Widmer End (24/04/2005)
2004 - 2005 Season, Hithercroft Youth


The weather was dry but rather overcast but remained dry throughout the match. The pitch was slightly bumpy but in overall good condition. Kevin ran the line for Hithercroft and the referee was Mr W. Harte. The referee asked Pat Vaughey, the Hithercroft manager, to look after his specs and Pat asked "Are you sure that you won't need them ref?".

The game kicked off at 1.59pm and in the 9th minute Hithercroft took the lead when Dewayne Dublin took the ball down the right, slipped the ball to Rhydian Grange who hit a strong angled shot into the far left-hand side of the net. At 2.13pm Tyrone Francis gathered the ball close to Thomas Collins, the Widmer keeper, and as the keeper went down to claim it Tyrone tried a shot that was cleared inches from the goal-line by a defender. After 26 minutes of play Tyrone had to leave the field having sustained an injury and Hithercroft sent on Ben Steele to replace him. Play continued with the ball travelling from one end to the other but both defences were coping well when under pressure and depriving their opponents of possession. After 35 minutes the visitors came close to increasing their lead when Dan Birch threw the ball in to Ben in the 18-yard box but Ben's shot went just outside the left-hand post. Four minutes later Dan played the ball on to Rhydian Grange who took the ball forward but, as Thomas Collins came forward, he hit his shot just wide.

The second half began at 2.50pm and within 60 seconds Widmer's Chris James received the ball in the middle of the pitch and his 30-yard shot beat the diving Hithercroft keeper to bring the scores level at 1-1. Play continued in a similar manner to that in the first half with a number of throw-ins and free-kicks being awarded as the ball flowed from end to end. It was being played at quite a fast pace but play was breaking down before either team were able to set themselves up for credible shots on goal. Eight minutes into the half Widmer made two substitutions replacing Jack Dell and Matthew Bailey with Jamie Legg and Luke Walker. In the 72nd minute of the game Paul Morgan sent the ball forward to Rhydian and Rhydian's well-struck shot was well-stopped by the diving Widmer End keeper. Dewayne pulled a leg muscle when chasing after the ball but limped on for some minutes before being replaced by Jamaine Warner in the 77th minute. Three minutes later Widmer End made their final substitution sending on James Bailey to replace Graham Potts. At 3.27pm Paul sent the ball forward from the half-way line and Baz David ran on, got his head to the ball as the keeper came out but sent the ball outside the right-hand post. In the 87th minute Widmer End played the ball into the middle where James Bailey carried it on and, as Simon Mines came off his line, he hit a ground shot into the net to put Widmer End into the lead 2-1. Mr Harte blew the final whistle at 3.40pm and Hithercroft had seen their outside chance to win the division disappear.

Mathematically it is still possible for them to finish up in the runner-up position, currently occupied by Chesham Rangers but to do so would mean winning all of their remaining five games.


Hithercroft's M.o.M:-
Peter Morgan

Hithercroft scorer:-
Rhydian Grange (9th min)

Widmer End Scorers:-
Chris James (46th min), James Bailey (87th min)

Hithercroft team:-
Simon Mines, Richard Vere, Alan McKie, Mark Sadler, Rhydian Grange, Paul Morgan (Capt), Peter Morgan, Tyrone Francis (E), Baz David, Dewayne Dublin and Dan Birch.
The subs were Ben Steele and Jamaine Warner.

Widmer End team:-
Thomas Collins, Matthew Bailey, James Bayford, Chris James, Jack Dell, Richard Medlicott, Dean Oxlade, Graham Potts, Thomas Wilkinson, Phillip Wingfield and Michael Burnham.
The subs were Jamie Legg, Luke Walker and James Bailey.


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

Hithercroft Youth’s hopes of winning the Division 2 title by winning all their remaining 6 games came to an end when they lost to Widmer End. In the 9th minute Hithercroft took the lead when Dewayne Dublin took the ball down the right, slipped the ball to Rhydian Grange who hit a strong angled shot into the far left-hand side of the net. In the first minute of the second half Widmer End’s Chris James received the ball in the middle, turned and hit a 30-yard shot which beat the diving Hithercroft keeper to bring the home team back on level terms. In the 87th minute Widmer End played the ball into the middle, James Bailey took the ball forward and, as the keeper came off his line, he hit a ground shot that ended up in the back of the Hithercroft net to give Widmer End a 2-1 victory. This result means that Chiltern Athletic are now Division 2 Champions.


The following few lines were published in the Bucks Free Press Midweek edition :-

In Division 2 Hithercroft's faint chances of winning the title were extinguished by a 2-1 defeat at Widmer End United. Hithercroft took the lead when Dewayne Dublin crossed for Rhydian Grange to score but Widmer End replied in the first minute of the second half through Chris James. Both sides looked for the win but it was Widmer that took their chance through James Bailey.