 |
||
| Marlow
Donkey - League (13/04/2008) 2007 - 2008 Season, Afc Hithercroft  It was a sunny and dry day for this away fixture against Marlow Donkey with clouds looming towards the end of the first half but clearing later without releasing any rain. The pitch at Gossmore Lane was rather bumpy but dry and firm underfoot. The referee was Mr G. Featherston and Ken Johnson ran the line for Hithercroft for most of the game. At 10.31 the game kicked off and there was little to commend the performance of either side, the few on-target shots being easily taken care of by the two keepers. On 25 minutes Baz David was brought down in the penalty area and Frank Smith converted from the penalty spot to put Hithercroft 1-0 ahead. However, Marlow struck back just 2 minutes later when Wayne Murphy, who was free on the left of the field, received the ball and struck it between the defenders as they came across to try to block the danger, the ball ending up in the right-hand corner of the net. In the 34th minute Kevin Howell hit a shot but the ball went wide of the left-hand post. On 40 minutes the ball was played into the Hithercroft 18-yard box and the defenders failed to clear it, eventually falling to Peter Haywood to put it into the net to give Marlow a 2-1 lead at the interval. The second half got under way at 11.22am and after 9 minutes Ryan Forbes received the ball on the right, crossed it to Baz who then took it out to the left and Baz then floated it into the middle from where Kevin Howell headed the ball into the net to put Hithercroft back onto level terms. On 56 minutes Mark Charman left the field to be replaced by Michael Louise for Hithercroft, with Tyrone Francis taking up the right-back position that Mark had vacated. On 62 minutes Baz received the ball, ran through the defenders and sent the ball beneath the diving keeper to put Hithercroft 3-2 up. Five minutes later Baz again received the ball and struck it from about 25 yards out into the right-hand side of the net to put Hithercroft further ahead. On 70 minutes Baz again raced clear but hit a pathetically poor ground shot that went straight to the Marlow keeper. One minute later Frank sent a free-kick high over the Marlow crossbar. Frank then sent in a ball from the left, Kevin ran onto it but sent it wide of the left-hand post. On 74 minutes Marlow made a substitution, followed a minute later by Hithercroft replacing Ryan Forbes with Jamal Blake. Three minutes later Dan Allman, after many attempts to control the ball, sent it out to the left and Baz struck the ball between a defender and the keeper to give Hithercroft a 5-2 lead. Two minutes later Kris Clark was taken off suffering from cramp and Ken Johnson went on as his replacement, handing over the linesman’s flag to Pat Vaughey. Hithercroft again went on the attack but Frank sent his shot from within the 18-yard box over the crossbar. On 85 minutes Baz was brought down, the referee awarding a free-kick about 35 yards from the Marlow goal-line. Kevin took the kick but his shot hit the crossbar before going out of play for a goal kick. Two minutes later Baz crossed the ball to Kevin who, with just the keeper to beat, hit his shot wide. Then Baz had another opportunity, running through the defence but hitting a soft shot along the ground to the waiting keeper. On one minute of added time Baz again found himself free with just the Marlow keeper ahead of him but sent his shot straight at the keeper who deflected it out of play, the game ending in a 5-2 win for Hithercroft. Although the win was a good one for Hithercroft the real disappointment was the number of goal-scoring opportunities that were needlessly squandered. It must be very frustrating for the defenders and mid-field players who get the ball up to the forwards who then fail so frequently to convert opportunities into goals. Hithercroft scorers: Frank Smith (25m penalty), Kevin Howell (54m), Baz David (62m, 67m, 77m) Hithercroft’s M.o.m: Baz David Hithercroft team: Neil Stretton (GK), Kris Clark, Dan Birch, Mark Charman, Luke Revell, Baz David, Kevin Howell, Dan Allman, Ryan Forbes, Frank Smith, Tyrone Francis Hithercroft subs: Michael Louise replaced Mark Charman (56m), Jamal Blake replaced Ryan Forbes (75m), Ken Johnson replaced Kris Clark (79m)
|
||
 |
||