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The Hurricanes cruised into the last 32 of the County Cup and booked a January home tie with Letchworth Eagles Blacks after a hard-fought, but deserved victory over World Soccer Solutions U9s Aces.
The boys shook off any rustiness after so little football in recent weeks and adapted well to a very muddy pitch to produce an excellent first half performance. After dominating the early exchanges, a powerful run from Will set up Joel, who finished clinically with his right foot to put the Hurricanes 1-0 up. Minutes later, a goalmouth scramble saw the ball ricochet around the six-yard box like a pinball machine before Sam K got the final touch to make it 2-0. Seconds before half-time, Hitchin were awarded a free-kick just outside the box. Joel, licking his lips at the prospect, claimed the ball and hit a magnificent direct free-kick that David Beckham would have been proud of – it went past the keeper like a bullet!
The Aces came out strongly after the break and put some pressure on the Hitchin goal. They pulled a goal back with a direct free-kick that was nearly as good as Joel’s. The home crowd sensed a comeback but William put Hitchin back in control after the move of the game. Sam Hart, having an excellent game in defence, charged down the left. His pass into the box was superbly dummied by Somerset and rolled into the path of an onrushing Will, who beat the keeper with a near-post shot. Some wizardry on the left-wing by Sam K set up Somerset who made it 5-1, after the keeper parried his first effort. In the last few minutes, the Aces made it 5-2 after Hitchin struggled to clear a corner, the only blemish on an otherwise rock-solid defensive display from Sam Hen, Sam Hart and Patrick.
By then the game was deservedly won and a place in the next round booked. Sam Hen made some crucial stops and his handling was particularly good in difficult conditions. Sam Hart was superb in defence, with good tackling and covering and some rampaging runs down the pitch – he was a swashbuckling foil to Patrick’s more orthodox defending. Will and Kane completely dominated the midfield and Sam K and Joel were a constant threat with their passing and movement, even though the pitch wasn’t really conducive to their silky skills. Somerset proved a great impact sub, linking play well and scoring a deserved goal. Congratulations, Hurricanes!
Man of the match – A very impressive all-round team performance this week. Man-of-the-match was Patrick for great tackling, heading and covering as the anchor of a rock-solid defence.
Team – Sam Hen, Patrick, Sam Hart, William, Kane, Joel, Sam King, Somerset.
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