WINCHMORE H. & ENFIELD: 6
HARPENDEN II: 2
19.03.05

Anyone unfortunate enough to have been an HHC IIs season ticket holder for 2004/5 could have saved themselves a lot of misery by not turning up for the first 21 games and just watching the blues’ game with Winchmore Hill & Enfield on Saturday.

For this game served as the prefect synopsis of the blues season; a team missing a couple of key players more than matching their opposition for 50-60 minutes but profligate finishing seeing chances spurned, the odd flashes of brilliance, slick passing and well-taken team goals, the odd umpiring clanger and 10 minutes of madness in which the opposition is gifted three goals and the game is lost in a matter of moments.

Too often the blues have shot themselves in the foot this year, and as the league table testifies, had they not taken 6 points from bottom placed Bedford and 4 from also-relegated West Herts, the second team could well be looking at life in Div 4 next season. For Winchmore Hill this week read Letchworth, Bishops Stortford, Royston and countless others in previous weeks.

“It’s been the story of our season”, said out-going skipper Fraser Tant. “Up front, we’ve not been clinical enough and never seem to extend a 1-0 lead to 2-0 to buy the defence some breathing space. Defensively, we’ve made individual errors that gift goals to the opposition, while in midfield we concede possession a bit cheaply. It’s certainly not been helped by ever-changing personnel and having to fit square pegs in round holes, but the table doesn’t lie and we are where we are for a reason.”

In weather more suited to cricket than hockey, the game started at a frantic pace, but without much good hockey played by either side. With regular right back Dave Waters absent, the blues were short of width on the right, and much of the game was played down the middle. Neither side really grabbed the ascendancy, but Harpenden seemed the more likely to take the lead and this proved to be the case when a tremendous one-touch passing move out of defence involving Tant, Niall Blackwell and Dan Pickard saw Blackwell slide the ball under the keeper for perhaps one of the blues’ best goals of the season. A couple of minutes later the blues should have had the chance to extend their lead from the spot when Tant’s strike was saved by the keeper who then proceeded to sit on the ball and prevent the blues from tucking away the rebound. Appeals were turned down, and with 10 to go before the break, the hosts were level after a soft short corner found its way past Neil Smyth. Smyth soon made amends with a tremendous diving stop from another short corner, and the teams went to the break level.

For his last half-time sermon after three years at the helm, Tant’s message was simple – lkeep possession and play at our own pace, the result will be there for whoever wants it more and, above all, it’s the last half hour of hockey for 6 months, let’s enjoy it.” Within 5 minutes, his side were 4-1 down and it was game over.

The blues can feel a little aggrieved at the first of these second-half goals; a slipped short corner was struck from a narrow angle and hit Andy Lunn’s foot. But, while the ball and foot were between the posts, the shot was going wide and a penalty corner, rather than stroke, should have been awarded. Not to look a gifthorse in the mouth, the Winchmore Hill sweeper made no mistake from the spot to put his side 2-1 up. Moments later, some calamitous defending gifted the hosts a third goal and the points were safe almost straight from the pushback with a fourth.

Belatedly spurred in to action, the blues surged forward, and when another neat move saw Tant tuck away a second, there was a glimmer of hope. But, with a Keegan-esque 2-4-4 formation employed, Harpenden were hit with two late sucker-punches and ended up on the wrong end of a 6-2 result.

So, another season comes to a close. Have the blues underperformed and underdelivered, or have the results been par for course for an ageing, injury-ravaged and inconsistently available squad? The most important thing is that the next captain, whoever he may be, will start his tenure in Div 3 rather than Div 4, with a nucleus of committed and enthusiastic players and hopefully some new ones too.

Niall Blackwell: Opened the scoring but blues couldn't build on it