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The Hurricanes slipped to their first defeat since mid-October after a tough, physical encounter at St Neots.
It was a close game between two evenly-matched teams who both created numerous chances. Hitchin were fast out of the blocks when William and then Somerset both shot narrowly wide of the right-hand post after some slick passing moves. Midway through the first half William put Hitchin 1-0 up after latching onto a great pass from Kane and coolly slotting a left-foot shot under the St Neots keeper. The advantage only lasted a few minutes before St Neots levelled with a goal of real quality, as a clever pass was slipped into their centre-forward who scored with a smart first-time shot.
Both teams had chances to win the game as the second half progressed – Joel and Somerset saw shots go wide or saved by the home keeper and Sam Hen made some wonderful point-blank saves to keep St Neots at bay. The winning goal came with five minutes to go when St Neots’ diminutive and talented No. 10 collected a pass on the edge of the Hitchin box and gave Sam no chance with a powerful finish into the left corner.
Hitchin poured forward in search of an equaliser and went very close in a frantic last five minutes but the hosts held out for a 2-1 victory. The boys were understandably disappointed at the final whistle and, on balance, deserved at least a draw – they created enough chances to have won 3 games. But, as we’ve discovered since Christmas, this is a competitive league with many strong teams. We’ve won some tight games recently – this one went the other way. The last time the Hurricanes lost, they bounced back to win the next game 10-0. A similar response, away to Panshanger in the Cup quarter-final in two weeks, would be perfect!
Man of the match – Sam Hen made a number of crucial and spectacular point-blank saves and handled the ball with great reliability.
Team – Sam Hen, Patrick, Sam Hart, William, Kane, Joel, Somerset
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