Tuesday 31 March 2009
Spartan South Midlands Premier Division
Hertford Town 1 Cockfosters 1

Report by Jack Roberts

Hertford Town: 1. Lee Robinson, 2. Michael Cooper, 3. Ryan Gordon, 4. Jamie Nicholson, 5. Glenn Draper (capt), 6. Jamie Abbott, 7. Daryl Mitchell, 8. Owen Beale, 9. Troy Alexander-Jarrett, 10. Dave Hunt, 11. Lee Roberts. Subs Used: Alex Scriven (for Alexander-Jarrett, 74), Andy Chapman (for Mitchell, 84),Lee Garrity (for Roberts, 87)

A beautiful evening, perfect for football, saw a good turn out at Hertingfordbury Park for the visit of Cockfosters in what would be the third time the clubs had met in the month of March. After losing 2 - 1 in the league fixture at the beginning of the month, Hertford turned on the style to beat Cockfosters 4 -1 in the South Midlands Floodlight Cup, to earn a place in the next round of the competition. Hertford have been enjoying some fine form of late and although Saturdays encounter with Brimsdown Rovers resulted in a goalless draw, it was nonetheless an enjoyable game of football. As the teams lined up in front of the main stand, the crowd were eager for another good display.

As often seems to be the case in this league, the game kicked off at a frantic pace with the ball being knocked from one end to another without either team ever really having any meaningful possession. As it was, Hertford were the first to settle and began to make the ball move for them. The Blues' won a corner early in the match when Darryl Mitchell played Lee Roberts down the left wing only for the ball to be deflected behind. Unfortunately for the home team, the resulting kick came to nothing.
It was Cockfosters to attack next with Joe Greer sprinting down the left in what would be the first of many good runs from the number eleven, he took on the full back with a drop of the shoulder but then ran into Blue skipper Glenn Draper who forced the ball behind for a corner kick, which, when taken was well caught by Lee Robinson in the Hertford goal, who would later be named the Blues' March player of the month. Moments later, Robinson was forced to scamper out of his goal to meet the onrushing Greer, who he managed to dispossess with a sliding tackle.
Hertford began to take control of the game and played the ball to each other with some aplomb, having a perfect outlet in Lee Roberts who was ever ready to receive the ball on the left wing. In his first start since returning to the club, Roberts showed the crowd what a good player he is at holding the ball up under pressure and beating defenders with his pace and skill, however, his final ball into the box still requires work which was evident with a number of pointless crosses into the area. Despite this, his link up play with Darryl Mitchell was a highlight of this match as they appeared to complement each other perfectly.
After sixteen minutes Mitchell received the ball on the right wing and played the ball cross field to Owen Beale, before dashing across the area to again take possession prior to playing a delicious back heel to Roberts who was quickly surrounded and the ball scrambled behind for a corner kick. Minutes later another Hertford attack saw the ball land at the feet of Dave Hunt on the penalty spot, who turned and hit his shot narrowly over the cross bar.
Mitchell then showed some rare indecision as he waited far to long to release the ball so that when he did Beale had moved into an offside position, a good run let down by a poor pass. Mitchell was again in action moments later when he shot weakly into the side netting after Roberts had nutmegged the full back and whipped the ball into the box for him. Cockfosters then enjoyed an attack which resulted in Kessack hitting a left foot shoot wide of the left upright.
On 35 minutes, Hertford were awarded a free kick on the very edge of Cockfosters area which Mitchell lined up to take. He approached the ball and hit a sweet left foot shot which beat the wall and then the keeper before nestling in the top of the net. After much sustained pressure, Hertford well deserved the lead. Ten minutes later and a scramble in the Cockfosters box resulted in Nicky Martin handling the ball and gifting the Blues a penalty. Dave Hunt stepped up and shot the ball low with his right foot toward the left side of the goal. It was a bad penalty and the ball struck the outer edge of the post before going behind for a goal kick. It was the last meaningful action of the first half and meant the Blues trooped to the dressing room one up.
Whereas the first half had undoubtedly belonged to Hertford, the second period saw Cockfosters come alive and start to cause the Blues problems. Five minutes into the half and Robinson did well to come and punch clear after a fierce corner, taken from the left by Ewing. Moments later saw the first yellow of the game as Cockfosters' Curbelo was carded after a challenge on right back Ryan Gordon. Cockfosters then bafflingly began sending a succession of long balls toward the Hertford back four which were meat and drink for Glenn Draper who won every aerial ball and sent it back up the field. Cockfosters' next attack however was a meaningful one as Kessack advanced down the right wing and sent in a wicked cross only to watch on as Curbelo sent his header over the bar from three yards out. An hour gone and Cockfosters really start to turn up the heat as their wingers begin to enjoy some luck against the fullbacks only for cross after cross to be sent too deep to be of any danger to the Hertford goal. The good possession play that made the Blues' look so comfortable in the first half seemed to have been left in the changing room at half time and after such a run of games in such a short space of time, the players quickly started to tire as they chased the ball. Perhaps it was the frustration of this that resulted in Mitchell being booked for the Blues on 65 minutes.
After 74 minutes, Cockfosters made a change by bringing Papini on for Hutchings, followed moments later by Hertford sending Scriven onto the pitch in place of Alexander-Jarrett, who had done a lot of running but without ever really making an impression on the game. Hertford should have been given another penalty moments later when a Mitchell free kick was handballed by the Cockfosters wall. Unfortunately for the home team this was missed by the referee. This was to prove costly for the Blues as after 83 minutes, Ewing swung the ball into the Hertford box which was then headed back across goal for Richards to volley into the net.

In an attempt to re take the lead, Andy Chapman came off the Hertford bench to take the place of Darryl Mitchell. What followed however was a flurry of Cockfosters attacks as they tried to take advantage of their obviously tired opponents. Greer was unlucky not to win the game for the visitors when his shoot was deflected just wide of the post. In the closing minutes of the game Hertford gave a debut to Lee Garrity who replaced Lee Roberts. He almost marked his debut with a goal after showing great pace to steam into the area only for Daley the Cockfosters keeper to save with his legs. The final whistle sounded with the Blues rueing that missed penalty.