Ash Trees 4 Hares 1, a.e.t.

[Swifty]

Perseverance and skill paid off in the end. It could have been a fiasco not of our making, but the boys done good.

 

The game started ten minutes late, I assume because Harefield turned up in their change white shirts and usual black shorts (didn't anyone at their club have the common sense to check our home colours?) and we were forced to compromise and wear the turquoise away shirts with white shorts and tangerine socks.

 

I'm so glad we don't play in the Spartan South Midlands League. Along with Berkhamsted, Harefield were the most cynical team to visit us this season. Unlike the Berkhamsted game, the ref was a worm. Harefield should definitely have been down to ten men just before half time for a potential leg-breaking challenge with no intent to play the ball, but the ref gave it the same punishment as dissent, i.e. a yellow card. Had the ref acted properly with the first dangerous Harefield foul in the the third minute and set the tone, he would have earned his fee. In the end, what a waste of seventy quid.

 

To compound matters, Harefield took a 14th minute lead through one of their two efforts on goal in the first half, albeit a fine cross and precise header by Harry Newman. Harefield played some good football when they actually tried which, sadly, wasn't that often, though our defence had to be alert several times and it wasn't all one-way traffic in the later stages. Dan Fleming was desperate to get one over on his old team but got no protection at all from the ref, yet justice was eventually done when a lovely run and through ball by powerhouse Conor set Dan up for a cool finish in the 72nd.

 

I thought we'd started extra time early as we had a 53 minute second half, but the lads made sure of the win in the extra 30. A lovely bit of play by Dan set up an unstoppable shot in off the post by Conor in the 100th, then came the goal of the night eight minutes later when some beautiful play by Bitz resulted in Conor curling an effort into the far corner from the edge of the box, with too much on it for the keeper's attempted stop, Not to be outdone, Dan finished off a piece of pinball in the Harefield box for his second in the 111th.

 

Last season I lambasted the team after an awful cup defeat to Harefield. No chance of that happening this time round. Well done. lads.

 

PS - I'm groundhopping in Suffolk this weekend, so Dan or Mark "Radio 2" Tobin will have to take over for the day - provided the flat battery in the mic's replaced in time!