LETCHWORTH IV: 1
HARPENDEN III:1
08.10.05


The auguries bode well. Harpenden’s errant keeper, Jon Allen, was in the country at the appointed hour having hotfooted his way from Lille on the morning of the game. And with fierce competition for places coupled with a roster of three substitutes unheard of last season the feeling in the threes camp was of quiet confidence. Les supers bleues were looking to build on last week’s disappointing draw with a win away at Letchworth, a team they had dispatched with relative ease on two occasions last season. What Harpenden had not anticipated was the strength of a revamped Letchworth side.

From the off Harpenden failed to find any shape as Letchworth surged forward with one attacking salvo after another. Whilst Martin Pugh may still have the best reverse stick stop in the club, it was his open stick which saved Harpenden on more than one occasion as he guarded Allen’s right-hand post against Letchworth’s well worked short corner routines. Jon Allen also played with a level of alertness absent from most of his team mates, a fact all the more worrying considering that he may still well have been mildly inebriated after his 24 hour French bender. Harpenden were lucky to go in level pegging at half-time, Letchworth had gone close on a number of occasions culminating with a deflected shot against the post.

There was no letting up after the break. Jon Allen pulled off a superb reflex save, parrying the ball over the cross bar off a drag flick short corner, the likes of which are not normally seen in Division 6 SW. However, Harpenden eventually found themselves a goal down after an eviscerating break from the Letchworth midfield found the blues short at the back to leave an unmarked man to “cover-drive” home from the back post. The levee had been broken, and the concern was that a slew of goals would follow.

Instead, Harpenden showed spirited determination and fought back immediately. The midfield started to show the confidence to play the ball around and stretch Letchworth wide. It was not before long that Harpenden found themselves with a short-corner. Al Clark might like to forget about his initial miss-hit but the composure he showed afterwards to flick the ball over the grounded keeper almost gave the impression that it was a deliberate move all along. Harpenden continued to press forward with a number of impressive moves. The remainder of the game was played out in a much more balanced fashion.

Harpenden can take heart from a resilient performance, especially at the back, against what will be one of the strongest teams they will face this season. Next week against BAE the threes will be looking to break the uncharacteristic pattern of 1-1 draws that have marked the start of their season.

John Allen: Commitment personified