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| Hithercroft
- League (04/11/2007) 2007 - 2008 Season, Afc Hithercroft  The sun was shining, there was no breeze at all and the grass was damp but in good condition for this derby match between the two Hithercrofts. The referee was Mr S. Smith and Pam ran the line for Afc Hithercroft, the home team. Tyrone Francis came along to watch as he intended leaving before the end of the game to take part in a selection trial. The game kicked off at 10.31am with Afc Hithercroft playing from left to right when viewed from the clubhouse. Afc started well with a number of attacking moves on the Croft goal but again suffered from a lack of finishing power. They were showing great skills in their passing and ball control, winning numerous throw-ins and corner kicks but failed to convert their superior possession and territorial advantage into goals. Two minutes into added time at the end of the first half Croft sent the ball into Afc’s 18-yard box and, as Afc failed to clear the ball, Croft’s Johnny Norgate slipped the ball into the net to put the visitors into a 1-0 lead. At this point Jason Guy had to leave the field following a knee injury sustained in the goalmouth scramble and so Afc continued with 10 players. From the restart Kevin Howell hit a long, high ball towards the Croft goal, a move having met with success in previous games, but on this occasion the keeper tipped the ball over the crossbar as it bounced over his head. Before the awarded corner kick could be taken the referee blew his whistle to signify the end of the first half! Jason was able to return for the second half which got under way at 11.28am. Croft’s Johnny Norgate hit a shot that passed over the Afc crossbar and then 8 minutes into the half Kevin Howell hit a shot but the ball went just outside of Croft’s left-hand post. In the 47th minute of the game Baz David took the ball down the left wing and as he approached the 18-yard box crossed it inside from where Ashley Anderson blasted a shot that was blocked by a defender. Ashley then played the ball back to Baz who turned and tried a shot himself but the ball was pushed out of play by the Croft keeper. In the 58th minute the Croft No.19 had his name entered in the referee’s book for dissent. Four minutes later Afc sent on Kevin Midgley and Tyrone Francis (who had decided to forego his trial) to replace Ashley Anderson and Dan Allman. Afc continued to move the ball around between players and were finally rewarded in the 72nd minute when Baz, facing his own goal, back-headed the ball to Kevin Howell who took the ball forward and struck it past the Croft keeper to level the scores. Once again Afc were making a number of opportunities but were unable to put the ball into the Croft net. Kevin Midgley hit a shot just wide of the left-hand post on the 90-minute mark and the game entered stoppage time. Tyrone blasted the ball just outside of the post before Croft went on a rare attack. The Croft No.6 hit a good shot that Neil Stretton palmed clear but the ball was then crossed to Will Jones who scored the winner in the 2nd minute of added-time. It had been extremely disappointing for Afc Hithercroft as they had dominated for most of the game and had played better than they had done over recent weeks. The lack of finishing was once again their downfall with so many chances missed whilst their opponents made the most of the few that they had. Afc Hithercroft scorer: Kevin Howell (72m) Afc Hithercroft’s M.o.m: Luke Revell Afc Hithercroft team: Neil Stretton (GK), Kris Clark, Jason Guy, Dan Birch, Luke Revell, Baz David, Frank Smith (Capt), Kevin Howell, Dan Allman, Ryan Forbes, Ashley Anderson Afc Hithercroft subs: Kevin Midgley and Tyrone Francis replaced Ashley Anderson and Dan Allman (62m) Afc’s unused subs: Mike Baldock, John Baldock and Ken Johnson Hithercroft scorers: Johnny Norgate (45+2m), Will Jones (90+2m) |
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