Report
Our record against Leiston is comparatively modest, with two wins, two draws and four losses before tonight’s fixture. The rain had held off and the pitch was fine. It is a pity that what followed was not so fine, and it was, in many ways deplorable, especially for a home game.
Team changes owing to injuries seem inevitable at this stage of the season. Wilkinson was out with a ham string, and Jones along with Bell still not fully fit.
After a seemingly low-key start, Hitchin began to construct forward moves of variable quality. There was an advantage played and Matshazi, despite his run could not get through, and a corner came to nothing. One attempt for the visitors, raising their pace, was caught offside.
A corner from the Suffolk side, with fifteen comparatively lethargic minutes played was then headed home beautifully from a perfect corner by the tall Adam Bailey-Dennis, and I must say that a defensive challenge was lacking. If this was a tad embarrassing, just five minutes later, Jack Manly won possession and was able to turn, advance on goal and then put second goal past a benumbed Charlie Horlock who must have thought that his defence had been given the night off. It was a simple, well- taken goal.
It was not inspiring stuff from the hosts, and it is not as if the visitors had dominated play, they had merely snapped up what chances came their way and made them count. The atmosphere was almost funereal.
Galliford had replaced Idiakhoa, so there was another injury to be dealt with.
Gleeson won a corner with persistent play and from this a later cross fell to him but it was too high. This, by the way was a rare foray as Leiston seemed comfortably in control with their two goal cushion.
I was also not enamoured of our square pass, square pass, back to the keeper and repeat same. Not the way to get a goal back in my book. Hitchin also appeared to be somewhat diffident in midfield, losing out in too many challenges.
Then in a bizarre moment, Kye Tearle scored for Hitchin with the apparent aid of the visiting goalkeeper, Sam Donkin, who appeared to drop the ball into his own net. This goal, with its bit of good fortune attached came after thirty- six minutes so it made the contest a good deal more even. It put a good deal more lift into Hitchin, which was overdue. There was a home free kick in a central area, taken, eventually by Freeman who literally passed it a few yards to a surprised defender. Then there was some kind of dispute which resulted in a caution for scorer Tearle, for a foul.
Quantrell started a little raid that held some promise but was defended soundly and it was but a few minutes to half time, with just two added. This produced little more in the way of chances.
Two shots were saved by Donkin, with Toby Syme trying to make the best of it with a double effort of the right kind of aggression. We had resumed, we hoped, in the right frame of mind. There was a touch and cross from Loza that led to a decent shot saved by Horlock. The play was a shade livelier now.
Georgiou conceded a corner that produced a low shot from Marsden. We needed more of this at the other end. Tearle tried a diagonal shot, held by Donkin, Syme and Georgiou were needed to neutralise a Leiston long ball attack, even so they won another corner, taken by Marsden and cleared for an ineffective counter move.
Freeman was cautioned for a foul, which on the face of it seemed just a little harsh. Gleeson was trying to put ideas into action as Hitchin won a corner which went straight through to the keeper and then right up the other end for a reasonably good chance.
Tearle and Dunbar had a coming together in a fifty- fifty with Dunbar coming off worse and apparently wanting post-incident words or more with Tearle, and admirably prevented by Gleeson. Hitchin had a free kick and tried in vain to sustain an attack. Freeman was denied a shot, Illegitimately, according to the Fishponds end, and play was held up with Donkin going to ground with no sympathy coming his way, of course.
Another corner came from Leiston and the ball all but crept in at the far post being somehow kept out by a slither of the goal frame. And then Crane fired one just over the bar. Armin’s shot from range produced yet another corner which should have been a goal but at point blank range Armin hit the ball up against the underside of the bar and somehow it stayed out. Hitchin were indeed riding their luck and time was running out.
A Leiston free kick was awarded close to the corner flag, another dangerous cross with Horlock saving and was bundled into the net in the process. Freeman lost out in a challenge and conceded a corner, and this after more good work from Gleeson. Yes, there was still another corner and another bit of danger to circumvent.
There were one or two hopeful balls forward looking in vain for the runner, and a draw began to look beyond the home side, with one low shot proving easy for Donkin, who was also to clutch the next hopeful cross. Crane’s negligible shot merely wasted time as Hitchin strove to get forward in this late stage.
Galliford’s half chance was defended and forward balls from Hitchin were returned from whence they originated. Then as a kind of comment on the night Gleeson was dismissed for a second caution, thus blotting his copy book as he had been outstanding in legitimate play.
Five no doubt desultory minutes were added to this less than memorable game from a home point of view. There was not much to cheer a less than average home attendance. To cap it all, Loza, in the ninetieth minute had possession, a run-on goal and served up a fine finish to ensure the points went back to Suffolk and deservedly so. All three goals were simple in construction and artfully finished. Not so desultory for Leiston.
But even worse was to come, when Loza reprised his goal of two minutes earlier to complete. a thorough humiliation for Hitchin. Leaning towards charity we may suggest that these two sucker punches emanated from mistakes, but the chap has to finish the job and he did so, with aplomb.
If the game had been played on Saturday, I expect we might well have had about two hundred more than the 350 who braved the gloom. As a side note the officials would not have needed to dodge the flying darts from our resident bunch as they made their legitimate way to the board room.
But it is what it is and Leiston showed us how to finish, with a bit of daring and enterprise, taking advantage of sluggish defending and a certain disinclination, which we hope is not in evidence at St Ives next Saturday.
HITCHIN TOWN
Charlie Horlock, Kye Tearle, GOAL, 36 MINUTES, (2-1) Sponsors’ Man of the Match, cautioned, Layne Eadie, Toby Syme, Stan Georgiou, Dan Emovon, Arnold Matshazi, Stephen Gleeson, dismissed after two cautions, Dan Idiakhoa, (Isaac Galliford),
John Freeman, cautioned, Jack Snelus. Substitutes not used- George Devine, Dempsey Thomas and Harry Dollimore.
LEISTON
Sam Donkin, Wyatt Hill, Sebastian Dunbar, Joe Marsden, Adam Bailey-Dennis, GOAL, 15 MINUTES, (1-0), Eddie Jackson, Ross Crane, Albie Armin, George Quantrell, Jack Manly, GOAL, 20 MINUTES, (2-0), Jamar Loza,TWO GOALS, 90 AND 90+2 MINUTES. SUBSTITUTES- Finley Corrigan, Zachary Dronfield and Chris Casement.
Referee- Mr J Casey, assisted by Mr T Ratherham and Mr B Hallybone.
Attendance 350
REPORT BY PIPEMAN