HARPENDEN III: 5
HERTFORD III: 0
30.10.04

Les Super Bleus returned to the Theatre of Dreams with the aim of making it three wins from three. By the end of the game they had made accomplishing this task look easy but at the outset the certainty of victory was not so apparent.

Always sluggish starters, Harpenden lacked any real penetration for most of the first half. The lack of any real incision was compounded as Geoff Gould had to leave the field. Returning from his week long training camp in the warmer climes of Spain, Gould probably rued not still being sat in the Spanish sun having to leave the field, later discovering that he had ripped his calf muscle in three places. The hasty positional rearrangement left Harpenden rather at odds, and it was only due to a reverse sweep from Alan Clark that Harpenden went into the half-time break a goal ahead.

The appearance of a number of luminaries from higher up the club saw the 3s raise their performance, and cement their ascendancy on the game - although skipper Keith would like to think that this was as a result of giving his team the Wenger treatment at half-time. Focussing on the short, sharp passing triangles that had seen Harpenden win so convincingly in their past two matches, Harpenden made it look so easy as Richard Poultney delivered the killer pass to Tom Vickerton who finished with deadly accuracy.

All the goals in the second half of the game from strong attacks down the right and this was in no small part to Paul Clements, who despite of carrying a niggling injury, put in his best performance of the season thus far. Clem nipped in on the far post to snatch a well-deserved goal as the Hertford keeper only managed to deflect Jim Keith’s swept shop onto the post.

Another salvo on the right, found full-back James Rodwell overlapping well, and then delivering an inch perfect cross for Alan Clark to claim his second of the afternoon. The rout was completed as Richard Poultney slipped the ball under his shoulder for the second time in the afternoon and Rob Arnsby insouciantly flicked the ball first time finding the keeper off balance to make it five nil. Although the defence found themselves rarely called upon in the second half, they also deserve praise for keeping a second clean-sheet in a row, and also for starting a number of the passing moves which were to pay dividends further up the pitch.

16 goals in three games, Harpenden look to continue their impressive run so that when they meet early pacesetters, Broxbourne, just before the Christmas break they are still in contention for promotion.

Report by Ali Keith

Clem: Well-taken brace