the brighter of the two teams. Early chances fell to Newsham and Muenda, but both efforts were well dealt with by the home defence. Ilkley responded shortly after, hitting the bar following a mix-up between Robinson and Twibell.

Midway through the half, Thorne were forced into an early change as Lewis Twibell was replaced by Andy Wright after picking up a knock. The reshuffle saw Brown slot in at right-back.
Thorne continued to create opportunities - Newsham and Muenda both went close - but couldn’t find the breakthrough.

Just before the interval, Musselwhite produced another fine save to deny the hosts, diving low to keep out a one-on-one effort. However, Ilkley broke the deadlock moments before half-time when a free-kick was parried into the path of Kevin Gonzalez, who slotted home from close range.

Half-Time: Ilkley Town 1-0 Club Thorne Colliery

Neither side made changes at the break, and with the wind now in their favour, Thorne began the second half strongly. The pressure mounted immediately with a series of corners and half chances. Robinson thought he’d bundled the ball over the line from a Williams corner, but the referee judged there to be a foul on the keeper.

Just after the hour mark, Alex Peterson and Ethan Harrison were introduced in place of Baxendale and Newsham - and the changes quickly paid off. Five minutes later, Thorne grabbed a deserved equaliser. Brown and Seddons combined well down the right before delivering into the box. The clearance fell to Ethan Harrison on the edge of the area, whose volley was diverted into the net by Williams to make it 1-1.

Further substitutions saw Ellison and Walker replace Seddons and Muenda as Thorne pushed for a winner. Despite several late half chances, neither side could find a decisive goal.

The referee’s whistle confirmed another hard-earned point for Colliery, who remain in ninth place - just a single point off the top five.

Full Time - Ilkley (45’ Gonzalez) 1-1 Colliery (65’ Williams)

Man of the Match: Harry Brown - Sponsored by Arthurs Investments

Ilkley Town - Matthew Keen, Prince Attakorah, Thierry Henrickson, James Nightingale, Nicholas Brayshaw, Maxim Hague (85’ Edward Croft), Joseph Edmonds (85’ Harry Abson), Jack Lane, Kevin Gonzalez (45’), Harry Brown (C), Peter Roberts. Substitutes: Edward Croft, Harry Abson, Shaban Mehmeti, Tom Smith, Lewin Storton.

Club Thorne - Ryan Musselwhite, James Baxendale (59’ Ethan Harrison), Dom Mellor, Reiss Harrison, Harry Brown (C), Jake Robinson, Lewis Twibel (22’ Andy Wright)l, Louis Seddons (69’ Ryan Ellison), Nathaniel Muenda (69’ Lewis Walker), Marc Newsham (59’ Alex Peterson), Luke Williams (65’). Substitutes: Ryan Ellison, Ethan Harrison, Alex Peterson, Lewis Walker, Andy Wright.