FIXTURES

  • Saturday 18 January Away to Rushall Olympic League kick-off 3.00pm. Coach leaves 10.45pm.
  • Tuesday 21 January Away to Peterborough Sports League kick-off 7.45pm. There is no coach to this game.

NEWLY ARRANGED FIXTURES

  • The abandoned game with Leiston will now take place on Monday 17 February kick-off 7.45pm.
  • The Herts Charity Cup semi-final at Berkhamsted has been confirmed for Tuesday 4 February kick-off 7.45pm.

PLAYER NEWS

  • Jacob Hutchinson was recalled by Colchester last Saturday and was in their first team squad. But they have now agreed to renew the loan of Jacob up until 13 February and he is in the squad for the Rushall Olympic game.
  • Diogo Freitas Gouveia has recovered from illness and he is in the squad for the Rushall Olympic game.
  • Dev Simms has been transferred to Kempston Rovers to get more first team experience. As with other recent transfers there is a gentleman’s agreement that he can be recalled if required.
  • There are no current suspensions.
  • There should be a full squad to choose from for the Rushall Olympic game on Saturday.

SAM BACKHOUSE
Unfortunately our physio Sam Backhouse has suffered a nasty fall at home and has just returned home from a spell in hospital. She is likely to be out of action for a lengthy period and everyone at the Club wishes Sam a very speedy recovery.

JHAI DHILLON
My recent interview with Jhai Dhillon is now available on our website – click here to read.

MISHI MORATH
Hitchin Town FC have made a donation to Mishi Morath’s two chosen charities in recognition of the role the Dulwich Hamlet stalwart played in the Save Top Field campaign.

HITCHIN TOWN UNDER 19’S
Our academy side were beaten 3-1 by Brentwood at the Arena on Wednesday with Luca Cardines the goal scorer. It was a bad day at the office with a lot of players failing to reach their normal performance levels.

HITCHIN TOWN LADIES FC WITH CALLUM ELLIS
The Reserves returned to action in 2020 in style as they beat division 2 outfit Watton Ladies 6-3 in the Chris Renshaw Cup.

Five goals from April Spang and a stunning 25 yard strike from Ellie Coyler were enough to seal the win for Hitchin as they progress into the quarter final of the competition where they will play Northwood.

Captain Cat Regan and Spang were awarded players of the match.

Fixtures

Sunday 19th January 2020 -2.00pm kick off at Ickleford Recreation Ground Hitchin Town Ladies Firsts v Hemel Hempstead Town Ladies FC.

Whetstone Wanderers v Hitchin Town Lades FC Reserves.

EJA NEWS WITH NICK CARR
Our U14s were defeated 4-0 by unbeaten Needham Market on Sunday which continued their run of recent defeats. However the boys should be applauded for sticking to their principles and focusing on player development, which is evident in their style of play.

Our U15s ran out 13-1 winners at bottom side Kempston Rovers to reclaim top spot in the EJA Brown Division, goals from Temidire Fashina and Lavel Davis-Thomas with four each and further goals from Kyle Devers, Cathal Fee, Richard Kusorgbor, Brandon Owen and Arnold Marimbe were enough to see the opposition off who, despite the avalanche of goals, kept going right to the final whistle and were rewarded with a consolation goal in the closing stages.

The U18s went out of the EJA Ingilby Cup on Sunday, going down 4-1 at Braintree Town.

The U15s and U18s were both in cup semi final action during the week in the EJA Midweek Cups. The U15s lost their semi-final to holders Grays Athletic by 3-1 at the very impressive Aveley FC stadium. Pulling themselves back from 2-0 down just before half time with a goal from Cathal Fee gave our boys the belief that they could get something from the game however, an individual error early in the second half which led to a third goal for Grays left our boys with too much to do on the night and Grays deservedly progressed into the final.

Our U18s fared no better when they went down 3-0 at Basildon United in their second round fixture.

This weekend sees all four teams in action. The U14s host Biggleswade Town at The Arena, Baldock 10:30am kickoff. This is followed at 2:00pm when the U17s host Berkamstead Raiders U18 Reds at the same venue in the Hertfordshire FA U18 County Cup.

Our U18s are also in Hertfordshire FA County Cup action when they travel to Bushey & Oxhey FC.

Finally, our U15s are away to Leverstock Green, 2pm kickoff at Leverstock Green FC. in the EJA Brown Division.

THE SOUL MAN AT CANARY CLUB
The Soul Man is featuring at The Canary Club Friday 21 February 2020 at 8.00pm. Tickets are on sale now and are only £5.00. Click here to purchase.

One of the most well known and loved soul singers in the area, The Soul Man (aka Peter Symphorien) generates energy and excitement everywhere he performs. He has been singing in and around Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire for more than 18 years and is much sought after.
With his rich, powerful and soulful voice he sings much loved soul classics from artists such as George Benson, Barry White, Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Four Tops and many more, together with renditions of Simply Red hits and some reggae greats.
As well as singing covers, Peter Symphorien is also a singer/songwriter and in February 2017 released his debut single, ‘State of Mind’ followed by his second in July 2017, Fight for the Right. Both songs are available to buy from i-tunes and Amazon.

We look forward to a sell out. There will also be a great raffle held on the evening. Tickets can also be purchased from The Canary Club.

MANAGER’S NOTES WITH MARK BURKE

NEEDHAM MARKET

Before this game I was looking forward to plenty of entertaining football but unfortunately this did not come to fruition and instead this was a dour 0-0 draw. To be fair to both sides though the conditions were very difficult. It is always difficult to play good football in windy conditions and in my playing career I always dreaded strong winds more than anything else. Passing becomes very difficult and even if the wind is in your favour there is a tendency to over hit passes.

However there were positives to take from the game. We extended our unbeaten run and kept a second successive clean sheet. We also gained a further point on the teams below us who all lost.

As to the game itself we hit the woodwork twice and their goalkeeper made two excellent saves. I felt we shaded the match and there would have been no complaints had we got a winning goal.

LEISTON

I felt the referee was right to start the game as the pitch was definitely playable and indeed for the first 20 minutes it played really well. However after the rain turned torrential the referee came over to speak to myself and the Needham manager and we all agreed there was no option other than abandoning the game.

I still felt it was a useful exercise as it kept the players’ fitness levels up and we again did not concede a goal. I have to say I felt our quality of football was much improved from Saturday.

RUSHALL OLYMPIC

As Rushall now have an artificial pitch we do not have to worry about waterlogging. Rushall are a typically hard to beat Midlands side and they are seventh in the table. I want us to replicate the performance we gave at Stourbridge and build on our unbeaten run. We need more consistency rather than having highs and then lows. I want us to pull further away from the relegation zone.

PETERBOROUGH SPORTS

In their first season in the Premier Division Peterborough Sports are surely performing above all expectations. They had good runs in the FA Cup and FA Trophy and are third in the league having won twelve and drawn six of their 23 games. Manager Jimmy Dean has done a tremendous job and the club have come a long way in a short time.

When we played them in the FA Cup in 2015 there were two steps lower than us in the football pyramid. It goes without saying Peterborough Sports will present a very difficult challenge.

BY ROY IZZARD