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Hitchin Town U13 Colts v Stevenage Borough U13

Sunday, January 7 2007

There was more mud than magic on display at Purwell Lane but the Colts have booked their place in the next round of the league cup after a match that stretched into extra time.

A soggy pitch was no help to either team but Hitchin made heavy weather of a game that could have been won in the first two minutes when Jack E and then Joe S fired wake up calls at the Stevenage stopper.

Indeed, for the first ten minutes, Stevenage hardly had a look in. A bold run down the central channel by Joe S brought another good chance but three chasing defenders managed to foil his efforts.

From then on the first half was a more balanced affair with Stevenage pushing forward but unable to get shots away and Kyle in particular ensuring that loose balls went straight back towards the Hitchin front line while Jack E foiled Borough's right wing.

Jack P had a good shot on goal as the first half drew to a close, after Lewis made a fine run and slipped the ball through to the centre.

The second half brought some good football from Hitchin although the mud militated against nifty passing even if, again, Lewis managed some nice through balls. Five minutes into the half and the Colts rained in four or five shots with Jordan, Jack P, Lewis and Joe S all having a go. Perhaps the most frustrating moment was when Lewis slipped in the mire to miss contact with Lee's perfect cross from the left corner.

As the second half ticked away, Lee and Jordan put in more shots but to no avail.

In the first period of extra time the Colts pushed three players up front and the impact was obvious with Stevenage under constant pressure and scarcely able to get out of their own half. George fired two shots and Jack P hit the side netting while Lee tried his luck with a distance shot.

In the final minute of the first period the pressure finally paid off. A probing long ball from the Colts' defence fell to Jack P who skipped round one defender before making an intelligent pass around another to Joe S who made no mistake from six yards, squirting the ball round the keeper and into the bottom right corner.

Stevenage came out battling in the second period of extra time, piling on pressure but once Hitchin had the ball clear they made the most of it. Lewis was unlucky with a low header from another of Lee's crosses. The game was settled a minute later. A Hitchin corner saw the ball come out to Matt H whose first shot from outside the box came back to him. Still unmarked, he did not need a written invitation and his cool left foot shot went into the top left hand corner.

Final score Hitchin Town Colts 2 - Stevenage Borough 0

Report - Toby Shelley