Okay, even webmasters deserve a holiday, hense the lack of match reports of late. Here are the last three match reports; They make for mixed reading...

Harpenden II: 1
West Herts III: 0
6 March 2003

An excellent all-round performance saw Harpenden IIs defeat West Herts IIs on Saturday, despite having lost comfortably to the Watford outfit earlier in the season.

A tactical masterstroke by skipper Fraser Tant and his deputy Neil Liles saw the blues change their shape in the light of their 5-nil drubbing the week before. The feeling was that Harpenden were being overrun in midfield and were unable to secure or maintain enough possession to get their pacey wingers into the game. The theory was to string five across midfield, leaving just the one target man up front to hold the ball and look for on-rushing midfield colleagues, and it worked a treat. The only space afforded to West Herts was in just in front of their own back four, from where they couldn't hurt Harpenden, and veteran centre midfield combo Kneale, McAlister and Thompson ensured that the visitors' most potent weapon and Colin Montgomery lookalike was rarely in the game.

Chances were few and far between for both sides in the first half, although the balance was certainly in Harpenden's favour. After their hammering the week before, Harpenden could have been forgiven for half expecting defeat, so going in to the break level was a real filip and gave Harpenden the belief that they could take all three points. The arrival of Ben Turner at the interval enabled Neil Lunn to move forward to left midfield, and the youngster was at the heart of the blues best moves. But, it was a great break from Tom Vickerton that brought the short corner from which Harpenden grabbed their winner, Nialls McAlister and Blackwell combining with the latter deflecting the ball home from close range.

As West Herts strove to equalise, so keeper Ben Brind and his defence grew to the challenge. One particulary fine save from the Copper-topped Stopper illustrated why he's sure to be pushing for a first team spot in season 2004-5.

Harps travel to league leaders Bedford next week for what is sure to be another tough battle.

Montgomery: Kept quiet

Bedford II: 4
Harpenden II: 2
13 March 2003

The match against league leaders Bedford town was always going to be a tough one.

After going 1-0 down a well thought out penalty corner slipped back to Pete Kneale who comfortably knocked it through the keeper to level the scores. Although the youthful team of Bedford always seemed to have it under control they found penetrating the Harps defence difficult at best. 1-1 at the break Harps took breath on a well fought half still definitely in the game and making the Bedford side wonder why they were struggling against a side half way up the wrong half of the table.

Harps new formation, 5 across the middle with a lone striker, seems to suit their style of play, being able to use the legs of the wide men to good effect, with Neil Lunn providing a source of constant annoyance for the opposition. It wasn’t long however before Bedford found themselves 2-1 up, before another well worked penalty corner gave Niall McAllister a goal to level the scores. Bedford scored another 2 before the end to make it 4-2. But Harps played well and battled hard against a team top of the league, continually making chances and although the score might not reflect it if they play like that against Hertford and St. Albans Exiles it’ll be a guaranteed 6 points. A nice way to finish the season.

Pete Kneale: Rare goal

Harpenden II: 3
Hertford: 3
20 March 2003

A lacklustre performance from Harpenden's second string gave their relegation-threatened rivals Hertford a point in a 3-all draw at the Brache on Saturday.

The blues seemed less passionate than usual, maybe a result of knowing that, from a Harpenden perspective at least, nothing rested on the result, and also perhaps disappointed by the absence of one of their all time favourite lookalikes, Hertford sweeper Paulo Di Canio. Despite this, the blues still should have had enough in their locker to defeat the Div 3SW also-rans, and after racing in to a 2-0 lead midway through the first half, will be kicking themselves for not doing so.

After an opening ten minutes of largely mediocre hockey from both sides, the blues began to string together a few passes and looked the most likely to score. This proved to be the case when an insightful Ben Thompson ball through the channel between right back and centre back picked up Fraser Tant's run, and the skipper fired home first time with the sweet finish the pass deserved. Thompson soon doubled the score, flicking the ball in off the post from a cleverly worked short corner one-two with Niall McAlister.

The next goal was going to be crucial, but instead of striving to wrap things up, Harps' passing became sloppy as complacency set in. A quick break from the visitors saw them draw a goal back, but Harpenden restored their two-goal cushion when a flowing move involving Niall Blackwell, McAlister and Tom Vickerton fed in Tant, who slapped past the keeper for his 14th of the campaign.

So, 3-1 up at the interval, and having scored three excellent goals if not really playing particularly well, Harpenden looked to have the game sewn up. But, Hertford had other ideas, and in the second half they were first to every ball, were more committed and played much the better hockey. Stand-in keeper Neil Smyth saved a lame penalty flick after Andy Lunn stopped illegally on the line, but this was only temporary respite. Hertford reduced the defecit to one when a woeful cross-field pass from Tant was intercepted and a goal resulted, and with 5 minutes to go, a short corner was fired past Smyth to give Hertford the point they deserved. A succession of short corners in the last minute gave the visitors plenty of opportunity to snatch a victory which, in light of an apathetic performance from Harpenden, they frankly deserved.

So, one more match remains, against relegated St Albans Exiles. Harpenden will be hoping to end a fair-to-middling season on a high, before their end-of-season night out that evening.

Di Canio: Absent