Chiltern Athletic (27/04/2005)
2004 - 2005 Season, Hithercroft Youth



This mid-week game against the Division 2 champions turned out to be one of the best performances by Hithercroft that we have seen all season. The sun was shining for the first half but clouds later drifted across to obscure the sun for most of the second half. There was no breeze and the pitch was in very good condition, even though there had been a heavy downpour, with hail during the afternoon. As Kevin was unavailable through work Pam Ife ran the line for Hithercroft, the Chiltern manager ran the opposite line and the referee was Mr Paul Norman. Our coach, Brian Lewis, was unable to attend as he was celebrating his birthday somewhere in London. Chiltern had come with four possible subs and Hithercroft only had one available.

The referee started the game at 6.30pm with Hithercroft having the benefit of playing with their backs to the sun. After 4 minutes of play the first opportunity fell to Chiltern when the ball was sent in from the wing to Craig McKay who turned and tried a shot from 18-yards out but the ball went over the crossbar. Hithercroft scored the opening goal in the 7th minute when Ben Steele played the ball forward to Paul Morgan who took the ball forward, shook off a challenge and pushed the ball into the Chiltern net. A few minutes later Hithercroft came very close to getting a second goal. Richard Vere had intercepted a pass, sent the ball forward to Ben Steele and starting off a series of passes between Baz David, Ben, Paul, Baz and finally Paul again whose curving shot hit the left-hand post before being cleared. At 6.42pm Chiltern made a substitution sending on Philip Martin to replace Gavin Hewitt. In the 17th minute Hithercroft had again hit the post when Baz took the ball down the left wing, turned inside the 18-yard box and, as Karl Smith the Chiltern keeper came out to meet him, he hit the ball across the face of the goal, the ball bouncing out from the right-hand post. However, one minute later Hithercroft’s Rhydian Grange sent in a cross from the right and Paul diverted the ball into the back of the net to put the home team 2-0 ahead. In the 23rd minute Baz raced down the middle when he received the ball from Paul, went round a defender who had come to intercept and sent the ball past the advancing keeper into the far right-hand side of the net for a 3-0 lead. Following a free-kick Chiltern’s Craig Read sent the ball inside to Gary Bull and he tapped the ball forward, ran into the 18-yard box to receive a headed return pass but failed to get hold of the ball properly, so sending it over the Hithercroft bar. Baz won the ball from a tussle with Steven Ansell and raced away down the right wing, sending the ball across the goal where it was turned out by the keeper for a corner on the left. Paul played the corner short to Dewayne who sent it on into the area, where the keeper was unable to gather it cleanly, and it went free for Ben to head into the goal, so putting Hithercroft 4-0 up on 31 minutes. Four minutes later Jamaine Warner attempted a 30-yard shot from close to the sideline but the ball dropped down just over the top of the crossbar. Mr Norman blew the whistle at 7.12pm to signal the end of the first half.

After a five minute interval the game resumed and in the 48th minute Chiltern had scored their opening goal. It came when Jamie Reynolds sent the ball down the right wing where Patrick McVeigh turned it inside for Craig McKay to head on into the 6-yard box. From there Davy Wellington struck the ball inside the left-hand post. Three minutes later Baz threw the ball in from just inside the Chiltern half, an opposing player back-headed the ball and Ben hit the ball into the back of the net to restore Hithercroft’s 4-goal cushion. On the 54-minute mark Karl Smith had gathered the ball and sent his mis-hit clearance kick out as far as Rhydian. Rhydian sent a great cross back into the goal area and Paul ran in but headed the ball just over the crossbar. At 7.33pm Chiltern sent on their final two subs whilst Peter Morgan was still patiently waiting to be called on by Hithercroft. Then two injuries occurred, the first to Hithercroft manager Pat Vaughey who pulled a muscle in his right leg as he ran on to treat Baz, and shortly afterwards Chiltern’s manager had to hand over his linesman’s duties to one of his ‘subbed’ players as a back problem forced his retirement. In the 71st minute Dewayne pushed the ball out to Baz on the right and Baz took it to the edge of the 18-yard box before squaring the ball to Dan Birch whose shot went outside of the left-hand post. Two minutes later Rhydian broke down the middle and sent the ball on to Baz. Baz turned and struck a shot over the keeper but Karl got his hands to the ball, slowing its pace and giving him time to turn and get back to gather the bouncing ball before it could cross the line. In the 82nd minute Chiltern’s Adam Yearsley hit a shot from 25 yards out but it went over the crossbar before Hithercroft brought on their sole substitute to replace Jamaine Warner. Baz then received a cross into the middle from Ben and he turned to hit a powerful shot that dipped just over the crossbar in the 85th minute. Three minutes later Chiltern crossed the ball into the Hithercroft 18-yard box, Peter Morgan blocked the ball but it fell to Gary Bull to put the ball past the keeper to bring the score to 5-2. The final whistle was blown at 8.03pm and brought this superb performance from Hithercroft to an end.

Hithercroft had given away a number of free-kicks by pushing their opponents and this problem needs to be addressed. Having said that they had exhibited commitment and determination far in excess of that shown so far this season, fighting for possession and quickly turning defence into attack with Baz, in particular, showing a cracking turn of speed. Chiltern have to be congratulated for the sporting way in which they conducted themselves. Many teams that fall behind often resort to criticising their own players and opponents but Chiltern remained calm and collected throughout making this a most enjoyable match to watch. Chiltern are worthy winners of the Division 2 title and are also winners of the Subsidiary Cup this season.


Hithercroft's M.O.M: Paul Morgan

Hithercroft scorers:-
Paul Morgan (7 mins and 18 mins), Baz David (23 mins) and Ben Steele (31 mins and 51 mins)

Hithercroft team:-
Simon Mines, Dan Birch, Baz David, Dewayne Dublin, Paul Morgan, Jamaine Warner, Ben Steele, Mark Sadler, Richard Vere, Alan McKie, Rhydian Grange.
The sub was Peter Morgan.

Chiltern Athletic scorers:-
Davy Wellington (48 mins) and Gary Bull (88 mins)

Chiltern Athletic team:-
Davy Wellington, Craig Read, Jamie Reynolds, Karl Smith, Warren Tarney, Gary Bull, Patrick McVeigh, Steve Ansell, Craig McKay, Gavin Hewitt, and Daniel Baverstock
The subs used were Miles Smith, Adam Yearsley and Philip Martin.
The unused sub was S. Rauf.


The following report was submitted to the Bucks Free Press:-

Having lost the possibility of ending up division 2 champions following their defeat against Widmer End last weekend Hithercroft turned out against the Division 2 winners Chiltern Athletic on Wednesday evening. Seven minutes after the start Hithercroft took the lead when Ben Steele pushed the ball forward to captain Paul Morgan, who shook off a challenge and hammered the ball into the visitor’s net. Ten minutes later Rhydian Grange crossed the ball in from the right and Paul Morgan directed it into the back of the net to increase Hithercroft’s lead. In the 23rd minute Baz David, having received the ball from Paul Morgan, raced downfield, rounded a defender and sent the ball past the advancing keeper for Hithercroft’s third. Eight minutes later Paul Morgan played a short corner to Dewayne Dublin who sent a long ball into the 18-yard box where Ben Steele headed the ball home for a 4-0 lead. Three minutes into the second half Chiltern’s Craig McKay headed the ball into the goal area and Davy Wellington struck the ball inside the left-hand post to pull a goal back. However, 3 minutes later, Hithercroft restored their 4-goal cushion when Ben Steele gathered the ball from a Chiltern back-header and shot the ball into the net. Two minutes before the final whistle a cross into the Hithercroft 18-yard box was blocked but fell to Gary Bull who tapped the ball home, the game ending in a 5-2 win to Hithercroft.