Recap
After the Luton Town lesson on Saturday, Hitchin entertained Stotfold of the Spartan League Division One, and were of course, favourites for this one. ‘Digger’ Donnelly, our former player and now manager of the Bedfordshire side, whose aim is to get his new club, initially, back to the Spartan Premier Division, and in this quest we wish him all the best.
Both clubs decided to give their away kits an airing and I had a little chuckle at the kit description. Hitchin were in ‘magenta and black’ and Stotfold were described as ‘peppermint and black,’ which to me seemed like ordering a couple of cocktails. Even so, I give a thumbs up to the new Hitchin kits. So, on a night where the footballing giants of Italy and Spain were contesting a semi-final, we at Top Field continued with the normal pre-season experimenting and were treated to a match that was like the curate’s egg – good in parts.
The first half resembled the Luton game insofar as one team looked like scoring a hatful and that was Hitchin, making the gap between the divisions looks emphatic – but then we had a more competitive second half that failed to add to the score- or the excitement. Of course, it is all about preparation and fitness, not the score and both managers will have derived much useful knowledge during the encounter.
Hitchin began in earnest, given much more freedom afforded by Luton, but I did notice that Charlie Horlock, barking advice as normal, had strayed some forty yards from his line, determined that his nuggets of wisdom could be heard by the entire team – and I thought that if a player in peppermint and black could seize the opportunity he might do a Patrik Schick, and lob a spectacular goal. As it happened it was the impressive Alex Marsh, tormenting on the right as he did all the half, who tried to lob Aaron Dillon, who was alert to this possibility.
Hitchin looked the business in possession, urged on by Max Ryan, but it was a cross from a lively Jake Davis whose cross from the left saw Henry Snee open the scoring with a simple goal after five minutes. Stotfold were unfazed and Temi Akinbysaye was keen to put one past Horlock, but was finding it hard against the Hitchin defence. Their best early effort went clear of the bar. Alex Marsh, enjoying a freedom on the right that he will be denied in League games sent in an inviting cross and Snee ought to have doubled the score but missed in such a manner he ought to have covered his face with his shirt in the accepted manner.
Kaan Fehmi, a player we have seen before (Hayes and Yeading?), put one over the bar and a Stotfold corner was well defended buy Alex Brown. Crosses were sent in religiously by Hitchin, and my concentration was diverted by a lady steward who pointed out that a Hitchin substitute was taking a crafty piddle against the newly erected fences, such an activity is not as isolated as one would think. The second goal was put away smartly by Lawrie Marsh, who fired into the bottom left corner after twenty-three minutes. Two minutes later Jake Davis, who had been working hard, netted number three and the burgeoning talent that is Kye Tearle scored the fourth, after cutting in smartly from the left. It looked like a Luton score was on the cards, but that was the last goal scored by this Canary selection.
The danger here is that it appears to be too easy and there is an unconscious relaxing of effort. Stotfold continued to give it a go and Akinbysaye sent one ore over the cross bar and had a direct effort saved by Horlock. Snee had a soft shot saved and the away team did manage to get on the score sheet three minutes before half-time when Fehmi converted a penalty kick to make it 4-1.
It was a blemish but when play resumed the game took a curious direction. Yes, both clubs employed a different team, as is usual, but it was, from an entertainment point of view a bit of a damp squib. Stotfold improved their play and began the half with two or three good chances, but their finishing was questionable and the long punts forward were more in hope than expectation.
Rio Dasilva had a good go at increasing the scores and ought to have been awarded a penalty when a Stotfold player, holding the Hitchin player’s arm like someone who wanted to prevent the departure of a valued friend, went unpunished. But the fact was that this second Hitchin selection was earnest but inconclusive. It may have been more competitive but I felt that Stotfold had the better of it, and they can claim that they drew the second half 0-0.
I stood with former Dunstable Town player Steve Georgiou, who was hoping his lad Stan would get some minutes and his wish was granted, but it was a bit late in the match for the young lad to strut his stuff. All credit goes to the Stotfold players who still played three men up front and were looking to reduce the arrears.
If the mediocre second half can be put aside, we may take a good deal from the first half performance by Hitchin, where the goals were created by decent play and the finish was simple and effective. It remains to be seen if something approaching this may be recreated against Stevenage, who are the visitors to Top Field on Saturday.
To conclude, we wish ‘Digger’ and his new club every success in the coming campaign.
HITCHIN TOWN
First Half:
Charlie Horlock, Max Ryan, Alex Brown, Josh Coldicott-Stevens, Lawrie Marsh, GOAL, 23 MINUTES, Ben Walster, Alex Marsh, Lewis Barker, Henry Snee, GOAL, 5 MINUTES, Kye Tearle, GOAL, 27 MINUTES, Jake Davis, GOAL, 25 MINUTES,
Second Half:
Charlie Horlock, Daniel Akubine, Josh Coldicott-Stevens, Ben Walster, Sam Okoye-Ahaeku, Lawrie Marsh, Kye Tearle, Lewis Clayton, Rio Dasilva, Jonas Kalonda, William Mensa.
Substitutes: Jack Green, Stan Georgiou.
Unused Substitutes: Sam Kelly, Dan Webb and Marlow Gough.
STOTFOLD
First Half:
Aaron Dillon, Sam Heatley, Evan Cawley, Jack Bradshaw, Nyasha Sagwete, Dean Auburn, Luca Cardines, Callum holmes, Kaan Fehmi, PENALTY GOAL, 42 MINUTES, Temi Akinbysaye, Jordan Stewart.
Second Half:
Kyle Forster, Nikolai Rusev, Jordan Stevenson, Alex shepherd, David Corran, Dan Sears, Cody Spavins, Joe Ryan, Luke Smith, Kade Bagge, Flavius Drescanu. Substitute – Dominic Robertson.
OFFICIALS: Matthew Norton (Referee), Robert Poole and Grant Mulcahy (Assistant Referees).
ATTENDANCE: 171
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