Hitchin Town Football Club
Founded 1865, Reformed 1928
Hitchin Town 0 Bromsgrove Rovers 1
Saturday, December 15 2007
Canaries fans arrived at Top Field to find a new team taking shape and some more familiar faces walking out of the door as Darran Hay continued his rebuilding programme.
It was perhaps no surprise that Hay's new combination, mostly very young players, looked like a team of strangers. There were three debutants, Dean Gilbert, Tom Pepper and James Nash. "It will take three or four games before things settle down, so we will have to be patient," said Hay, who also made a cameo appearance as a substitute. There were promising signs, however, and the Hitchin faithful will surely give Hay the time he needs, such was the mood of optimism at the ground as visible signs of revolution became clear.
Bromsgrove were also under new management but they deserved to take the points. Early on, Richard Ball volleyed past the post and a Dave Bridgwater free kick caused Hitchin goalkeeper Ricky Perks some problems.
Hitchin's only chance of the first half was a James Edgerley effort that was saved by Karl Lewis.
Bromsgrove looked more dangerous and Kevin Banner rattled the crossbar with a volley and seconds later, Chris Cotterill sent a chip on the rook of the net.
Two minutes from the interval, Bromsgrove took the lead when Ball struck the post and debutant Josef Jakub prodded home the rebound. The warning signs had been there when Gilbert slipped up and Jakub rounded the defender only to be blocked as he shaped to shoot.
Hitchin opened brightly in the second half with Gordon Barr's curling low shot saved by Lewis and an Edgerley free kick that threatened to do damage. At the other end, a shot by Sam Alsop was well saved by Perks and Banner's header was cleared off the line by Gilbert.
Hitchin's new striker, Brett Donnelly, had just one chance of note, a header from a Nick Mountford cross that was just too high.
Hitchin: Perks, Mountford, Nash, Williams, Gilbert, Pepper, Barr (Mills 63), Deeney, Donnelly, Armstrong (Hay 78), Edgerley
Bromsgrove: Lewis, Cotterill, Duggan, Bridgwater, Knight, McHale, Downing, Alsop, Ball, Jakob (Albutt 90), Banner
Attendance: 255
Referee: R.James