WEST HERTS VI: 2
HARPENDEN IV: 2
30.10.04

This match was always going to be hard - Harpenden were coming into this match on the back of their best result for 2 seasons, namely the 10-0 drubbing of Winchmore Hill and Enfield the previous week. Many of the heroes of the previous week were not available, with the father-son combination of Pete and James Evans always going to be missed in the midfield, and Rob Newcombe returning to on-pitch duty from his sojourn between the sticks.

For the non-4th XI groupie, the previous season's debacle saw us return 8 points and 20 goals across the season. Coming into this fixture we had won the last 2 games and scored, in those alone, 14 goals.

With the tardiness of umpire Simon Redford, the (allegedly) partially sighted opposition official (Quote: opposition captain) forced the mighty blues to commence with only ten men as Brian Smith stepped into the whistle-blowing breach. Nevertheless they started, as so often this term, with tenacity and vigour, with many players determined to add to their tally of goals.

The inexperienced wing combinations of Rich Harle and Arnoud Pagnier, who have both made great strides in ability already this season, tried in vain to provide the telling pass to forward duo Mike Edmond and captain Dan Carter.

The breakthrough, however, seemed destined, and eventually the pressurizing frontmen, often left with 4 defenders to mark two of them, forced a long corner. Struck in hard by Rob Newcombe from the right, some perfectly timed and not necessarily repeatable banter from Carter distracted the West Herts centreback, whose mistimed swipe merely deflected the ball towards Edmond, who gleefully rammed home his 8th goal of the season.

Too often the case this and last season, though, Harps sat back on their lead instead of pressurizing hard for the second - a tactic that won the last two games - and only some awesome saves from young keeper Ben Wain stopped Les Blues from going in at the interval level or even behind.

The second half saw the home side come out hard in search of the equaliser, and only stalwart defending from Gavin Bray and Nick Crane managed to deny the roaming forwards from their shares of the spoils. Harpenden switched their offensive strategy to a more counterattacking style, with the wingers getting up to support and supply the forwards, and it was one of these breaks that saw Mike Edmond drive to the right of the opposition D, sweep a perfect pass across to Carter who duly slotted home his second in two games, having missed the goal fest of the previous week.

Some may say a third would have killed the match off, but it was not to be, as the tiring Harps side were put under the cosh by attack after attack of white swathes seeking a way back into the fixture. Reward was to come as, having made one great save, a sliding Wain tackle arrived too late on a West Herts midfielder, and Redford had no compunctions about giving the flick, which was duly converted. 2-1.

That goal seemed to endow the home players with a wealth of new-found energy, and coupled with the cheers from the sidelines of former Harps player Ben 'Iscariot' Turner, the last ten minutes saw not only the equaliser, but also a last minute shot drift just wide (jug avoidance...).

Well battled to all the guys, especially Brian Smith who came on when a late injury handicapped one unfortunate teammate.

In all a fair result on the day at 2-2, an enjoyable game and the right amount of banter (whether their defender agrees or not, I, your captain, care little).We're unbeaten in three. We've scored as many goals as we did in 22 fixtures last season in only 6 this. We're only one point behind our tally from that year, and shaping up, if we can put a run together, of staying with the leading group in the division.

Report by Dan Carter

Arnoud Pagnier: Hard work in midfield