| HARPENDEN
IV : 6
LETCHWORTH V: 0
21.10.06
Paul Nash’s Mighty Oranges opened
up a three point lead at the top of the league with a comprehensive
lesson in finishing on Saturday, maintaining their unbeaten start
to the season.
Pencilled in to be a potential 6-pointer, with Letchworth only
a single point behind going into the fixture, Harps pre-match
plan to control the game from the off worked perfectly to plan,
as centre-half pair Niall Blackwell and Neil “Elder”
Berry bossed the centre of the park. The deadlock was soon broken,
as with only five minutes gone, Captain Dan Carter put Graham
“Road-runner” Dean free in acres of space on the right
wing, in turn placing a pin-point cut back for Carter to sweep
home into an open goal. It was a vast improvement on the week
before when early sustained pressure was not capitalized upon.
The lead was doubled a few minutes later, as Carter lived up
to his nickname to turn provider and put Malcolm “Silver
Fox” Jones through in his first game back from injury, and
with a superb piece of individual skill the experienced campaigner
scored from a tight angle for his first (and surely not last)
of the season.
With number one fan Rob “Nat King” Cole absent on
a scouting mission in America, supporters duties were handed to
Tommy Walsh and Monica Seles (see look-alikes), whose sideline
banter was silenced when the 4s took a 3-0 lead halfway through
the first period, Carter burying a short corner strike at the
near post for his second.
Indeed it wasn’t until this third goal that the defence
of Adam “Natalie” Cole, Stuart “Straw”
Berry and Brian “Grey Squirrel” Smith, with Jon “The
Priest” Pagan were even tested, holding their line and marshalling
well as Letchworth sought a way back into the game. Keeper Jonny
“Pudsey Bear” Allen was only called upon to make one
save of note, sliding out well to deny a shooting opportunity.
To cap that, the only short corner we conceded was so well closed
down that the shot was picked off and played out to form an attacking
maneuvre – debutant Tom “Model T” Forde playing
superbly and integral to the move that saw Ryan “The Rocket”
Ely slot home for his second of the season.
Harps looked a touch shaky for the last 5 minutes of the half,
but stirring words from Nashy at the interval roused “Las
Naranjas” back to life, and, with Ali Barrett and Rich Harle
now both on and combining well on the left flank, the ball was
worked into The Rocket courtesy of Blackwell, and he smashed home
from close range. Ely completed the scoring with his first hat-trick
for the club ten minutes later with practically a mirror image
strike, taking the game to 6-0.
With next weeks match against Broxbourne another top of the table
6-pointer, Harps will be looking for a similarly strong performance
and to retain their status as the only unbeaten side in the division.
All tight at the top of the goal-scorer charts as well, with
Elder, Rocket, Goals and Provider all on 4, with the defence the
tightest in the whole league with only 4 conceded in 5 games!
Everyone should play in “Lucky” Orange Shirts!
Match report by Dan Carter
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