What ended up as a very satisfying win for the Blues could have been completely different, and we may even have seen Kevin Cooper start a match in goal. With Mark Virgo and Nick Barnaby suffering from ankle ligament damage and a broken foot respectively, manager Dave Greenwood was looking increasingly worried before the game as James Sturgeon, who had deputised for the previous two games, did not turn up, and worryingly, was not answering his phone. At 7pm a call was made to Pat O’Brien who had made a first team start earlier in the season in the Challenge Trophy game against Welwyn Garden City. Paddy was just settling down to watch the Champions League game on TV, but was persuaded to give up his night of leisure and eventually ran into the ground just ten minutes before kick off.

There were five other changes to the team which had started on Saturday. Phil Goss returned from a two match break and started on the left in place of Lee Roberts who was on holiday. Ashley McAloon and Michael Bakare replaced Nicky Marsh and Pablo Ardiles as full backs, Paul Taylor started in place of Ryan Wade, and Dave Greenwood gave Glenn Draper a rest for an hour as he replaced him at centre back.

Hertford Town: 1. Pat O’Brien 2. Ashley McAloon 3. Michael Bakare 4. Kevin Kilroy 5. Dave Greenwood (Glenn Draper, 60) 6. Paul Taylor 7. Phil Goss 8. Luke Smith 9. Ryan Redford 10. Kevin Cooper (Nicky Marsh, 89) 11. Leo Turner Unused subs: Mark Seller, Ryan Wade

Harefield United: 1. Steve Flower 2. Daryl Craft 3. Craig Totton 4. Gary Williams 5. Alex Brown 6. Paul Haynes 7. Tom Lewis 8. Murray Williamson 9. Danny Jordan 10. Michael Livesey 11. Sean Sonner Subs: 12. Michael Woolner 14. Luke Eldridge 15. Dave Collins
In the game the first moment of note came when Paul Taylor was booked for a scything challenge 5 minutes in. Ten minutes later in almost exactly the same spot, 40 yards out on the right, a free kick was awarded to Hertford. Kevin Kilroy took it, did a quick one two with Kevin Cooper and lobbed the ball into the area where it found the head of LUKE SMITH, who made no mistake with a powerful header past Flower in the Harefield goal.

Phil Goss, who had been missed in the last two games, was involved in several moves down the left. In the first he took a long throw near the touch line and found Kevin Cooper in the area who tried to turn and get a corner off his marker but just failed. In the second, a long ball down the line by Bakare found Goss who took it to the line and crossed. This time Smith’s header was just wide. Just a minute later a similar move by Bakare and Goss resulted in a corner which Goss took. Dave Greenwood got on the end of it and his powerful header hit the bar.

Bakare was having a good game on the left, and also cleared a couple of times from defence when Harefield got into the Hertford box just after the half hour mark. Most of the attacking in the first half was coming from the Blues though, as on 38 minutes a Leo Turner shot from 30 yards was parried by the keeper onto the post and out for a corner which Goss took and an acrobatic bicycle kick by Turner was tipped over the bar by Flower.

Bakare was booked for kicking the ball away five minutes before half time. There were chances for both teams just before the break. Firstly Sonner shot point blank at O’Brien who produced an excellent save, and then Ashley McAloon shot wide at the other end.

Half Time: Hertford Town 1 Harefield United 0

Hertford should have been two up shortly into the second half when Goss put a through ball to Kevin Cooper, who scooped it over the bar. Williamson was booked for a foul on Redford just before the hour mark, then Draper replaced Greenwood at centre back and Woolner replaced Lewis for the Hares.

Ten minutes later O’Brien made a brilliant save from a header by Sean Sonner, and then a shot by Redford on the turn went over the bar. Sonner tried again with a header which went wide. With not much time remaining, Woolner was booked for dissent and Marsh replaced Cooper. Right at the end O’Brien made another good save to give the Blues all 3 points and ensure that the Hares joined Leverstock Green and Biggleswade Town in not scoring against us this season.

Full Time: Hertford Town 1 Harefield United 0



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