RICKMANSWORTH I: 5
HARPENDEN II: 1
08.12.2007

The title hopes of Peter Kneale’s Harpenden second string suffered a knock-back on Saturday, his team falling to their second consecutive defeat against a strong Rickmansworth side in torrential rain.

The eventual 5-1 scoreline somewhat flattered Rickmansworth, but the ever-magnanimous Kneale was quick to concur that the points ended up with the right club. “To be fair to them, they had one or two top, top players who wouldn’t be out of place at a higher level, and at the end of the day they just had a bit too much for us.”

Things started off well with our usual goal in the first couple of minutes, despite the absence of ten-goal talismanic target man Nigel Timms. A move through the midfield revealed the increasingly familiar sight of a lolloping forward drive then shot from the edge of the D from Dave 'Muddy' Waters, with poacher extraordinaire Fraser Tant popping up to knock in from the initial save.

As is so often the case, the second goal in the game was crucial. Harpenden pressed forward, seeking to double their lead and put some daylight between the sides, but Rickmansworth were more incisive with their possession and put blues’ stopper Ben Brind under concerted pressure. As the rain began to fall more and more heavily, the shots rained down on Brind, but he was more often than not up to the task, producing yet another fine display of keeping that must have first team keeper Alan Clark looking over his shoulder. “I do what I can” commented the flame-haired net minder “but Clarkey’s a fine keeper so I’ll have to go some to displace him.”

Two scrappy goals and one slickly worked one later and Harpenden found themselves 3-1 down at half time.

Harpenden started strongly in the second half, with Ben Turner and Paul Nash working well in the centre of midfield and youngsters Oli Moore, Tom Ward and Simon Evans growing in confidence. Harpenden were in the ascendancy, and an equaliser looked imminent, but the blues were always vulnerable in defence – especially with Rickmansworth boasting pacy, skilful strikers. As the blues surged forward, they were hit with a cruel sucker punch, Rickmansworth scoring on the break. By now, the rain was torrential, gathering in puddles on the pitch and having a negative impact on Harpenden’s approach play.

Sadly for Harpenden, as the heavens opened, so did the floodgates, with areas of the pitch being flooded and made footing and stick handling treacherous, the game should have been abandoned. But that would be churlish - Rickmansworth scored two further goals in the last minutes of the game, compounding Harpenden’s misery and further denting their goal difference.

“It was a blow today, no doubt about that.” Commented the hard-working Turner. “Ricky took their chances well, but we came here confident of taking the points back to Harpenden and keeping the pressure on Luton and Stevenage at the top of the table. We’re well placed, though, and I’m sure we’ll be there or thereabouts come April.”

Scorers
1) Fraser Tant