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WEEKLY BULLETIN – 13TH JANUARY

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FIXTURES

  • Saturday 14th January Away to Mickleover League kick-off 3.00pm. Coach leaves 10.30am.
  • There is no midweek fixture.
  • We are at home to Barwell on Monday 23rd January in a rearranged league game. Kick-off is 7.45pm.

HERTS SENIOR CUP
After beating Stevenage 1-0 in the quarter final on Monday we will now travel to Cheshunt in the semi final. They beat Hemel Hempstead 1-0 on Tuesday.

The semi final will take place on Tuesday 28th February kick-off 7.45pm.

MANAGER’S NOTES WITH MARK BURKE

BROMSGROVE

I was pleased with the reaction I got from the players on Saturday after the poor performance at Needham Market. We had reviewed our playing formation after three consecutive defeats and we decided to change the formation and some personnel.

We took the game to Bromsgrove as we felt they may be rusty not having played since Boxing Day and we gained an advantage from this. We scored with a well taken goal to go in at half time with a 1-0 lead. We continued pressurising Bromsgrove in the second half and scored a vital second goal. Not surprisingly Bromsgrove then had their own spell of pressure but we defended resolutely to secure not just three points but a clean sheet as well.

STEVENAGE

With the respite from league action we decided to make a number of changes as certain players needed a rest while others really needed game time. I can assure you we fully respected that Stevenage would give us a hard game and they were difficult opponents.

It was a feisty affair and I felt we were dominant without being clinical. I thought we deserved the victory even if it was by the slender margin of 1-0. At this stage of the season we are very lucky to have virtually a fully fit squad and this is creating great competition for places and is giving me the type of headache I like to have!

The only downside of the weekend was the fact that Steve Cawley had to come off early as a precaution in the Stevenage game. It will not be a long term problem but he is not quite ready. However two wins and two clean sheets was a great return.

MICKLEOVER

We visit another new ground on Saturday when we travel to Derby to play Mickleover. They are one place above us in the league table on the same number of points but with a game in hand. They have a strong home record and will be looking for revenge for their 4-1 defeat at Top Field in November. But we will have a full strength squad with the exception of Steve Cawley.

PLAYER NEWS

  • Ciaren Jones had his loan from Brackley extended to 24th January over Christmas.
  • Daniel Idiokhoa had his loan from Luton extended to 6th February this week.
  • We have a full strength squad apart from Steve Cawley for the trip to Mickleover.

HIGHEST ATTENDACES AT HITCHIN 1928-2022
Chris Newbold was recently asked by a supporter to list the top 12 attendances at Hitchin. His research deserves to reach a wider audience so I am reproducing his hard work below. The 13th highest attendance is our best ever league attendance.

THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS
Once again I would like to thank our loyal supporters. On Saturday the weather was rotten, we had lost three consecutive games and money was short after Christmas. So to get an attendance of 473 was quite remarkable. Then on Monday despite the fact we would be playing a youthful Stevenage side we had another great crowd with 361 turning out. This was a Herts Senior Cup game and the only higher attendance in the last 30 years was when 405 saw us play Stevenage in 2000/01. The only other attendances over 200 in this competition in the 30 year period have been this season. So thanks again for your loyal support.

ACADEMY UPDATE BY MICHAEL JONES
On Monday 9th January we returned to training after the Christmas break, in preparation for our league fixture on Wednesday 11th January.

On Wednesday 11th January we travelled away to LBFA looking to start the new year on a high.

A great start to the game saw us come in at 2-0 up at half time but a sloppy second half performance and lack of match practice saw us concede some really cheap goals and our lack of intensity meant we were outworked by the opposition. Final score ending in a disappointing 3-3 draw.

We are looking forward to next week’s game where we are hoping for a reaction and a more positive performance.

HTWFC UPDATE BY KARLA CHAFFEY
As we start to prepare ourselves for the second half of the season in the New Year, Garston called the game off. So the Canaries travelled to watch the Firsts v Hertford in the Chris Renshaw Cup. The game got off on an even start with both teams showing dominance. The Firsts were full of chest infections but were dedicated to their team. The rain continued and the conditions worsened and Hertford opened the scoring. The whistle went for half time and the Firsts went down to ten due to injury. Hertford piled pressure onto the First’s defence which stood strong but a split second lack of concentration saw Hertford double their lead. The Firsts still fought on pushing Hertford back and had a couple of wayward shots on goal. Hertford added their third and the final whistle went.

It’s another week break for both teams before the next round of fixtures.

We are looking for new players to join our progressing teams. We train weekly at The Arena, Norton Road, Baldock. We train 20:00 – 21:30 each Wednesday and you have to be 16 years old or over.

We are also looking for new sponsors for the women’s set up. We are looking for sponsorship for training kits and tracksuits. If this is something you are interested in please get in touch with Callum on HTLFC.ClubSecretary@gmail.com

BY ROY IZZARD