MATCH REPORTS 2005-06

Southern League Premier Division

 Hitchin Town 4  Northwood 2

Report by Alan Evans

The Woods fell to their second defeat in four days when they crashed 4-2 at Hitchin Town.

Again it was a game that gave Northwood every opportunity to take the points themselves, but, while they missed several chances, the Canaries proved much more precise in front of goal.

Mick Harvey kept faith with the same starting eleven that had played against Merthyr and the Woods made a cracking start. Darren Grieves saw his header from a Peter Dean cross beat goalkeeper Richard Wilmott but crash back off the foot of the post after just four minutes.

Seven minutes later, Grieves provided the flick-on which saw Dean get ahead of two defenders to steer a shot past Wilmott and put Northwood in front.

Ryan Kirkland went close to increasing that lead with a shot which flashed wide but the home side were level after 22 minutes. A simple goal it was, too, as Tommy Hayes had time to pick his spot from the edge of the box and beat the unsighted Lee Carroll.

Northwood rallied, with Kirkland going close again and then Chris Gell seeing a shot smothered by Wilmott, but it was Hayes that proved a real handful for the Woods defence. He added a second goal after 38 minutes with a crashing finish and then completed his hat-trick to make it 3-1 on the hour to leave the Canaries singing joyfully.

It did stir the Woods back into action. Grieves latched onto a poor back-pass and should have scored but saw his shot hit the post for a second time in the match, and the Luke Evans had an effort from a corner just scooped out by Wilmott.

The veteran Hitchin keeper then denied Dean with a fine save but after 79 minutes, Shayne Demetrious reduced the arrears from the penalty-spot after Gell had been tripped just inside the box.

It was Demetrious who went closest to levelling with a 25-yard drive which went inches wide of the top corner, but Hitchin then wrapped up the three points with a stoppage-time strike from Josh Sozzo.