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Hitchin Town U14 COVE v Royston Town U14 Youth

Sunday, February 7 2010

Hitchin Town COVE's mid-season crisis continued last Sunday with another disappointing performance against visitors, Royston Town Youth. After giving away the lead twice, they eventually completely collapsed in the last ten minutes. This latest in a string of horror shows meant that Royston leap-frogged Hitchin in the league, pushing us down into third place. Again, this was a team that we beat with ease early in the season.
 
The visitors were obviously out for revenge, and they were visibly a vastly improved side since our last encounter. However, their quest to conquer was aided by their hosts’ inability to perform to anywhere near the standard of earlier in the season; the passing, in particular, was awful. From the outset, Royston looked like they meant business as they fired an early warning shot just over the bar, yet it was to be the home side that would find the net first just three minutes later. Jordan Massey powered down the right wing and sent a wonderful cross in that Josh Howard sublimely slammed home on the volley However, despite all the celebrations and expected advantage the early lead should have heralded, the unruffled opponents simply stole the show for the rest of the first half.
 
The lead was held for just five minutes, Royston pulling level from the penalty spot after Michael Trever resorted to a shoulder barge during some desperate defending as the squad now found themselves completely on the defensive. Howard’s early strike was virtually the only shot they managed during the entire first period. In stark contrast, Royston were like a marauding army, growing stronger and more confident with every touch of the ball as they sent in wave after wave of strong and well co-ordinated attacks, earning no fewer than five corners and forcing man of the match contender, keeper Scott Mardell into seven good saves from a total shot count of eleven! Unbelievably though, the scores remained one apiece into the break, largely thanks to Mardell and a strong back four of Luke Turner, Chris Smith, Trever and Jack Kitchiner-Day, whose game ended at this point with a groin strain. However, once again, the midfield, with the exception of Howard, was a total mess, with poor passing and a lack of vision giving nothing of any use for the strikers.
 
After some changes in personnel, and a stiff half time team talk, the game recommenced and other than the relief of an early clearance off the line by Smith after Mardell was left stranded, things momentarily looked like they might just be getting better for COVE. On thirty-nine minutes the lead was regained with Hitchin's first attack as Smith sent a long ball forward to Cameron Swinburn. His cross was met by striker Adam Ward who shot low past the keeper into the bottom left of the net. Then, after the restart, Massey gained possession on the right and found Ward on the edge of the area. With his sight on goal blocked, he neatly laid the ball back to Jakob Oconnor but the shot was well saved.
 
Royston pulled themselves back together quickly, and for fifteen minutes it became tense end-to-end stuff. The visitors scraping the bar and making Mardell stay alert with a brace of good saves, while Hitchin looked to extend their lead with Massey being denied three times and Howard and Danny Burton also in on the act but without the end result. Suddenly though, the midfield once again failed and a Royston forward picked up a goal clearance just beyond the half way line and surged forward with the ball but seemingly with nowhere to go and no support. But sadly, after what appeared to be a mix up in communication between Turner, Trever and Smith, and with Mardell caught unaware the forward somehow squeezed the ball through them all and into the net. Things were only about to get worse too as within a minute of each other, Howard and Oconnor both fell victim to muscle strains and had to retire from play.
 
The equaliser seemed to have the desired effect for the visitors, as following the midfield example, our usually solid defence obliged and fell apart. Other than a couple of half chances the rest of the game was ruled by Royston Town who took the lead for the first time on fifty five, after another central attack caused Mardell to parry away to his right but he was unable to prevent the follow up from finding the target. With time fast running out to stage any sort of a recovery, COVE panicked and simply got worse. Mardell was twice left to face an incoming striker on his own but to his credit, made the stop on both occasions. Deep into injury time though, COVE conceded a fourth, again down centre, the initial shot punched away well but the follow up on target, and it was all over bar the management grilling at the end.
 
It was a game that the boys needed to win, and win well but will quickly want to forget about, as another dire performance matched the weather! Maybe even worse than the last show because at least against Stotfold they came away with a point. After eight glorious weeks at the top, the team has now slipped to third, and on the leagues "recent performance" table are in the bottom three! Worryingly, with another tough game next week against title contenders Bishop Stortford to brace themselves for, the light at the end of the tunnel now seems to burn very dimly indeed. The only advantage left now is the game in hand over the other top five clubs, but that will count for very little with continuing performances like today’s. There must be a cure for this dip in form somewhere...hopefully?
 
HITCHIN TOWN (1) 2   ROYSTON TOWN (1) 4
Howard 7                    12 (pen)
Ward 39                     55
                                65
                                70+3
 
Man of the Match   Adam Ward (desire and hard working up front)
 
Match report by Kevin Kitchiner-Day