Hitchin Town Football Club

Hitchin Town 0 Bedford Town 0

Tuesday, October 7 2008

Few goalless draws have been as entertaining as this evenly contested local derby between two sides well known to each other.

Hitchin fielded a new goalkeeper for the second consecutive game and like Adam Robinson before him, Phil Carpenter - secured from Barnet - had little to do.

Hitchin will claim they finished the stronger of the two sides, but Bedford also had some inspired moments that could have won them three points. A draw was probably a fair outcome.

Bedford have now gone seven games without conceding a goal, a remarkable record. Hitchin, still to win at home in the league, played some of their best football of the season, without reward.

In the early stages of the game, Bedford’s Akin Aledetoun threatened to open the scoring. Twice he shot wide when presented with opportunities and later also went close with a volley.

Just before the interval, a period that was Hitchin’s best of the half, Paul Barnes went within inches of finding the net as he just failed to connect with a Lee Wilson cross to the far post.

The Canaries’ ascendancy continued into the second half, Tom Pepper crossing for Mark Barnes who slid his shot wide, and Paul Barnes sending a header wide of the goal.

Bedford responding with Andrew Phillips going on a good run and trying to set up Aledetoun, but the ball refused to run kindly for him. Hitchin continued to have the upper hand, however, and twice Mark Barnes crossed for Paul Barnes, the second effort ending with a spectacular volley that wasn’t too far away from breaking the deadlock.

Hitchin continued to attack until the final minutes, Mark Barnes shooting wide after another cross by Pepper.

Hitchin Town (0)0 Bedford Town (0)0

Hitchin: Carpenter, Pepper, Wilson, Williams, Gilbert, Cox, Woolf, (Sealey 55), Stupple, P.Barnes, M.Barnes (Barr 90), Gregson (Draycott 85)

Bedford: Armitt, Clark, Lawley, Kierans, Darby, Gentle, Gould, Cavill, Phillips, Aladetoun, Oujdi (Boland 82)

Attendance: 550

Referee: D.Margetts

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