Hitchin Town Football Club

Hitchin Town 3 Weymouth 1

Monday, December 12 2011

Crisis, what crisis? Hitchin ended their three month run by comprehensively beating Weymouth on a Wagnerian night at Top Field.

Highlights
8- Inih Effiong nets after Callum Donnelly’s cross is deflected by a defender 1-0
25- Donnelly runs onto a through ball, his first shot is saved but he follows up to score 2-0

41- Ieuan Lewis slides the ball through to Donnelly, who runs on a chips into the net 3-0
76-  Lewis is sent off
90- Warren Byerley heads home Weymouth’s consolation 3-1

Weather: Heavy rain, cold
Pitch: Wet and slippery
Attendance: 202

Carl Williams said it would come right and in spectacular fashion, the Canaries manager was  proved correct. And the hero of the hour was Callum Donnelly, who had his best game in a Hitchin shirt, scoring twice and setting up another.

There were other notables, including two recent signings, Inih Effiong and Colby McAdams, who both had excellent games.

It was Effiong who opened the scoring, though, in the eighth minute. Donnelly’s cross-cum-shot was deflected by a Weymouth defender and the ball came back to Effiong, who calmly finished.
Effiong and Ieuan Lewis both had chances before the Canaries added to their tally.  Donnelly ran onto a through ball, saw his shot parried by Tom Manley and followed up to score.

Donnelly was in inspired form and in the 41st minute, he scored again. Lewis threaded the ball in the path of the diminutive midfielder and he sent a well placed chip wide of Manley.

Weymouth were beaten and rarely looked like retrieving the situation. Effiong had two good opportunities on the slippery second half pitch and Louis Lee’s scruffed shot could have done better.

In the 76th minute, Lewis, who had been engaging in one-way dialogue with the referee, was sent off, presumably for dissent.

It wasn’t until the 91st minute that Weymouth did score, a near post header by in-form Warren Byerley.

Williams was understandably ecstatic that his team had ended its dismal run: “We needed that,” he said.

The teams

Hitchin: Bennett, Fontenelle, Pepper, Leach, Gilbert, Lee, Donnelly, Gregson, McAdams, Effiong (Ann 88), Lewis 
Subs not used: Burke, King, Edgerley, Rowland


Goals: Effiong 8, Donnelly 25, 41

Weymouth: Manley, Tribe (Beasley 65), Dixon, Napper, Gerring, Poole, Duff (Maisom 65 – McKechnie 75), Tasker, Groves, Byerley, Reed Subs not used: Conning, Buall

Scorer: Byerley 90

Referee: A.Aylott
Assistants: M.Filipak, E.Andrews

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