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HERTS VI: 2
HARPENDEN IV: 7
21.01.06
Harpenden traveled to West Herts on
Saturday on the back of 2 successive victories, and indeed only
having suffered one reverse in the last 2 months. Traditionally
a tricky away fixture to negotiate, pre-match indications were
good with manager Paul Nash able to field practically a full-strength
side.
Indeed they started strongly, forging a number
of good half chances with excellent work in the midfield from
Dave Wain and James Evans before campaign top scorer Michael Edmond
bundled home a loose ball to give the away side a well-earned
lead. Indeed young goalkeeper Matt Beggs and his defence of his
father Ian, Brian Smith and Stuart Berry was hardly called upon
to make a save until a second goal for the blues had been added
by Malcolm Jones as the other centre-forward.
West Herts tried to stage a comeback – mostly
through their under 15 Bucks county player, who, by all account,
was the best player on the park, and seems certain to have a bright
future in the game. He couldn’t, however, stop the ever
consistent Neil Berry from burying a deserved third just before
half-time, putting the game, as it would transpire, out of contention.
With four subs on the bench, Harps rotated the
heart of the side round, with Rich Harle, Paul Dadak and Adam
Cole coming into the action, and Graham Dean’s dynamic pace
and direct running adding to a veritable thorn-bush in the side
of the home team - providing fruit when his raised cross was smashed
home by Edmond for his second.
A cricket score looked like it might be on the
cards, as within further minutes the impressive Simon Evans latched
onto a ball from captain Dan Carter, and, given space by the beleaguered
defenders, hammered home the goal of the day with aplomb beyond
his stature!
West Herts countered, and pulled 2 goals back
at the end, with Jones adding two more of his own to complete
a second successive hat-trick, and a 7-2 victory, compounding
the 6-0 mauling of Winchmore Hill the week before.
The result takes the side to fourth in the table
(with one result pending), lofty heights for a side that lost
its first four games and has been in the relegation zone all season.
Bring on Stevenage next week and let’s try not to get nose-bleeds!
Thanks to Nick Crane for umpiring the whole match,
and to everyone for putting in 110% as always – even if
you had eaten nearly all the teas before I got there!
Match reporter: Dan Carter
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