Chiltern Athletic (28/11/2004)
2004 - 2005 Season, Hithercroft Youth



The weather was very unpleasant before and during the game with rain falling and a chilly wind blowing. These conditions had been continuing since the previous night and, as a consequence, the pitch was slippery and muddy making the playing conditions very difficult. Both teams had come with subs, Hithercroft having Ralph Kheir and Dewayne Dublin. The referee was Mr G. Key and Kevin ran the line for the home team.

At 2.06pm the game began with players on both sides having difficulty in staying on their feet, especially when attempting to change direction. In the early stages there was an incident when Simon Mines, the Hithercroft goalkeeper, came forward and went down on the ball and almost slithered outside his 18-yard box with the ball in his arms. After 5 minutes Chiltern’s Craig McKay received the ball about 25 yards out, turned and struck it over Simon’s head to open the scoring. The game was flowing from one end of the field to the other and both keepers were being kept busy. At 2.32pm Hithercroft were awarded a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box and ‘Baz’ David took the kick very quickly, leaving the Chiltern keeper standing at the right-hand post as his shot went just outside that on the left. Simon then managed to block two consecutive shots when first he used his feet to clear a shot from a Craig McKay free kick and he then used his body to block the returning shot from another of the Chiltern forwards. At 2.43 Chiltern took a corner from the right, the ball being floated into the middle where Craig brought the ball under control and sent a superb shot once again over Simon’s head into the back of the net, putting the visitors 2-0 ahead. Four minutes later Hithercroft took the ball down the left and sent it infield to Baz who took the ball on. The keeper raced out and collided with Baz, leaving the ball to continue across field to Rhydian Grange who blasted it into the Chiltern net to narrow the lead to 2-1. At 2.50pm Chiltern were awarded a free kick on the left corner of the 18-yard box and, with Simon standing behind a four-man wall, Davy Wellington sent the ball into the top right-hand corner of the net to give Chiltern Athletic a 3-1 lead just one minute before the whistle to end the first half.

The rain had increased in intensity and the wind was becoming a little stronger as the second half began at one minute to three. Hithercroft went immediately on the attack and a shot from Baz had Carl Smith, the Chiltern keeper leaping to his right to catch the goal-bound ball. Rhydian then went through the middle and pushed the ball forward to Baz and his shot was pushed over the crossbar. In the second minute Dan Birch sent the ball in from the wing to Baz whose shot from 20 yards out ended up in the back of the Chiltern net, reducing the visitor’s lead to just one goal. Hithercroft again went on the attack, Dan taking the ball almost to the left corner flag before sending it across the face of the goal. Rhydian, being just a yard from the goal-line went up and got his head to the ball but sent it just over the bar. It appeared that Hithercroft had just ‘clicked’, finally adjusting to the conditions and just oozing with confidence. Baz again went down the centre, cut through the defence and took a shot which Patrick McVeigh headed clear from his goal-line. At 3.11pm Baz took a corner from the left for the home team but the ball was kicked clear by a Chiltern defender. However, it fell to the feet of Paul Morgan whose powerfully-struck shot took a deflection from a defender, Carl being unable to prevent its fight into the goal which levelled the score to 3-all. As the game was about to restart the referee decided to abandon the game for the safety of the players. This brought objections from players on both sides but the referee stuck to his guns and called off the game at 3.12pm.

The first half had been ‘edged’ by Chiltern with their accurate passing and excellent positional play, their strikers being very quick to the ball despite the conditions. In the second half Hithercroft showed a complete transformation putting passes together, playing with great determination and pulling off an amazing come-back. Had the game not been abandoned, the game could have gone either way and the outcome would have been impossible to predict. Well done to both sides for providing such excitement under such atrocious conditions.


Hithercroft scorers:-
Rhydian Grange (41m), Baz David (47m) and Paul Morgan (57m)

Hithercroft players:-
Simon Mines (goalkeeper), Jamaine Warner, Richard Vere, David Blackman, Peter Morgan (Backs), Rhydian Grange, Ben Steele, Paul Morgan and Dan Birch (Midfield), Tyrone Francis and ‘Baz’ David (Strikers).
Dewayne Dublin, Ralph Kheir (unused subs)

Chiltern Athletic’s scorers:-
Craig McKay (5m and 37m), Davy Wellington (44m)

Chiltern Athletic team:-
Sohrab Rayf, Adam Yearsley, Steven Ansell, Jamie Reynolds, Miles Smith, Davy Wellington, Daniel Bavistock, Craig Read, Carl Smith, Craig McKay, Gavin Hewitt, Gary Bull, Warren Tarney, Patrick McVeigh, Philip Martin and Callum Baxter.