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Hitchin Colts Under 13s vs Fairland Whites

Sunday, November 12 2006

Two well matched teams clashed this weekend in a match that displayed plenty of entertaining football.

Hitchin's passing was plainly superior in the first fifteen minutes but the team was unable to find chances to test Fairland's goalkeeper.

One break from the centre looked promising with a neat midfield pass to Hitchin's lone striker having Fairlands' defence scrambling to sandwich the attacker as he raced to get a shot away.
And it was Fairlands who were asking the questions after twenty minutes of play, forcing an excellent save from Louis Moulton who tipped a shot on to his right hand post.
The ball bounced dangerously in the goal face but a smart clearance kept Hitchin safe.
Two Fairlands corners and another save from Louis showed the pressure Fairlands was beginning to exert, particularly exploiting their strength in the air and willingness to shoot.But Hitchin's defence remained cool and solid throughout and provided the ammunition for a counter attack as half time approached. And it was with five minutes left on the clock that the stalemate was broken. An attacking throw on level with the Fairlands box gave Daniel Woodgate the chance to slip a pass in to Joe Shelley who managed a delicate short range lob over the oncoming keeper and into the back of the net.

After the break Fairlands came out fighting. Their passing had improved throughout the first half but now it went up a gear and Hitchin's midfield and defence had their work cut out.

It was no longer just a matter of getting the tackles in but of anticipating some sharp Fairlands interplay. The pressure paid off with two corners that kept Louis on his toes. He was almost bundled over his goal line ball in hand by two attackers as the first corner came in. Again, bar a header that fizzed wide, Hitchin's team was finding few shooting opportunities.

A period of scrapping in and around Hitchin's box saw Fairlands with plenty of possession and winning half clearances. But Hitchin's defence ensured their opponents were unable to loose short range shots and several speculative distance shots may have been on target but failed to worry the Colts' 'keeper.

One more it was after blunting sustained pressure that Hitchin made their move.
A four man wave broke forward to the edge of the Fairlands' box, foxed the defenders with a flurry of disciplined passes across the face of the goal, before slipping the ball back to an unmarked William Pike who had time to aim a rifled shot into the bottom corner.Fairlands fought on, pinging the ball off the crossbar and pushing players forward in gamble that almost saw them concede another goal as Joe Shelley picked a loose ball up from inside his own half to race up the pitch with defenders trailing, only to see his shot stopped by excellent goalkeeping.That was the last move of a match where the Colts demonstrated their team play is coming together, taking 7 points in three matches. 
 
Final score - Hitchin 2  Fairlands 0