Penn & Tylers Green - B & B Cup (19/09/2004)
2004 - 2005 Season, Hithercroft Youth


This game, in the preliminary round of the Berks & Bucks Cup competition, saw Hithercroft drawn against a strong First Division side who benefited from the home advantage. Hithercroft had just one substitute available and Penn were able to call upon three. The weather was dry and chilly with quite a lot of cloud, the sun making a couple of brief appearances during the game. Kevin Ife managed to get up early and so ran the line for Hithercroft.

The game began at 10.29am with Hithercroft playing downhill and Gordon being ‘on the bench’. After four minutes Penn had taken the lead when they chipped the ball over Richard, ran round him and put the ball past Simon. Four minutes later they increased their lead following a free-kick on their left, the ball being sent across to their No10 who hit the ball past the diving Hithercroft keeper. In the twelfth minute Penn took the ball down the left of the field and, as Simon came forward, the slipped the ball past him to put themselves 3-0 ahead. Hithercroft then began to settle but the home team were looking strong with accurate passing and some good running off-the-ball, making players available time and again. Hithercroft worked their way down the left with a series of throw-ins from Dan but Tyrone’s subsequent cross was sent too high across the face of the goal, out of reach of the attacking forwards. Penn then attacked and hit a shot at goal that had Simon executing two dives, the first slowing up the pace of the ball and his second to retrieve it as it continued to roll towards his goal-line. At 11 o’clock the home team attacked down the left, drawing David, the centre back out of position and then centring the ball for their No10 to hit it home for a 4-0 lead. Five minutes later Simon pulled off a good save, leaping to his left to push the ball wide. During the first half Hithercroft had to take both Paul and Tyrone off for short spells to attend to injuries, Paul having a leg injury and Tyrone having received an elbow (accidental) on the nose.

The second half kicked off at 11.20am, this time Hithercroft playing uphill in both senses of the word. Neither side had made any substitutions at the interval, the first coming from Penn after five minutes of this half had elapsed. At 11.27 Hithercroft opened their scoring when Tyrone took the ball down the right, passed it across to Dewayne on the left and, as Lee Hudson (the Penn goalkeeper) came forward, he hit the ball past Lee making the score 4-1. The home team then brought on their two remaining subs at 11.30. Four minutes later Penn broke down the middle and, although appearing to have been offside, added another goal to restore their 4-goal cushion. Hithercroft then started to improve their passing, playing many low or along the ground, and this gave them more possession. At 11.37 Hithercroft attacked and sent the ball across goal, the Penn keeper coming forward ready to collect the ball, but Ben nipped in and chipped the ball over Lee’s head into the Penn goal to bring the visitors back to 5-2. Five minutes later Dewayne had to leave the field with a knee injury and so Gordon, Hithercroft’s lone sub, came on to replace him. At 11.45 Penn came in from the left and hit a shot that rebounded from the left-hand post to the feet of a player who was following-up, and he had a simple tap-in to score their sixth goal. Hithercroft then went on the offensive, Gordon taking the ball down the right, passing it inside to Rhydian who pushed it on to Dan, who’s shot then went just outside of the post. Ben was suffering from leg cramp and had to leave the field on two occasions for treatment. At 11.56 Tyrone took a free-kick from just inside the Penn half, sending the ball into the middle to Rhydian who ran through the defence and passed the ball out to Dan on the left. Dan then hit an angled ball across the goal and into the inside of the far post to bring Hithercroft back to 6-3. Two minutes later Tyrone sent in a free-kick from the right and Gordon had a shot that was scrambled clear from the goal-line. The final whistle was blown at 12.07 giving Penn & Tylers Green a well-deserved victory but Hithercroft had ‘won’ the second half by scoring 3 goal to 2 and giving a much better performance than in the first half.

Hithercroft team:-
Simon Mines, Dewayne Dublin, Tyrone Francis, Richard Vere, Paul & Peter Morgan, Jamaine Warner, Dan Birch, Rhydian Grange, David Blackman (captain), Ben Steele and Gordon Preston.


The following report appeared in the Midweek edition of the Bucks Free Press (an edited version of the above report):-

Penn and Tylers hit Hithercroft for six in the cup
Penn & Tylers Green hit Hithercroft for six in the Preliminary round of the Berks & Bucks Cup running out 6-3 winners after racing into a four-goal lead. In the second half, Hithercroft hit back when Dewayne Dublin scored. Penn restored their four-goal cushion shortly afterwards but Hithercroft continued to fight back and Ben Steele made it 5-2. After going a further goal behind, Croft restored some pride when Dan Birch scored inside the far post.