Hitchin Town Youth Football Club
An FA Charter Standard Development Club
Bishops Stortford U14 v Hitchin Town Colts U14
Sunday, February 10 2008
The week's fixture brought glorious sunshine but a dismal result for the Colts. Stortford, languishing at the bottom of the table, dished out a lesson in determination, coming out of traps with speed and intent.
By contrast, the Colts looked leaden legged. In defence the team made work for itself with unforced errors. In midfield movements broke down after two or three promising passes. In attack, some good runs were not quite good enough.
The positives in the first half were some skilful play by from Ben Robinson, determined runs by Lee Caruana and Joe Shelley, and the customary calm efficiency of Lewis Moulton in goal. But the run of play was such that it was Lewis who had most occasion to demonstrate his skills.
Just before the half hour mark a neat passing movement from Stortford brought a clinical goal, competently taken and well deserved. Stortford had the best of the first half and could have gone into the break more than one up. That said, on another day Lee, Joe and Jack Easton might have netted for Hitchin.
The Colts played a better second half but Stortford continued to exploit laxness, winning corners and getting the opportunity to shoot.
It was some 12 minutes into the period when a neat through ball from Tom Kinsella found Lee who outran the defence and equalised. Four minutes later Sam Martin's fine corner found Jack Pollard who put the Colts ahead with a free header.
But Stortford heads stayed up, hitting the side netting a couple of minutes later and, with less than fifteen minutes left on the clock, fired over Lewis' head from outside of the box to bring the scores level again.
They slipped past Hitchin's defence on two occasions, forcing Lewis into two fine saves, before claiming the winning goal in the dying minutes, leaving the Colts to reflect on points thrown away.
Final score: Bishop’s Stortford 3 : 2 Hitchin Town Colts
Report: Toby Shelley