Report
There was an element of déjà vu at Top Field today. Hitchin gave themselves a mountain to climb, and cannot be faulted for effort and determination, but the ‘summit’ of three points again eluded them and in the most inauspicious manner, providing more frustration for themselves and their loyal supporters.
Yet the way they played in a vibrant second half, reducing the arrears and seeming likely to snatch not just one point but three was a distinct possibility. But when you are at the bottom misfortune seems to be a lodger and despite heroic efforts to save this game, the cold fact was another defeat and the club further adrift at the bottom of the league table.
The jigsaw that the team puts together has a final piece that seems to elude them at every try. In this game they did not settle to the game fully until the second half as they strove to recover from conceding two goals scored by the visitors after just three serious goal attempts.
The home team had a couple of changes with Alex Brown returning at left back and Matthew Moloney wore the number eleven shirt. Rio Dasilva and Malaki Black were on the bench. Many will remember just how unfortunate the team had been in the corresponding fixture, where they lost after taking the lead.
Rushden started in a rush and in their very first attack they won a corner, which was converted by the appropriately named Ben Diamond. I was told by a Rushden official at half-time that this set piece manoeuvre was ‘straight out of the training ground’. Perhaps so, but it was a staggering early blow to Hitchin, who took some time to recover, and some poor passing was in evidence, with long forward balls seeking out Callum Stead falling to the feet or heads of the opposition.
Even the few set pieces were relatively poor. Connor Furlong had a fair shot at goal and this brought a corner and then another for the visitors, which was cleared, but the fact was that Rushden were just that bit faster to the ball and anticipated well. There was a cross from Alex Brown that was defended but a corner for hitchin gave Dan Webb a chance and he blasted the ball over the bar, and this was almost immediately followed by a Moloney header that suffered the same fate.
I share the opinion of many that when a team is languishing in the relegation spot that good fortune does desert them, built it may just be a psychological effect, since the goal that Hitchin did score in the second half took a deflection that fooled the goal keeper, but as we approached the half hour mark there was a mixture of good and ill- fortune.
A combination of Stead, and Marsh saw a shot from the latter that struck the foot of the post and was then sent into the attacking half, and a defensive error from Hitchin permitted Ty Deacon to double the visitors’ lead, the ball painfully going in off the post. It was not entirely unsurprising, since Hitchin, eager to get back on level terms were found a little wanting at the back and the gaps were exploited. They had to take the risk and did manage to fire in a number of crosses, which Dean Snedker and his defenders dealt with comfortably. Cawley was trying to free himself to get one away but his best effort was blocked. Barker even tried a ‘Barwell’ – that is a shot from long range, not wind assisted as at Barwell but Snedker had to monitor it carefully. How nice it would have been to see that one go in.
There was a shot that went wide for Stead and a header similarly placed by Ciaren Jones, following a corner won by Barker. In a flash it seemed, the half was over and although hitchin’s play had been praised by an Rushden official. It seemed of scant comfort. It was clear that if Hitchin were to rescue this game then it would need aggression and determination in attack and that is what we got. We also witnessed some cunning breakaways by the opposition where desperate measures were called on to thwart the one- on- one.
Rushden defending was generally good but the finesse tended to dissipate towards the end when it did seem likely that Hitchin would break through. Then, after ten exploratory minutes of this second-half, finally, a little bit of good fortune. Stead’s looping shot on goal took a deflection that wrong-footed Snedker and it was 2-1, and, as is often said –‘game on’.
It was no more than Hitchin deserved since they had retained a positive approach and the players were eager to get something from this game. Corners were forced, defended with varying levels of skill. Jones came very close to scoring with his firm shot just clearing the bar. Hitchin players treated those crafty breakaways from Rushden as an irritation, but it took some good intervening tackles from the likes of Webb and jones to prevent the visitors from notching up another one.
One decent cross saw the Rushden goalkeeper fouled and it had the effect of being somewhat unsporting, since that bit was not in the script. Script? Yes, Hitchin to equalise and then score a last minute winner and, ironically three points would have lifted the team to fourth from bottom on goal difference. St Ives have shown how a couple of prestigious wins can elevate the team to a safe distance from the relegation slots. But you have to win. Losing heroically, going down fighting is part of the scheme of things but for us it simply will not do.
The momentum was kept up, with Jack Green adopting the sound tactic of a long throw that occasionally caused mayhem in the opposition penalty area, but they always seemed to clear – to get the foot or head in the way. That pesky ball just would not fall fortuitously for the Canaries. Free -kicks for either side were negligible in impact. For Rushden Ravin Shamsi proved to be a tricky customer and one with good pace – he nearly made it three with one of his runs in possession.
Green was urgent in his task, with long throw-ins or crosses, and even at switching play. Routine appeals for a mythical penalty were sensibly dismissed by the referee and an inexplicable delay towards the end, something to do with a player receiving treatment when he was already off the pitch or was he on. I gave up trying to fathom that one out but the delay suited Rushden rather than Hitchin.
When we played Alvechurch there was the feeling that a goal would not come even if the referee added on half an hour fro stoppages, but today we were on the edge of our seats and we wanted to believe. One point was better than none. But it was none and the situation had become rather grave.
To criticise is easy so I will concentrate on the positive. We could not ask for m ore effort from the hitchin players but we might question why goals from the team as as rare as rocking horse manure. The interview with Dan Webb in the website bulletin is very positive and we may stake it as given that the team will not give up until relegation is a mathematical certainty, and that is some way away at present.
A winning sequence would help steer the club into safer waters and we must not be daunted by the opposition and results today showed that anyone can beat anyone in this tight league. We have a chance next week when we travel to Stourbridge, before the equally stern test of a midweek visit to Rushall Olympic.
Yes, it was a little unfortunate today even if we are like the bloke who kept banging his head against the wall. When asked why he was doing it he said because it wasn’t half good when he stopped.
HITCHIN TOWN
Charlie Horlock, Jack Green, this reporters’ man of the match, Alex Brown, Stephen Gleeson, Dan Webb, Ciaren Jones – sponsors’ star man, Lawrie Marsh, cautioned, (Rio Dasilva), Lewis Barker, Callum Stead, GOAL, 55 MINUTES, Stephen Cawley, Matthew Moloney, (Jordan Kinoshi), Unused substitutes- Dan Akubuine, Malaki Black, Joshua Coldicott-Stevens.
AFC RUSHDEN AND DIAMONDS
Dean Snedker, Patrick Casey, Ryan Hughes, (Samuel Warburton), Fernando Bell-Toxtle, Liam Dolman, Alex Collard, Nathan Tshikuna, (Matthew Slinn), Ben Diamond,GOAL 3 MINUTES, Ty Deacon,GOAL, 26 MINUTES, Ravin Shamsi, Connor Furlong, (Adriel George). Unused substitutes- Jesse Akubuine, William Jones.
REFEREE: Mr M Stevens, assisted by MR D Jones and Mr P Valentin-Milhalache.
ATTENDANCE: 520
REPORT BY PIPEMAN