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Hitchin escaped with a narrow win after an epic struggle against the Colts, withstanding an impressive comeback to clinch victory in the dying minutes.
With ten minutes gone, it looked like it was going to be a walk in the park, a comfortable win to match the Hornets’ result. The Hurricanes made a flying start and settled very quickly. William and Ryan were first to every ball in midfield and Sam Hart looked sharp up-front. Joel was wearing his shooting boots and two cracking shots quickly put the boys 2-0 up. His first was an unstoppable shot into the top left corner from the right-edge of the box after a pacy run. His second was a sweet curling shot into the top right corner after good work by Sam and Ryan. Sam had a golden chance to make it 3 when clear on the keeper – but his goal-bound effort was cleared off the line.
This seemed to spark the Colts into life and they started to dominate possession. They pulled a goal back just before half time with a shot after Hitchin struggled to clear. The second half was one-way traffic, with Stevenage launching wave after wave of attack on the Hitchin goal. Sam Hen had one of his best ever games in goal and made crucial save after crucial save. Kane and Patrick kept Stevenage at bay with some gritty, desperate defending and Will, Ryan, Joel and Sam all pitched in to help out. With seven minutes to go, Stevenage finally equalised – a speculative shot ricocheted off Patrick and into the path of a Colts attacker and he beat Sam Hen with a firm shot.
Stevenage continued to attack and looked to have claimed the winner when a shot from the right sneaked through the side netting – the ref correctly ruled it out. At this point, Hitchin would have been pleased with a draw but in one final twist, the ball was cleared out of defence and Joel sent Sam Hart running clear. He kept a cool head to slot home the winner, sparking wild celebrations on and off the pitch.
Great credit and commiserations must go to Stevenage for a fantastic performance and comeback. They played their part in a classic game of football. But the Hurricanes showed great character and resilience to complete a famous win.
Team: Sam Hen, Kane, Patrick, William, Ryan, Joel, Sam Hart
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