Report
For me it was a cautious welcome to the Bards for a particular reason. Recent seasons have seen Hitchin win away at Stratford but there has been a tendency to lose at home, including a thrilling game last season where the Bards nipped in with a 4-3 victory. A wild night of Storm Bert had lessened to gusty blasts that promised to interfere with accurate passing in a game where home manager Michael Jones was hoping for a fifth game without defeat.
The first moments saw a Bards attack along the right that failed to beat the offside and then Luke Stokoe saw his intended shot rebound off a stalwart defender. A Hitchin mistake saw Ebanks test Stacey. The warnings were there. Then Tearle sent a loose ball across the face of goal, but it could not be reached by anyone, home or away.
Playing some pleasing football Hitchin forged opportunities and there was a free kick from the right and it was Daniel Stokoe’s turn for a blocked shot. No player shied from a challenge in these fierce opening minutes and Chidyausiku managed a speculative shot on the turn that went wide. Brennan was booked for a foul on Tearle and the resulting free kick, wide on the right saw Tearle’s send it in to be dealt with by the Bards’ defence that had already shown a miserly tendency.
A move from Hussey and Ludford- Ison had style, but no substance and a quick free kick saw Stratford pose another threat from the left culminating in a fierce shot from McCone that Stacey just tipped over the bar. The corner was turned into a Hitchin counter that was broken down, but Ekongo managed a shot from range that was off target.
A swift Bards counter saw the shot clear the bar, but they had produced the better chances so far, and were, at times, stretching the Hitchin defence. It was good stuff all round with earnest endeavour and then, Stacey, who ought to have cleared his lines with a decent kick, saw the ball rebound off a player and Rafferty was there to capitalise fully on the mistake. This goal came after thirty- four minutes, and it was discomforting insofar as it was easily avoidable. But since it is Stratford- on- Avon, I will put in a little quotation from Macbeth.
‘I applaud thee to the very echo.’
So many goals have been conceded following this defensive insistence on playing back and square passes in and around the penalty area. Weaver, the goalkeeper needed some treatment before a Hitchin free kick, inside the defensive half. Again, the Stratford defence did its duty. A foray on the Hitchin goal saw Hussey denied progress, but he had proved a handful thus far. There was some imprecise play from the hosts, and it seemed to me that the players were still staggered by the conceding of a goal from an error. Would be attacks were pushed back or contained. No shot on target can be recorded in the first half that was extended by three minutes.
There was a half time substitution from the hosts with Snee replacing Chidyausiku. The first bit of meaningful action was a penetrative attack from the Bards, who got the ball in the net and an offside flag held up imperiously. But it was notable in the way that the Hitchin defence was deceived. Syme began a move that saw play switch flanks but ended up with a pass back to the keeper. This was not the ideal script, nor was a hopeful long ball to a well marked Snee.
The rain began to be more insistent as Hitchin persisted in what is called building from the back, which is all very well until possession is cheaply lost. One foray saw this happen and Syme was needed to cancel out the threat. Partial clearances often resulted in the concession of a free kick and the visitors played everything to their advantage, with McCone manfully trying to connect with a cross that just had too much pace.
Syme was the player who tried to create from the back, but it was runs such as Hussey demonstrated that Hitchin needed. Their creativity had seemed stifled since giving away the game’s solitary goal so far. Defending from Stratford had a distinct quality, and they had neatly avoided giving away a set piece that could possibly change the aspect of the game. There was even a cringe-making deflection that very nearly brought a freak second goal for them instead of the corner.
There was another substitution for Hitchin, with Tearle replaced by Barker. This was followed by another Stratford attack that amply demonstrated that rather than just defend their lead they would rather add to it. Conditions worsened in terms of weather, with the light from the floodlights making the rain look more dramatic. There was a dramatic intervention from Jones who denied Ebanks .
Franklin was fouled and a yellow card issued but again the free kick went backwards. This sort of thing seems inexplicable as. Hitchin’s play was that of a team winning rather than losing the match. It all suited Stratford. Then Dixon- Smith became the third home substitute, replacing Ekongo. We still waited for a real strike on goal, but nothing was in the offing. A move in the left eventually saw a cross that met the boot of a defender and Syme had to time his intervention following a counter move.
The surefooted Bards artfully controlled the game, preventing forward moves, stifling any creativity. They did concede a rare corner, and this could be seen as a major chance for Hitchin. It was aimed for Jones, who does score them, but not this time.
Then, a fourth substitution saw the timely return of Bradley Bell, who was inexplicably released at the end of last season. Stratford eschewed substitutions until later but this eleven had played with distinction and a good deal of skill despite the difficult conditions. The visiting keeper ‘did a Charlie Horlock’ by going down with what we all suspected was a feigned injury, to show that there was room for gamesmanship in this grim encounter.
There was move from the left, but the cross favoured the Stratford defence. The recovered Weaver came off his line to boot the ball to kingdom come as his counterpart emitted shouts that we found incomprehensible. He again picked Syme to start a move that had a predictable ending. Then Stratford made a late substitution with Williams replacing Leeson.
The referee added a generous five minutes, but I think even ten would not see the equaliser in this game that would have been a gutsy goalless draw, with the opposition feeling themselves outdone. It was very scrappy by now and the yellow card was brandished again. One lame home attack ended with keeper Stacey roaming into midfield to snuff out a chance. Hitchin had possession without threat and the best we could hope for was a set piece or a penalty. Wishful thinking, since the wily visitors were adept at avoiding such a disadvantage.
Snee’s late cross, well held, was the last bit of action and once more the Bards win at Top Field and some remote comfort might creep in when we recall the last four visits to Stratford have seen wins for Hitchin. That was also Stratford’ s third win in a row here. In all, a curious statistic.
The better team won today and if that error could have been avoided and if the game had finished goal-less , then we would have indeed been grateful for the point, and as things stand we now occupy second bottom place and see the end of Michael Jones’ decent run of four games without defeat.
And, oh yes, I have not forgotten my mandatory bit of Shakespeare to finish, and it is from a Hitchin point of view and comes from “Othello”-
‘O most lame and impotent conclusion.’
But for that error it would have been shared points but as I say, the visitors would have been the aggrieved party, but we would have gladly taken our share, shut the gate, and gone.
HITCHIN
Stacey, Franklin, Ekongo, cautioned, (Dixon-Smith), Sambou, Sponsors’ Man of the Match, Syme, cautioned, Jones, Tearle, (Barker), Stokoe, L, (Bell) Chidyausiku, (Snee) Stokoe, D, Titchmarsh. Substitute not used – Gleeson.
STRATFORD
Weaver, Vann, Brennan, cautioned, Hawker, cautioned, McCone, Solanke, Ludford-Ison, (Wilson), Lafferty, GOAL1-0, 34 minutes, Leeson, (Williams), Hussey, cautioned. Substitutes not used- Storer, Bapanga, James.
Referee- Mr R Wharton, assisted by Mr M Rendell and Mr B Jerrams.
Attendance 441
REPORT BY PIPEMAN