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Hitchin started strongly. Jonny and Ollie were assured in defence. Alex, Ryan and William worked well together in midfield with Vinay making good runs in attack. This pressure lead to an early chance: Alex took a quick short corner and in the ensuing defensive panic the ball fizzed across the goal mouth, only for their keeper to save on the line from a shot from William. A string of early chances combined with good possession seemed to buoy the Hornets, and after a good ball from Ryan, Vinay coolly stroked home for a one nil lead. By the end of the half, the boys seemed comfortably in control.
Early in the second half, Ben and James came on in defence and immediately got stuck in. Hitchin picked up where they left off and seemed in charge. Then, against the run of play, St Neots scored to level it. This seemed to knock the Hornets out of their stride. The game became a battle, with both teams fighting for possession. All the boys fought, but Ryan & Ollie showed particular determination. Sam worked hard in goal too, making some great saves as well as distributing the ball well. Both teams had their chances, but with time ticking away, St Neots scored again to make the score 3-1. And so a match which had promised so much for the boys early on ended in defeat: A defeat which did not accurately reflect the game. Had the boys been able to capitalise on some of their early first half chances, the final outcome of this game may have been very different.
Hitchin can take heart from this performance, if not from the score line. Team spirit was very good, even when they went behind. Passing was much improved from some previous performances. Very hard to pick a man of the match when everyone battled so hard, but the general consensus from the sidelines gives it to Ryan, with a strong display of tackling and passing.
Team – Sam Hen, William A, Ollie, Alex, Ryan, Jonny, James, Benjamin, Vinay
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