Hitchin Town Football Club
Founded 1865, Reformed 1928
Dunstable Town 4 Hitchin Town 1
Sunday, February 13 2005
By all accounts, Dunstable have been lurching from crisis to crisis in the past few months, with financial difficulties, poor results and a management shake-up dominating the headlines.
But the club that now has Kerry Dixon, the former Hitchin manager, on their payroll, seems to be able to raise its game against Hitchin. In two meetings, Dunstable have racked up nine goals, with just two conceded. At Creasey Park, the Canaries failed to adapt to a beach-like environment, and came away with a worrying and morale-damaging defeat.
How former Hitchin skipper Paul Covington must have enjoyed putting one over on his old team-mates. Doubtless Dixon would have, too, but he was away on business.
Yet it was a player that the ex-Chelsea and England striker brought to Top Field who opened the scoring for Hitchin on 16 minutes. Josh Sozzo is one of the handful of Dixon acolytes still at Hitchin, and he demonstrated his finishing power once more with 20-yard shot following a good through ball by Shane Hill.
Dunstable levelled on 23 minutes, James Hatch scoring after getting clear of Glen Lamacraft. Eight minutes later, defensive errors led to Thomas Hayes putting the home side ahead, and in the 33rd minute, Hayes lobbed Richard Wilmot to give Dunstable a commanding lead by half-time.
Hitchin exerted a great deal of pressure in the second half, but Dunstable were rarely threatened. Four minutes from time, Hayes completed his hat-trick when finishing off a move created by Craig Stallard.
Hitchin: Wilmot, Baldry, Barr (Kidd h/t), Smith, Ayres, Cavill, Lamacraft, Hill (Furness 53), Sozzo, Lewis, Hassan (Bridge 63)
