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Few highlights for unhappy Canaries

Sunday, December 21 2003

Hitchin Town face a hard second half to the season after five months of turmoil for the club. And exodus of players, a change of manager and disappointing results since September have contributed to arguably the Canaries most troubled campaign since 1990-91.

The Christmas and New Year games against Bishops Stortford (December 27) and St.Albans City (January 1) have now assumed even greater importance after Hitchin lost 2-5 against bottom-place Billericay on Saturday.

But it wasn’t meant to be like that. Hitchin started the new season with three straight wins, and with new signings Andy Douglas, James Osborn and Stuart Maynard in the team, hopes were high for Robbie O’Keefe’s side.

It all went wrong, though - starting with a mix-up over Andy Douglas’ contract. With the departure of Matt Nolan and Dean Brennan, Hitchin found themselves robbed of the heart of their team. In the FA Cup, Folkestone from the Dr Martens League easily put Hitchin out at the first hurdle and in the FA Trophy, Ryman Division One side Wealdstone ended any hopes of a lucrative cup run this season.

Financial worries, something not unknown to Hitchin fans, hit home once more. In November, Robbie O’Keefe decided he had seen enough and resigned. His replacement, Kerry Dixon, has a hard task ahead of him. From being top of the league, the indications are that Hitchin are going to be closer to the bottom four than the top 13, the cut-off for Conference South qualification.

Adam Parker, a long-time Hitchin legend, departed the club just over a week ago. In the wake of Hitchin’s announcement of financial difficulties, a host of other players have been eyed by rival clubs. Only this week, Chris Dillon, possibly the club’s best player in the first half of the season, departed for Bedford, another blow to the club.

Kerry Dixon has said things may not improve for some time, so Hitchin fans are clearly going to have to be patient in the months ahead. The recent 2-0 win at Harrow was encouraging, but even the most myopic Hitchin fan will be aware that the Middlesex side are not in good shape themselves.