Hitchin Town Football Club

Hitchin Town 1 Corby Town 0

Sunday, January 28 2007

Hitchin ended their worst start to a new year in a decade with three hard-earned points against Corby Town.

There was a sense of relief among the home crowd as the Canaries won for the first time in a month and ended a dismal run of four games without a win. And there was a double bonus for Hitchin - their first clean sheet in a league game since April 15 last year.

Manager Darren Salton made a few changes to his team. In came new signing Matt Childs in a reshaped three-man defence, and Glen Lamacraft was recalled for the first time November. On the bench was old favourite Adam Parker.

It was not a classic game by any means, in fact the first 45 minutes was among the most uneventful seen at Hitchin this season. The action did no pick up until the latter stages of the first half, Parker heading onto the roof of the net from a Mark Ducket free kick and  Rob Miller forcing Corby goalkeeper David
Clarke to save from his volley.

Early in the second half, Carl Williams sent a cross-cum-shot onto the crossbar, and at the other end, Rob Beckwith pulled off a good save from Steve Towers. Another Williams cross caused problems for the Corby defence, but when Clarke parried the ball out, Lamacraft blasted high and wide.

Corby had their chances, notably when Danny Marlow’s shot was well saved by Beckwith. Hitchin’s leading scorer Chris Dillon should have given his side the lead in the 66th minute, but after beating the same defender twice, he hesitated and the opportunity passed.

At last the deadlock was broken nine minutes from time. Parker used his experience to shield the ball from the Corby defence, played it back to David Deeney and his shot rocketed low into the net.

Dillon almost added another one when he ran onto Ducket’s through ball and saw his shot cleared off the line. And in the dying seconds, Beckwith stopped a diving header from Towers.

Hitchin: Beckwith, Childs, Frater, Folds, Miller, Deeney, Williams, Lamacraft, Dillon, Sozzo (Parker 38), Ducket

Corby: Clarke, Guiney, Hallows, Towers, Burrows, Gray, Marlow, Goodwin, Byrne, Maddoz, Purton (Goodman 69)

Referee: P.McCaul

Attendance: 313

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