Hitchin Town 3 Clevedon Town 0
Clevedon Town travelled to Top Field to take on relegation-threatened Hitchin Town, and suffered a 3-0 defeat, their heaviest in the league this season.
With Kerry Morgan out injured and Josh Brigham suspended, Phil Bater started with loanee Craig Loxton at right wing-back, and had just Matt Prosser and Mike Symons on the bench. On a good playing surface, and with nothing more than very light drizzle to contend with, things were set fair for a good game of football. However the first half proved to be a sterile affair with neither side able to score a goal. A couple of promising runs from Kris Leek, and two off-target headers from the same player were all that The Seasiders were able to produce, and The Canaries had Luke Gregson denied a shot at goal by a great tackle from Craig Loxton, and a shot on 45 minutes from Paul Barnes saved low down at the post by Danny Greaves as the half ended goalless.
The game changed at the start of the second period when a free kick deep into The Seasiders box resulted in Mitchell Page being penalised for holding Gregson, as the referee Mr Knowles (who at about 6ft 6in was the tallest official that I have ever seen!) booked Mitch and awarded Hitchin a penalty, which was easily tucked away by David Deeney on 49 minutes. Just two minutes later things got worse for The Seasiders as Iuean Lewis put Moses Olelaye through on the wing and he dribbled unchallenged along the goal line and waited for Danny Greaves to commit before squaring back to Lewis who had a simple tap-in for goal number two. Clevedon nearly struck back straight away as a Kris Leek free kick from the edge of the box found Mike Trought whose header hit the bar then ran safe. Mike Symons replaced Kyle Bassett on 54 minutes, but it was all one-way traffic by then with Olelaye and Lewis having efforts go wide or saved by Greavsie. Matt Prosser came on for Chris Sylvester in the 70th minute and had a shot blocked as The Seasiders tried to get back into the game. But on 77 minutes Lewis played Paul Barnes right through the centre of The Seasiders defence and he coolly drew Danny Greaves and blasted past him to secure the deserved win for The Canaries in their fight to avoid the drop.
This was a lacklustre performance by Clevedon Town with poor ball control and wayward passing all afternoon. Even the usual work ethic was missing as several players looked tired and well off the pace of the game, against opponents who weren’t anything special but really showed that they wanted the three points. Man of The Match for me, despite conceding three goals, was skipper Rob Scott who ran, covered and tackled strongly all afternoon to keep the scoreline respectable.
Promotion contenders Team Bath are up next for Clevedon at The Hand on Saturday, when hopefully a week’s rest to recover from injuries will see The Seasiders come out all guns blazing to get a win before The Mangos arrive on Easter Monday.
Gallery
Team Sheet
| No: | Name: | Sub: | Goal: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greaves | ||
| 2 | Loxton | ||
| 3 | Haines | ||
| 4 | Trought | ||
| 5 | Hendy | ||
| 6 | Scott (Capt) | ||
| 7 | Leek | ||
| 8 | Bater | ||
| 9 | Page | ||
| 10 | Bassett | ||
| 11 | Sylvester | ||
| 12 | Prosser | 11 | |
| 14 | Symons | 10 | |
| 15 | - | ||
| 16 | - | ||
| 17 | - | ||
| Own Goal | - |
Match Details
| Date: | 15/03/08 |
|---|---|
| Competition: | British Gas Business Southern League Premier Division |
| Opponents: | Hitchin Town |
| Venue: | Top Field Fishponds Road Hitchin Herts SG5 1N |
| Half Time: | 0 - 0 |
| Full Time: | 0 - 3 |
| Attendance: | 310 |
| Match Report: | Dave Wright |
| Photographs: | Tony Merrett |
Away Kit |
On-Site Recruitment Solutions Ltd |
| Notes: |
Downloads
| Appearances & Goal Scorers | Word Document |
|---|---|
| Team Sheet Matrix | Excel Document |