Captain Ciaren on Herts Senior Cup Win

I caught up with club captain Ciaren Jones the day after Hitchin lifted the Herts Senior Cup after that extraordinary penalty shoot out. Ciaren was very quick to praise the Hitchin supporters who created such a vibrant atmosphere particularly during the shoot out. He feels there is now a real togetherness between players and supporters and he was pleased to reward our loyal fans with silverware.

He thought the game was really good to play in and felt Bishops Stortford presented a much harder test than the typical division one sides we have been dominating. They are an established step 3 side and he accepted that they looked more threatening than Hitchin but conversely he thought Hitchin had more control during the game. A 0-0 scoreline was a fair result according to Ciaren and he was quick to praise the strength of Hitchin’s squad. Michael Jones had kept loyal to the players who got us to the final and Ciaren thought the so called fringe players stepped up to the task. Indeed he feels anyone in the squad is more than capable of a place in the starting eleven with great competition for places. It means no player can rest on his laurels.

Ciaren gave me good insight into the penalty shoot out. The referee did not ask for a list of the order in which the penalties would be taken and it was Ciaren who made the decisions. He said it was a no brainer to start with Taylor Rhiney our regular penalty taker while Diogo Freitas-Gouveia and Josh Coldicott-Stevens have scored penalties in the past. Kav Cotter volunteered and Kye Tearle also had a past record of scoring in shoot-outs. So to number 6 and Ciaren told me he had chosen that position but had hoped he would not be needed! He said it is nervous walking to the penalty spot but then he focused. Interestingly Ciaren changed his mind over which side to aim his penalty and it is as well he did because the keeper would have saved it if he kept to his original plan! Then it was Callum Kane and Josh Jackman as Ciaren knew Toby Syme, Blue Joy and Tyler McGregor would be nine, ten and eleven. Toby went first and then the pressure switched to Blue who was really nervous but showed the composure of a veteran to win the game and leave Tyler a relieved man.

So it is now four consecutive clean sheets as momentum builds towards the play-offs. The players want to taste more success and Ciaren said they will not be taking their foot off the pedal as they chase a return to the premier division. This was Ciaren’s first senior cup win and he feels very proud after his long stay with Hitchin. As captain he is leading from the front and is never scared to try a difficult pass. Let us hope he can lead us to play-off glory.

As ever thanks to Ciaren for sharing  his thoughts and providing fascinating insight.

Roy Izzard