Hitchin Town Football Club

Hitchin Town 2 Ware 1

Saturday, August 28 2010

Hitchin edged past Ware in what was a tame FA Cup Preliminary Round tie. The winning goal came six minutes from the end of the game and was scored by Tom Pepper. The Canaries now meet Aveley on September 11.

Pepper rubs salt in Ware’s wounds

Although promotion is the primary ambition this season, a little FA Cup run here and there is always welcome at Hitchin and after 15 years since the last flirtation with the big time, the Canaries are keen to keep the season burning on all fronts.

This may have been a tentative step in that direction, but Ware proved a tricky nut to crack and it was left to an unlikely hero – Tom Pepper – to provide the winning touch and set up a home tie with Aveley.

The pre-match news was promising, with Ware front man John Frendo absent from the action. But Ware put on a plucky performance and even took the lead on 21 minutes, John Megicks hitting the bar with a long ranger effort and Billy Healey prodding the ball over the line with Martin Bennett floundering.

But Hitchin were level within two minutes. Jamie Arlick crossed the ball to the near post and Iuean Lewis – in an unfamiliar striking role – headed into the net.

Arlick could have had a hat-trick before half-time, with two shots saved and one cleared off the line. Pepper also had a chance to score, cutting inside and seeing his shot pushed for a corner by Luke Dodd.

Hitchin had the upper hand in the early stages of the season half, with  Callum Donnelly shooting too high from 30 yards and Louis Lee meeting a Richard Howell cross but unable to turn the ball goalwards. Then it was Ware’s turn, with Matt Mitchell heading against a post and then sending a long-range drive against the crossbar.

Six minutes from the end, a Tom Mustapha cross took a deflection and as it sailed to the far post, Pepper crouched to head past Dodd. It was his first competitive goal for the Canaries – a good time to open his account!

Statistics

Hitchin Town (1)2 Ware (1)1
Lewis 23              Healey 21
Pepper 84

Att: 234
Referee: J.Syrano