Hitchin Town Football Club
Founded 1865, Reformed 1928
Tough week for Canaries
Monday, November 29 2004
Hitchin Town face one of their most daunting weeks of the season when they welcome two of the Southern League pacesetters to Top Field.
FA Cup giant-killers Histon and title-chasing Merthyr Tydfil provide the opposition for a week that could help shape the Canaries’ season. If Hitchin can conjure up six points from two games, it would cement their own challenge among the top group of clubs. Two defeats, in a league which is becoming eccentrically unbalanced, could send them spiralling down the table.
Histon come to Hitchin on Tuesday night (kick off 7.45pm) with the FA Cup very much on their minds.
They made it 13 wins on the trot when they disposed of East Thurrock United in the FA Trophy yesterday. Hitchin recorded one of their best - and most unlikely - victories of the season when they won 3-2 at Histon in August, a game that saw a dramatic turnaround in the last five minutes. Since then, Histon have emerged as title contenders. But with Yeovil on the horizon, Histon decide to rest some of their key players, and may there for the taking on Tuesday night.
Merthyr Tydfil, who were top before yesterday’s league games, follow in Histon’s tracks, and they too have been in fine form recently. They were beaten 2-1 at Bedford a week ago after a 13-match unbeaten run. Merthyr have lost just two league games all season, despite being cash-strapped. And despite being isolated in Wales, their away form is good - the Bedford game was their first defeat on their travels.
Hitchin fans will recall that the two clubs last met in 1999-00 in the FA Cup - Hitchin lost 2-0 at the fourth qualifying round stage.
