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Hitchin Hawks and Harriers v FC Comets

Saturday, March 15 2008

A grey and overcast day greeted the teams for this friendly fixture and local derby but despite the recent rain the pitch was in reasonable condition. As several of the players had friends on both sides it was interesting to see how they played against each other. Neither side gave an inch and some quality football was produced as a result.

Hitchin Hawks v FC Comets

A slightly different look to the Hawks as they kicked off, with several players unavailable this weekend. Early Comets pressure turned out to set the tone for the first half, though there were few clear opportunities. Ben and Juan worked well together down the right but the Comets continued to press and a shot from a corner was well cleared by Olly. A Hawks throw in and good passing enabled Ben to get away a shot from the right that was well saved by the Comets 'keeper. Tyler was able to get away from his defensive duties with a good run down the left but the Comets came back with a long range shot just over the bar. Finally the Comets got the goal their play deserved with a good passing move freeing a forward who rounded Ally to score [0-1]. Moments later a Comets corner found a player unmarked at the far post to head the second [0-2].

Half time arrived and the strong team talk seemed to take immediate effect as the Hawks came out with renewed purpose. Good early pressure forced a corner and a cracking header from Ben at the far post somehow stayed out after hitting the post and spinning across the goal mouth. Tyler then forced a good save from the 'keeper but the Comets broke quickly and scored a third against the run of play [0-3].

It looked like being one of those days for the Hawks with good play by Juan leading to a good save and a blocked shot as Ben seemed certain to score. Then a long defensive clearance from Tyler gave a ball for Tom to chase. He outpaced the defender and slotted the ball past the advancing 'keeper [1-3].

The Comets came straight back, forcing a corner, but the Hawks continued to press and good play by Tom led to another save by the Comets 'keeper. Finally, a ball into the box from Ben was deflected into the net from the head of a Comets defender [2-3]. The Hawks continued to press but were not able to find the equaliser. They can take heart from the much improved second half performance.

Hawks: Alistair Moatt; Ryan Cafferkey; Oliver Garner; Tyler Gray; Ben Wilmot; Juan Andres Ward; Elliot Willoughby; Tom Pickett.

Result: Hawks 2 – FC Comets 3

Hitchin Harriers v FC Comets

As the game got underway both sides seemed to be a little sluggish. There was some good end to end play but neither side looked like scoring. The first chance of the game came mid way through the first half with a volley from Joe on the left wing that hit the side netting. There was some good forward play from Matthew and Joe who linked up well together to put the FC Comets defence under pressure. 

As Tom and Elliot came on for Matthew and Ed the Harriers continued to push forward. A goal mouth scramble at the end of the first half looked sure to guarantee a goal, however the keeper did an outstanding job of keeping the ball out of the goal and eventually the ball was cleared.

After the managers half time chat the Harriers came out a bit more focused in the second half. There followed a period of Harriers possession but no chances were forthcoming. The Comets had a very quick run down the right wing with the cross coming in across the goal mouth, the shot was unfortunately scuffed and went wide of the post.

The Harriers returned fire and a weaving run by Joe through the midfield gave him time to square the cross in to Zac who slotted the ball past the keeper to make it [1-0].

Following the goal the Comets really increased the pressure on the Harriers defence and there was some excellent play from both Daniel & Danny keeping them at bay. At the close of the half a lightening run From Daniel the length of the pitch looked like it would pay dividend unfortunately his finishing shot was saved by the keeper.

The last play saw Elliot get a chance on goal has he received the ball he spun and shot hitting the post.

Another solid performance from the Harriers though they started sluggish they managed to find the extra to get the goal and defended really well to get the win.

Harriers: Ryan Dickman; Daniel Jordan; Danny McConnell; Zac Laycock; Tom Pickett; Joe Henshaw; Elliot Willoughby; Matthew Warren; Ed Routh.

Result: Harriers 1 – FC Comets 0