Hitchin Updates

[Rich]

Let their keeper score, miss at least 3 one on ones, miss a penalty.
Only one result from that!!
Just one of those days but I think we really need a better plan B.

[juanillo]

It was a strange game.

Platt was at fault for their keeper's goal which was a fluke, but Cater and Manning also spurned good chances to score in the first half, when we were on top, though their keeper did well.

In the second half, we got worse and they were content to put everyone back behind the ball, keep their shape and they were well organised without threatening.

Once they scored a surprise second goal, they were the better team despite us getting a goal back and then missing the penalty.

[HalesowenHarry]

Sack the manager !!! So came the cry from the Blackpool contingent after the first home league defeat of the season An altercation almost ensued but I deferred to his superior knowledge as he has been there since 1975 and I’ve turned up in the ‘last five minutes’. Hopefully the Bromley game will be on in the Edward for him

World class on the way out...... the lad heard it all more so than me. I would have backed you up but it was raining and I wasn't getting wet. And you don't need my help! I could have given you a tip on stairs safety though........

[DJ]

Southern League Premier Central – Saturday, 4th November 2023

Halesowen Town 1 Hitchin Town 3

Halesowen slipped to a disappointing defeat against high-flying Hitchin in a comedy of errors at a rain-soaked Grove, writes DJ.

Yeltz manager Paul Smith reflected on his team’s first home league defeat of the season. “The performance overall was good but both penalty areas are critical. We’ve given away three goals with mistakes but haven’t taken our own chances. We played well in between the boxes but have to learn we can’t give away silly goals and not take our own chances.”

The contest pitted the third team against the fourth in the league table in the first meeting with the Canaries since 2019.

Hitchin picked up two early bookings in the soaking wet conditions before they missed a golden chance to take a 12th minute lead when Finley Wilkinson was put clean through on goal and he rounded home goalkeeper Dan Platt only to then miskick weakly wide.

But the Canaries were soon gifted a 14th minute lead in extraordinary circumstances when a long ball forward from Hitchin goalkeeper Charlie HORLOCK caught home goalkeeper Platt off his line and he was unable to prevent the ball crossing the line.

With the Yeltz on top, Jack Holmes crossed for Miracle Okafor to flick neatly wide in the 17th minute and another Okafor shot on the turn earned a 25th minute corner. Horlock then saved McKauley Manning’s effort from the right with Halesowen unable to break down Hitchin’s defence on an increasingly sticky surface.

Dan Idiakhoa did fire just over Halesowen’s bar in the 32nd minute but Halesowen continued to threaten as George Cater curled wide in the 40th minute and Horlock made a good blocking save to deny Manning seconds later. Just before the interval Horlock then grabbed the ball ahead of Cater in the clear.

At the start of the second half Cater fired against Hitchin’s side-netting after being played in by Jack Holmes and Okafor’s 62nd minute shot was collected by Horlock, but it was generally a quieter interlude before the drama of three late goals.

Substitute John FREEMAN struck home from 20 yards to double Hitchin’s lead in the 78th minute but just two minutes later home substitute Richard GREGORY reduced the arrears by scrambling the ball home from a free-kick delivered into the visiting penalty area, just seconds after he arrived on the pitch.

The Yeltz then spurned the chance to snatch an unlikely point when Okafor was tripped in the penalty area three minutes into stoppage time, but Horlock dived to his left to keep out Okafor’s resulting spot kick. Halesowen were punished further in the 7th minute of added time when Josh Ezewele’s throw-in stuck in surface water and only served to let in FREEMAN to net his second goal superbly into the top corner from 20 yards out.

Halesowen Town: Dan Platt (c); Jak Hickman (Richard Gregory 80), Josh Ezewele, Todd Parker, Ryan Wynter, Kieran Morris, George Cater (Simeon Cobourne 66), Nathan Hayward (Kieren Donnelly 66), Miracle Okafor, Jack Holmes, McKauley Manning. Subs Not Used: Luke Redfern, Josh Hawker.

Hitchin Town: Charles Horlock (c); Bradley Bell, Layne Eadie, Toby Syme, Kye Tearle, Stanley Georgiou, Arnold Matshazi (Temilola Akinbusoye 72), Stephen Gleeson, Daniel Idiakhoa, Isaac Galliford (John Freeman 65), Finley Wilkinson. Subs Not Used: Kavan Cotter, Daniel Emovon, Christopher Khoo.

Referee: Luke Scott Attendance: 721
Booked: Tearle (4), Gleeson (9), Bell (39), Morris (57), Freeman (90)
Tulleys Print HTFC Man of the Match selected by Craig Bailey: Nathan Hayward
Non-League Paper Man of the Match: Charles Horlock

[drummyb]

Sack the manager !!! So came the cry from the Blackpool contingent after the first home league defeat of the season An altercation almost ensued but I deferred to his superior knowledge as he has been there since 1975 and I’ve turned up in the ‘last five minutes’. Hopefully the Bromley game will be on in the Edward for him

If youre on about who I think, he's very much avoided being the life and soul of the party. Woodn't you say?

[lutleyyeltz]

They took their chances - we didn't.
Simple, really.
Greg's, an accomplished penalty taker, should have taken the spot kick.
If we'd levelled it then we could have nicked it, in my opinion.

[Jefftoad76]

One of those days or was it?platty got away with it midweek not today ,was off his line in that cup game 2 yrs ago when he was lobbed from about 45 yards,maybe needs more competition. No plan b,miracle looks so isolated up top on his own,cater no end product too lightweight,manning great player and skills but dawdles too much on the ball not releasing ball quick enough giving opposition time to re group.
Players out of position today didnt help.had a feeling miracle would miss ,his last 2 the keepers nearly saved them,thought we looked all over the place today as though some players didnt know where to be,and a bit like at macclesfield it looked as though that had more players than us .why is it opposition teams cut through us with 3 passes leading to a chance where we can pass allover the pitch and get no where .frustrating day,also donnely needs to cut out the jumping around claiming fouls and moaning to the ref which lead to them scoring the 2nd goal.

[Scribbler]

How did we end up loosing that game ? No getting away from it Platt was embarrassingly at fault for their first goal… and they had another couple of chances in the first half… but we had three or four excellent chances and should have gone in at half time leading by two goals, in my opinion…. Gifted them another goal second half and missed a penalty to level it…. Not good enough!!! If we are going to push on and stay in contention, we have to play with more urgency and the chance to goal ratio has to improve…… miracle’s chance to goals ratio, is probably about 25 percent , Gregory’s is a lot higher and is a proven penalty taker, over the last years, given how large on in the game the penalty was and the importance of getting something from this game, I was amazed Gregory was not given the opportunity to put us level…. We seem to have lost a bit of focus lately and need to get back to winning ways asap… Nuneaton won again today and will be tough opponents on Tuesday, other top teams lost today and we need to hang in there…. Team selection was strange for me, moving a good right back to lef back…. Looked a bit out of place and not up to his usual good play going forward….

[Brightgoldenhaze]

Hitchin did a job on us. We're a decent side but perhaps not as good as we'd started to think.

I'm curious why people think Miracle shouldn't have taken the penalty though. Hindsight really is marvelous.

[drummyb]

The expectation after 2 months was ridiculous tbh. Hopefully that dies down a bit. As has been said, we do need a plan b though. Teams are going to mark Miracle out the game.