BEDFORD III: 2
HARPENDEN II: 3
29.01.05

Harpenden headed back down the M1 with a crucial 3 points in the bank and 11 pairs of limbs just about intact, after a hard-fought battle with an agricultural Bedford side.

The game started badly, with left midfield Dan Barber ringing in from Toddington Service Station with a car refusing to go any further. This meant that the blues had to reshuffle their pack before push back, but it seemed not to be to their detriment as they immediately laid seige on the Bedford goal. Almost immediately, it became apparent that Harps would have a plethora of short corners, with the Bedford defence seemingly incapable of making a tackle that didn't involve a wild swing at a Harpenden stick or leg. From the first, Niall McAlister switched the ball back to his injecting skipper Fraser Tant who made no mistake in giving his side the lead. Or so the blues thought.... the umpire at the far end thought differently, adamant that the ball had never left the D, so the goal was overruled.

Within minutes, the blues had the lead they deserved. Man-of-the-Match Dave Waters' foray down the right was curtailed by a tackle from the Bedford leftback that ought to have seen at least a green card if not a yellow. From the resulting short corner, Niall McAlister took on the shot himself and crashed the ball on to the backboard.

On twenty minutes, Bedford had their own short corner goal disallowed, again for the same reason, but moments later they were indeed level, a breakaway goal being despatched by their striker against the run of play. The blues weren't deprived the lead for long though - yet another short corner despatched by Veteran Irish Poacher McAlister as the stream of cynical tackles continued. Seconds before the break, McAlister had the chance to give Harpenden some breathing space and in so doing secure his hatrick from the flick spot, but his effort went narrowly past the upright and the blues went in to the break just the one goal ahead.

The blues got off to the worse possible start in the second half, when some sloppy marking from a short corner saw Bedford snatch an equaliser. Harpenden were livid - they knew that they were a much better side than their hosts, and would certainly look at a draw as two points lost rather than a point won. They upped the tempo and produced a sustained period of excellent hockey, retaining and recyclying the ball well with Waters in particular a constant threat. When he linked with energetic front man and captain-elect Niall Blackwell, the latter neatly picked out Tant five yards out and his shot beat the keeper and the defender on the line to give Harpenden the lead for the third time.

This time, they had no plans to surrender their advantage, and ensured the rest of the match was played out in the Bedford half, not necessarily threatening to score another but calmly and effectively retaining possession.

"That was a good win" commented Waters. "A genuine six-pointer if you like, and after successive wins against cellar-dwellars West Herts and Bedford, we're beginning to ease ourselves to safety."

Harpenden face a real challenge next week when leaders Stevenage, with their 100% record, come to the Brache.

Muddy Waters: Great display at right back