Martin Carruthers praises Ilkeston Town ruthlessness after putting eight past Histon

Ilkeston Town boss Martin Carruthers was delighted with his team’s ruthlessness in front of goal after the Robins recorded an emphatic 8-0 win at home to bottom-of-the-table Histon on Saturday.
Joe Maguire celebrates scoring Ilkeston's fifth goal on Saturday. Photo by Lee Prewett.Joe Maguire celebrates scoring Ilkeston's fifth goal on Saturday. Photo by Lee Prewett.
Joe Maguire celebrates scoring Ilkeston's fifth goal on Saturday. Photo by Lee Prewett.

Carruthers’ men scored four goals in each half – one of them an own goal – to maintain their promotion push against a team that has struggled with player retention since the reorganisation of the non-league pyramid during the summer.

And as well as it being a dominant display, Carruthers felt the number of goals scored showed the quality his side in attacking areas.

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He said: “At half-time I said I wanted us to be ruthless and clinical and go out and get more goals, which we certainly did and could have had more.

"We didn’t take our foot off the pedal and wanted to get our goal difference up and you can say what you want about the opposition but you still have to beat what’s put in front of you.

"The performance was outstanding from start to finish and it was another clean sheet that will breed confidence, especially with it being four games unbeaten.”

After playing a friendly against a Nottingham Forest XI on Tuesday night, the Robins now prepare to travel to Daventry Town in the FA Trophy on Saturday.

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Ilkeston won 4-0 against a patched up Daventry side in the league earlier in the season, but with their hosts having beaten Stamford in the last round, Carruthers expects a different test.

He said: “We expected to be facing Stamford, in all honesty, but Daventry have brought some new players in since we beat them on a night where they had a huge injury crisis, but we’ll go there again with a strong side and aiming to keep the momentum going.”

The Robins brought in two more new signings last week, with former Sheffield United right-back Tommy Williams and Bradley Foster, a goalkeeper who featured regularly for Derby County’s U23s before being released in the summer, both joining up with Carruthers’ squad.

Carruthers said: “Competition for places is key and I think we have at least two strong options in every position now, which will keep us competitive in the face of any injuries, and I think it means we have a really good chance to go for promotion and the title.