Wye Rangers - League (28/09/2008)
2008 - 2009 Season, Afc Hithercroft



It was another warm and sunny day for the return match between these two teams, this one taking place at the Pedestal. Afc Hithercroft wore blue and white striped shirts, their opponents turning out in red shirts and black shorts. The referee was Mr Kenroy Charles and the Hithercroft line was run by Pat Vaughey with Pam Ife taking over for the second half.

At 10.32am the game began with Hithercroft playing from left to right when viewed from the clubhouse. After 5 minutes, with Hithercroft having had a number of shots blocked in quick succession, Harry Young managed to hit the ball through the mass of players into the Rangers’ net to put the home side 1-0 ahead. As the first half progressed Hithercroft began to dominate but their finishing left something to be desired, shots being either straight at the keeper or off-target. On 37 minutes Ryan Forbes went on a solo run, bringing the ball across field, turning in towards the goal and rounding players as he went but his angled shot was blocked by the keeper. In the last couple of minutes of the half Jahmel Sutton had two shots at goal, the first aq high ball that came down on top of the net and the second was a header that went over the crossbar.

The second half began at 11.25am and immediately Hithercroft went on the offensive, Frank Smith sending the ball forward to Harry but his shot went straight to the keeper. On 57 minutes Hithercroft made the first of their three substitutions, taking off Harry and replacing him with Niko Catigoudis. Five minutes later Rangers made their only substitution, sending on their No.11 to replace their No.12. Hithercroft continued to outplay their opponents and in the 73rd minute Ryan sent a superbly weighted through ball for Frank to run on to but Frank’s shot was a soft shot at the keeper. However, one minute later, Ryan sent the ball forward to Niko, Niko ran on to the right-hand edge of the 18-yard box and volleyed the ball into the far left-hand side of the net to put the home team 2-0 lead. In the 76th minute Ross Drabble, making his debut for the club, went on to replace Kris Clark in defence and Dan Allman made way for Zeesham Ullah to complete the Hithercroft substitutions. On 83 minutes, following an unsuccessful appeal from Rangers for a penalty kick, their No.5 was booked by the referee for dissent. However, three minutes later the referee awarded a penalty kick to Rangers after a tackle by Frank. John Younger, the big No.4, stepped up to take the kick and successfully converted to give his side hope of a come-back. Although the referee added an extra 3 minutes of play Hithercroft played a possession game and so ended as 2-1 winners which kept them at the top of Division 2.

Hithercroft scorers: Harry Young (5m), Niko Catigoudis (74m)

Hithercroft M.o.m: Ryan Forbes

Hithercroft team: Neil Stretton (GK), Jason Guy, Luke Revell, Kris Clark, John Harry, Dan Allman, Ryan Forbes, Harry Young, Frank Smith, Tyrone Francis, Jahmel Sutton (capt)
Hithercroft subs: Niko Catigoudis replaced Harry Young (57m), Ross Drabble replaced Kris Clark (76m), Zeesham Ullah replaced Dan Allman (79m), Jamal Blake (unused)

Wye Rangers scorer: John Younger (87m penalty)