COCKFOSTERS 1 HERTFORD TOWN 4
South Midlands Floodlight Cup - First Round
Thursday 19th March 2009
When I were a lad Thursday evenings meant Tomorrow's World and Top Of The Pops on the box. How I would sit in awe and wonderment as Raymond Baxter, William Woollard and Michael Rodd brought us the future, and then wait in anticipation to see what crazy threads Jimmy Saville would be wearing this week. Nowadays however, thanks to the pressure of European competition, big money television deals and congested non-league fixture lists, Thursday evenings means football, at least of sorts. This particular bitterly cold Thursday evening saw Hertford Town pay their second visit to Chalk Lane in less than two weeks to play what was essentially a Cockfosters reserve side in the first round of the highly prestigious South Midlands Floodlight Cup. At stake, a lucrative home tie against non-league giants, St Margaretsbury. Though some good football was played by both sides, unfortunately much of the game was a repeat of the poor performance twelve days earlier. The big story of the night however, was that Matt McArdle played ninety minutes of football, without getting booked! Teams - Cockfosters: 1. Mark Jackson, 2. Wesley Ewing, 3. Bradley Osborne, 4. Matt Brown, 5. Terry Mireku, 6. Luke Papini, 7. Emmanuel Osei-Owusu, 8. Daniel Florence, 9. Matt Kearney, 10. Kiran Bishop, 11. Nathan Eno. Subs Used: Danny Curbelo (for Jackson), Charlie Morgan (for Osborne), Rakim Richards (for Brown)
Hertford Town: 1. Lee Robinson, 2. Michael Cooper, 3. Rob Luya, 4. Joel Maybury, 5. Glenn Draper (capt), 6. Pablo Ardiles, 7. Troy Alexander-Jarrett, 8. Owen Beale, 9. Alex Scriven, 10. Matt McArdle, 11. Daryl Mitchell. Subs Used: Chris Spiteri (for Scriven), Jamie Abbott (for Maybury), Scott O'Donoghue (for Mitchell).
The Cockfosters line-up was indeed almost unrecognisable from the team that had played twelve days previously. Only two players remained from that side, though experienced ex-Hertford man Matt Kearney came in as captain. The Blues also made a number of changes from the previous match as a result of injuries, recoveries and new signings.
It was the visitors who had the first chance. A third minute free kick was quickly taken and the ball passed to Alex Scriven, though his shot was easily saved. The home side immediately mounted an attack of their own, though their resulting shot was also stopped by Lee Robinson. They then won a couple of corners. The first was easily cleared, though the second, two minutes later was played short and following good interplay Robinson was forced into another save. When Hertford won a corner a few minutes later, Daryl Mitchell's cross was initially cleared. However, the ball fell to Alex Scriven, who passed to Rob Luya. He put in a cross which found Glenn Draper, who shot from close to the edge of the box. The Hertford skipper's effort was deflected behind, but nothing came from the ensuing corner and the ball was cleared downfield. There was then a short delay while Lee Robinson changed his boots.
Having donned more comfortable footwear the visiting custodian resumed play with a goal kick. His new boots could not help him however on 25 minutes, when MATT KEARNEY was given far too much space by the Hertford defence. Virtually unchallenged, the home skipper was allowed to tee up a shot, which he placed beautifully over Robinson and into the roof of the net to give his side a 1-0 lead.
The lead was to last all of nine minutes. Hertford won a free kick in a dangerous position, just outside the Cockfosters box. DARYL MITCHELL's initial shot was poorly hit straight at the wall but the ball bounced back to the fortunate Blues' number eleven. This time he hit a far more convincing effort past home 'keeper Mark Jackson, who had been struggling since an earlier collision, and into the back of the net to level the scores. Five minutes later the visitors took the lead. A Mitchell through ball caught out the Cockfosters defence, who stood statue-like, trying to play the offside trap, only to see TROY ALEXANDER-JARRETT run from an onside position and take the ball into the Cockfosters box unchallenged. He calmly rounded Jackson and shot into the empty net to register his first goal for Hertford Town.
As the half went into the final minute of normal time, Hertford were again on the attack and Mitchell passed to Pablo Ardiles. The Blues' player-manager hit a powerful shot from the edge of the Cockfosters box but it was deflected by the hand of a home defender for a clear penalty. DARYL MITCHELL stepped up to take the spot kick and hit a shot that was unstoppable. He blasted the ball into the top left corner, giving the struggling Jackson no chance whatsoever. With the visitors now leading 3-1 the referee played a couple of minutes injury time before blowing the half time whistle.
Half Time Score: Cockfosters 1 Hertford Town 3
Cockfosters' injured goalkeeper, Mark Jackson, did not re-appear for the second half. Instead, his position between the sticks was taken by Danny Curbelo, who two weeks previously had scored what was effectively the winner against Hertford when he played the ball through the legs of unfortunate Blues' keeper on that day, Louis O'Neill.
It was the home side who created the first chance of the second half. They won a free kick inside the Hertford half, which was initially played wide. However as the ball came back in, it was easily cleared by the Hertford defence. A few minutes later Hertford's Rob Luya went on what has become a characteristic solo run. Having easily evaded challenges from the home defence he tried to test the new Cockfosters 'keeper with a deft chip, but Curbelo was equal to the challenge and easily saved.
The ball was soon down the other end and the home side won another free kick. Matt Kearney hit a powerful shot goalwards, which brought a fine save out of Lee Robinson, at the expense of a corner. The corner kick was poorly hit behind and the chance wasted.
With Cockfosters now looking the more dominant of the two sides, Hertford Town made two substitutions. Chris Spiteri came on for Alex Scriven, who had been feeling the effects of a first half challenge, and Jamie Abbott replaced Joel Maybury in defence. The home side soon won another free kick though this was easily cleared. Hertford then won a corner, but Mitchell's cross evaded everyone and went harmlessly behind. Further substitutions then followed. For the Blues, Scott O'Donoghue came on for the tiring Mitchell, and Charlie Morgan and Rakim Richards replaced Bradley Osborne and Matt Brown for Cockfosters.
The home side soon won another free kick though this was easily cleared and the visitors immediately mounted a counter-attack. Owen Beale's cross found Jamie Abbott, but the substitute's shot, though firmly hit, was played over the bar. The ball was soon up the other end and the home side won a corner, though nothing came of it.
The game then deteriorated into a mirror of the dour performance that had been witnessed twelve days before. The spectators began to feel the cold creeping into toes, eyes began to glaze over and what had been a moderately entertaining spectacle turned to pain rather than pleasure. However, as full time approached, the visitors suddenly burst into life. After a rare attack they forced a corner. This was played short and it seemed they were playing for time, but then the ball was played into the Cockfosters box, where SCOTT O'DONOGHUE was on hand to head an excellent effort into the back of Curbelo's net and give the visitors an unexpected fourth goal. The referee then again played a couple of minutes extra time before blowing the final whistle.
Hertford Town now have yet another game to add to the end of season fixture mountain. No doubt this will also be played on a Thursday, with Tomorrow's World and Top Of The Pops just a dim and distant memory.
Final Score: Cockfosters 1 Hertford Town 4