HARPENDEN: 4
LONG SUTTON: 0
20.01.2007

Harpenden sponsored by Kingston Smith began the second half of the season with a professional performance against Long Sutton, running out comfortable winners as they search for promotion to the top division in the East League.

Buoyed by new signing Stuart Johnstone, the Harps forward line looked menacing early on, with some excellent interchange play with fellow forwards Russ Timms and Danny Burgess. Johnstone had an early chance with a close range effort on his reverse stick, but the ‘keeper was able to pull off a superb reaction save to push the ball round the post.

The home side held possession of the ball well and built good sequences of attack play. It wasn’t long before the first chance was taken. Tom Kavanagh completed a mazy run to the base line of the Long Sutton defence, pulling the ball back from a seemingly impossible angle to Lance Boyd-Clark. He routinely tucked the ball away for his 16th league goal of the campaign and Harpenden’s first of the day. It wasn’t long before Kavanagh was once again working his magic. The move started on the left with Kavanagh playing a one-two with midfield dynamo David Thomas. Kavanagh then took the ball past three opposition defenders into the top of the circle and fired home a reverse stick shot past the keeper to double the score.

Despite the early pressure, Harps then seemed to sit back and coast, despite the encouragement from injured captain Mike Emes from the side line. This gave Long Sutton the chance to move forward, and it was good defensive play from Davison and Bunbury that ensured a clean sheet into the half time break.

After some encouraging words during the half time interval, Harpenden looked reinvigorated. Early pressure led to penalty corners, and it was only a good reaction save from the Sutton keeper which denied Kavanagh his second from a drag flick. However, it wasn’t long before the man-of-the-match was working his magic once again. An incisive through ball from Kavanagh found Spencer Mabanga unmarked deep in the opposition half. He rounded the keeper to make it 3 to the home side. Mabanga then turned provided later in the half, finding Russ Timms whose cool deflection finish closed out the game to make it 4-0.

An encouraging start from Harpenden, and one which they will look to build on as the take on Norwich in a well anticipated return match against the Norfolk side. In the first fixture, Harpenden went down 2-0 despite consistent pressure on the Norwich goal, so the super whites will need no further motivation other then to correct the balance.

Kavanagh’s stick magic sinks Sutton

Scorers
1) Lance Boyd-Clark
2) Tom Kavanagh
3) Spencer Mbanga
4) Russell Timms

Mens 1st - League Goal Scorers