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SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2008 - SPARTAN SOUTH MIDLANDS PREMIER DIVISION
BROXBOURNE BOROUGH 3 HERTFORD TOWN 1
Flattering to deceive with a second minute opening goal, Hertford were unable to build on their fine start, and the home side, buoyed by the return of popular winger Bradley Drisdale, were good value for their win.
Jamie Abbott appeared for a third spell with Hertford, and the home side fielded ex Blues Mark Virgo, Matt Watts, Bradley Poole and Robert Tungatt.
Teams - Hertford Town: 1. Lee Robinson, 2. Joel Maybury, 3. Pablo Ardiles, 4. Sean Crossley, 5. Glenn Draper, 8. Kevin Kilroy (capt), 9. Jamie Abbott, 10. Kevin Cooper, 11. David Anyetei. Subs Used: 14. Reece Lyons (for Abbott, 42), 15. Adam Mayson (for Powell, 67)
Broxbourne Borough: 1. Mark Virgo, 2. Gary Taylor (capt), 3. Rob Kemble, 4. Micky Nathan, 5. Matt Watts, 6. Mark Brennan, 7. Bradley Drisdale, 8. Bradley Poole, 9. Rob Tungatt, 10. Danny Ward, 11. Tony Burke. Subs Used: 12. Lawal Alhadi (for Ward, 70), 14. Sam Ruff (for Drisdale, 82), 16. Fred Faulkner (for Tungatt, 90)
The ball had hardly been in the Hertford half before the visitors took a second minute lead. A Kevin Kilroy free kick was laid into the path of DAVID ANYETEI by Kevin Cooper, and the number 11 stroked the ball home with style from the angle of the penalty area to put a jubilant Hertford side into a very early lead. The tricky Drisdale sent a shot over the bar moments later, and then a Tony Burke shot was deflected for a corner, from which Matt Watts header was deflected for another one. Sean Crossley was then required to put a Bradley Drisdale cross behind for a third Broxbourne corner before, on 10 minutes a lovely move involving Anyetei and Dave Hunt put in Kevin Cooper for a good chance, but he pulled his shot wide.
Crossley conceded another corner when he deflected a Mark Brennan shot, but Brennan shot wide from the corner. On 17 minutes Broxbourne fashioned a glorious opportunity but Dann Ward just failed to make contact with his head as he threw himself at a Tony Burke cross.Despite knowing all about Drisdale, Hertford seemed to have no particular plan to counter his pace, and when Pablo Ardiles checked him on 23 minutes with a good old fashioned block, ROB KEMBLE flighted a wonderful 22 yard free kick past a despairing Lee Robinson and into the net.
It was worse on 37 minutes, when BRADLEY DRISDALE was on hand to tap home from close range to give Borough the lead. The visitors were so sure that Drisdale was offside that they protested long and hard about the award of the goal, such that Kevin Cooper was booked. Jamie Abbott, who had struggled to make an impact on the game was replaced on 42 minutes by Reece Lyons, wh otook up a central striking role.
Half Time: Broxbourne Borough 2 Hertford Town 1
Hertford took the game to Borough in the second period, and on 55 minutes so nearly got level, when Kevin Cooper set up Reece Lyons, but the youngster's shot, although beating Mark Virgo, struck the far upright and rebounded to safety. Glenn Draper was booked a minute later for a foul and Kevin Kilroy suffered a similar fate, this time for dissent. Then Pablo Ardiles, who had been getting forward much more, crossed to Kevin Cooper but his header was easily plucked out of the air by Virgo.
Glenn Draper kicked a Mark Brennan shot off the line but the resultant corner led to Borough's third, on 62 minutes, as MICKY NATHAN stole in unchallenged to head home powefully.
Hertford sent on Adam Mayson for Tom Powell and then Matt Watts was booked for a bodycheck on Kevin Cooper, and from Kevin Kilroy's free kick, Glenn Draper sent a header looping high over the bar. Hertford were seeing a lot of the ball, winning several free kicks but the home side fashioned the best chance, when Tony Burke forced a fine point blank save from the flying Lee Robinson, when winger Drisdale put over a pin point cross. On 77 minutes, Kevin Cooper forced a finger tip save from Mark Virgo, then it was Robinson's turn at the other end to save from Tony Burke again. Robinson did even better on 79 minutes to keep out a Drisdale shot with a one handed flying save, then Robinson had to tip over a corner kick which looked like going in directly. Further chances fell to the home side as Hertford ran out of ideas and steam, and the final score was a fair enough reflection of the game. Hertford's league record now begins to look seriously worrying.
Final Score: Broxbourne Borough 3 Hertford Town 1
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