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Hitchin Town Colts U14 v Broadhall Youth White U14

Sunday, January 13 2008

Never a good start when your first choice goalkeeper is out with an injury. And things look even bleaker when the opposition lobs a heroic stand-in keeper on eight minutes to take the lead.

It was a dispiriting start for the Colts in their first league match of 2008. Excellent battling by William Pike in particular kept spirits up but for much of the first half the Hitchin team posed little threat up front, unable to force a way through the Fairlands’ back line and limited to distance shots.

On 20 minutes it got worse when Fairlands broke down the right wing to score a beautiful goal, swerved in from the goal line while under pressure.

Now it was that the Colts showed a passion missing at times this season. They remained composed and determined to play decent football. Jack Easton’s shot came off the post and then two minutes later Tom Kinsella rose above the Fairlands’ defence to head home and start the Hitchin revival.

Jack Pollard, the stand-in goal keeper, kept hopes alive with a fine finger tip save from a Fairlands’ free kick.

The second half saw the Colts come out with determination to win contested balls. They looked stronger at the front and the midfield’s forward passes began to find their range. In an excellent spell just two minutes in the Colts were unlucky not to score as they piled half a dozen close range shots at the visitors’ goal in just a few seconds.

As the attack continued, Joe Miekle hit the woodwork. Then Tom Kinsella broke free only to see his lob go narrowly wide.
Hitchin fully deserved an equaliser from open play but it came from a penalty conceded by an increasingly stretched Fairlands’ defence. A fine kick from Ben Robinson evened the scores and it was all to play for.

Fairlands hit back and looked sure to retake the lead when a forward skipped round the Colts’ keeper with the defence outpaced, only to fire wide.

Joe Shelley in the Hitchin midfield had put several neat balls through to the forwards in the course of the second half and it was one of these that Joe Miekle picked up, slid across to Ben Robinson who coolly fired into the net.

With under 10 minutes left, the rest of the match was frantic as Fairlands tried to claw back a game they had seemed to boss in the opening stages. Composure in the Colts’ ranks ensured they weathered the storm and took a well-deserved three points.

Final score: Hitchin Town Colts Under 14s 3 – 2 Fairlands Youth

Report by Toby Shelley