Catch Up with Ciaren: 2025-26 Part IV

Club captain Ciaren Jones has agreed to do regular interviews this season. After August, October and December chats, so it was time for the fourth instalment and I caught up with Ciaren last week.

My most recent interview with Jones was in late December just before the 2-2 draw with Rayners Lane. At the time of this chat we’d won 11 and lost two league games which is impressive but unfortunately in the same period Leighton were unbeaten with nine wins and two draws including winning their last eight games. So we had lost four games and Leighton just two and the gap between us is 6 points.

I asked Ciaren how he felt about this. He said it was frustrating how consistent Leighton had been but he respected what they had done. It could be that we reach 100 points and still do not win the league. But Ciaren is still positive and if it is to be the play-offs we just accept it and move on.

Looking at the two defeats since our last interview Ciaren felt the Biggleswade game was very tight and we did not deserve to lose. We did not really create enough but Biggleswade scored a very late winner from their only chance. However Ciaren was very unhappy with the performance at Leverstock Green where he felt we deserved to lose and he said it was our worst defensive display all season and he did not think any player had a good game. Aside from the two defeats Ciaren has been pleased with our performances and we have found different ways to win.

Looking back at the four league defeats three came against teams in the top five and Ciaren does not think we deserved to lose any of them with the Leverstock Green defeat the only game we could have no complaints with the result. If we have to play either of the Biggleswades or Hertford in the play-offs Ciaren would be positive and he definitely would want home advantage so we need to finish second if we do not win the league. The target is to win all the remaining games and if this is not enough to win the league we will not feel sorry for ourselves and will go in to the play-offs with a positive attitude.

Ciaren thinks there is still more to come from the team. The players are very focused and there is confidence in the squad. Training has been really good with no bad sessions according to Ciaren and there has been great intensity and commitment. Competition for places is harder than at any time since Ciaren has been at Hitchin and it means certain players will not even make the match day squad. However Ciaren says it is a tight nit group and the whole squad will be needed in the run in.

I asked Ciaren about the number of goals he has scored this season. He had scored three last season and no league goals in the previous two and a half years. He paid great compliment to the corners of Callum Nicholson giving Ciaren the perfect opportunity to attack the ball. Despite his goals Ciaren is happy to stay in the defence and is not looking to replace Taylor Rhiney as our main striker!

Finally Ciaren again thanked our great supporters for their backing. The players enjoy playing in front of a big crowd and want to put smiles on the Hitchin supporters’ faces and celebrate with them. They can help Hitchin over the line and the ‘’drum brigade’’ really add to the occasion. So Ciaren asks for the supporters to continue to turn up in big numbers and get behind the team.

As ever thanks to Ciaren and it was good to hear his positivity about the rest of the season.

Roy Izzard