| With the fantastic news that unpopular striker J***n E***n had been released on Thursday, City made their way to Hertfordshire with at least one happy fan. |
| Hitchin's Top Field ground is one of those that in our previous life as a SLP club we'd driven past to get to a fellow league rival (Baldock and Cambridge City come to mind), even though the Canaries were an Isthmian Premier side. It's been worth the wait to visit though just for the unique wooden terraces which have been in place since the 1930's. |
| Another quirky part of the ground are the team baths, not last week's opponents Team Bath, but the old fashioned post-match facilities that haven't been used in football since Escape to Victory. Not only are the oversized tubs very rare, but Hitchin's are also the largest in the country. |
| Seemingly beset by financial woes and with the recent departure of former Chelsea striker Kerry Dixon from the manager's post things don't seem to be going too well for the Canaries. Although last week's 3-1 win at Halesowen would suggest that even though off the field matters aren't too clever, there aren't many problems on it. |
| It didn't seem that there would be too much of a crowd as we had a pre-match drink in the social club in the company of five other souls to go with our car load. Although, it transpired that the home fans remained in their own 'members-only' room as I completed yet another ritual slaughtering of Joe and Clifty on the away day pool table. |
| Is there anyone that can beat this hotshot? |
| City's pre-match preparations might well have been distrupted by their turning up late. I can only assume that they got caught in traffic on the M1 instead of taking the alternative route along the A1(M). |
| With E***n having been released and now playing his football for Brislington in the Screwfix Direct League it gave City the chance to reform their best partnership of Jimmy Cox and Daryl Addis up front, although Lee Davis was the surprised recipient of the number three shirt in the left wing back role. Another change at the back saw Lyndon Tompkins on the bench with Chris Burns at the heart of defence. |
| Lining up for the home team were Hitchin born pair Darren Hay and Mark Smith. Hay, not Hayes as confused by City (and closet Savage Garden fan) Joe Green, is a striker who had seen action with Conference side Woking in the early 90's although he'd been long gone from Kingfield when City visited and won in 2003. Defender Smith played for Stevenage Borough against us in the FA Trophy in 1998 and feigned injury to get Adie Mings sent off. I reminded him several times. |
| Both teams were read out by an over enthusiast DJ, now resident at Top Field since the local ice rink shut it's doors for the last time. All of his effort was lost on the heard it all before home fans but his delightful audio tour of the ground was a great pointer fot the twenty-five City fans who'd forgone their Christmas shopping to make the trip to Hertfordshire. |
| A deep back line was needed for City due to Burns' lack of pace so the home team enjoyed territorial advantage as the game opened on this dank winter afternoon. The Tigers would have to be content with breakaway football and really should've scored from their first attack. |
Neil Mustoe found Addis on the right wing with a well placed hoik over the full back and the striker picked out Tom Webb at the far post who nodded the ball back to Cox when he should've really headed downwards to the keepers near post. The knock back landed behind Cox and the ball was cleared.
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| Coxy was next to have half a chance when put through with a ball over the defenders shoulder but his alarming lack of pace against the Hitchin man left the City fans disappointed and Cox himself frustrated as he fouled his opponent as the ball ran out of play. |
| There were problems at the other end as Matt Bath had to react swiftly to claim an underhit back header and the sight of the Hitchin man sliding in with two feet wasn't a nice one. He seemed to catch Bathy although the City keeper was unharmed. |
| Town had settled now and a powerful shot from Aaron Cavill might've found it's way to goal had Mustoe not dived in and charged it down. But Bilal Hassan would've been left ruing his miss following good interplay coming in from the left wing and when faced with the target he could only shoot so far wide that his effort went out for a throw. |
| But it was City who took the lead when Lee Davis leaped above the defender to head the ball into the box, he ran into space before delivering a ball low across the face that was just out of Daryl Addis' reach. However, the former Cinderford man regained possession and beat his way into the box (although claims of handball were turned down by the referee) and sent in a ball for Cox who should've scored before Davis added the finishing touch at the far post. |
| Hitchin goalkeeper Richard Wilmot was furious that the goal had stood and went to lengths to explain why to the man in black. He had cause for complaint minutes later as City made further inroads into the Hitchin half, again he claimed handball and again his appeals fell on deaf ears. |
| Lee Davis at left back works whilst attacking but defensively he's found out as easily as Yogi Bear in pic-a-nic basket theft mystery. On one occasion his opponent found room and sent in a cross to the far post that saw Hay rise magnificently and somehow beat two City defenders to head under the crossbar where Matt Bath reacted quickly to deny a goal. |
| Unfortunately City couldn't hold their lead as Hitchin were awarded a penalty for handball against Neil Griffiths, although our fans on the halfway line said it was a harsh decision. Bath guessed the right way but was unable to get a hand to Shane Hill's spot kick as it found the bottom left hand corner. |
| Chris Burns' men could've reclaimed the advantage straight away when a great interception by Mustoe and well weighted ball over the top put Cox in, but a rushed shot after he'd controlled the ball saw the keeper save easily. |
| City had a good shout for a penalty when a direct but mazy run from the halfway line by Lee Smith saw a goalbound shot blocked by a defender with his arms across his chest, but the referee was having none of it. |
| With half time approaching the home team almost took the lead when a long throw, which was almost as good as a corner was inadvertantly flicked goalwards by a City head but Bath reacted quickly to touch the ball over the bar. Fortunately the ensuing corner was like a throw in. |
| The last action of the first period was a City free kick that saw Mark Smith tangle with Burnsy as the ball came in. Smith turned away holding his face after the whistle had gone even though there was little or no contact between the two players. The same act had seen Adie Mings red carded when the defender played for Stevenage in an FA Trophy replay at Meadow Park six years earlier. Once a cheat, always a cheat. |
We took our places on the infamous wooden terraces for the second half. If there was a fire risk there would be no worries thanks to the seemingly ever present sirens of the fire engines on the busy road behind.
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| Now with quite an eye for goal, youngster Lee Davis came within inches of restoring the Tigers' lead when he shot just wide from twenty-five yards after a City free kick was cleared to him. Although we came closer still when Griff headed Burns' corner on target but a combination of defender's head and crossbar kept the ball out. |
| The game suffered a fifteen minute lull as both midfields engaged in a scrap for the ball and the strikers were either frozen out or wasteful when a chance came their way. The closest we came was a quick move out to the left from Hitchin but their man shot high over the bar when he got a sight of goal. |
| The first change came when Hassan made way for Chris McMenamin. |
| Man of the Match Mustoe collected a pass from Lee Smith and sent a dipping drive in that just sailed over the bar. The former Cambridge man was having a stormer and was easily the best player on the field. |
| Another run from Smith, crudely ended by a Hitchin player yet somehow not worthy of a caution resulted in a Burns free kick that Griff headed directly at the keeper. But the next goal should've come at Bath's end when the City defence was unlocked only for the home striker to curl the ball the wrong side of the post with the Tigers' keeper beaten. |
| City's forwards couldn't find a way of breaking the deadlock so it was a Hitchin defender who came within a squeak of putting through his own goal when he stooped to head a Dave Wilkinson cross just wide of the far post. Wilko had had a quiet game upto then and could count himself lucky that it was Lee Davis and not him who was substituted for Marvin Thompson. |
| Another chance wasted by the out of sorts Coxy when he latched onto a ball over the top but he could only shoot straight at the keeper. However, then came the incident that enraged City when Wilko's headed flick on found Daryl Addis who took a heavy kick across the ankles as he controlled the ball. Addis went to ground only to be greeted with the referee's hands motioning him to get up as play continued. |
| Robbed? Cheated? Useless? W*nk*r? A quick look in the programme confirmed that the black referee wasn't actually Stevie Wonder but he might well have been officiating under an assumed name. Along with his flag happy assistant he'd denied City a real chance of three points. |
| Chris Burns' frustration at the referee's ineptiitude showed as he ran the ball out of play without clearing and dragged the Hitchin player down as he tried to take a quick throw. It was fitting that the Tigers' first yellow cards for four games should be shown to the player-manager! |
| With the game now into injury time and City desperately defending, a corner was cleared to Jimmy Cox, who with just two defenders for company, beat them both and headed for goal, but the one time prolific City striker ran into a dead end and before he could lay the ball off to a team mate the whistle for full time was blown. Just our luck! |
| The crowd of two hundred and fifty odd went home, a tenth of which headed back to Gloucester content with a point but City need to start adding wins to their draws to cement a comfortable mid table berth. |
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| Tiger Roar Man of the Match - Neil Mustoe |
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Neil Mustoe
Star Man |
Neil has now picked up more recent TR MotM awards than I've eaten mince pies. On this cold afternoon in Hertfordshire his class shone through as he bossed the City midfield and stood out as the best midfielder on the park. Superb, a Captain's display.
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