Hitchin Town 0-3 Stourbridge - report by Pipeman with pictures from Peter Else

Hitchin Town

Charlie Horlock, Alex Brown, Dan Akubuine, Ryan Smith, Dan Webb, captain, Ciaren Jones, Lawrie Marsh, (Kye Tearle), Josh Coldicott-Stevens,(Lewis Barker), Rio Dasilva, Luke Brown, (Steve Cawley), Henry Snee.

Substitutes not used: Daniel Gyasi, Joshua Hinds and Ethan Moran.

Officials

Referee: Mr A Hitchcox, assisted by Mr J Keane and Mr T Cartwright.

Attendance: 341

Report by Pipeman

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I was reliably informed that the last time Stourbridge won a match was last season – against Hitchin, and it was 1-0 to the game where Charlie Horlock was sent off within five minutes.

That was a narrow win for the Glassboys, but today they shattered all hopes of a Hitchin win and won their first game of the season at the tenth attempt.

Until today their four points had come from draws and today one might say their season has not got into gear, and the way they played left me wondering how they were bottom of the table. Thanks to those three points to day they have climbed above the relegation zone, which is now gloomily containing the Canaries.

Let me say at once that there can be no complaints.

The score reflects the run of play, and had it not been for the acrobatics of Charlie Horlock, the Glassboys might have had a few more.

How much of a psychological blow it is to lose, at home to a team that had not won a league match so far remains to be seen, but there will, no doubt, be some soul-searching as the home performance constituted a rather meek surrender.

The Hitchin display was as dismal as the weather, with a distinct vulnerability in an oddly error prone defence and a lack of firepower was painfully noticeable.

Playing in their away strip of blue and black stripes, it was not much fun for the home supporters to see their team beaten black and blue in such a systematic manner, and there were indications of this right from the kick-off.

Hitchin had been awarded a very early corner, held by charlie Price who instigated a move along the left, where both Ben O'Hanlon and Darryl Knights looked dangerous, aided and abetted by Montel Gibson.

Knights put in a testing shot, held by Horlock and once again the Hitchin propensity for conceding free-kicks in inviting areas was on show.

This one was wasted, but another problem was soon in evidence. It is fashionable for teams to 'play out from the back', you know, total football and all that but even professional players mess this up and Hitchin's insistence on this tactic has caused some alarming moments of dispossession and immediate counter- attack.

One of these moments saw a corner conceded and the ball thankfully landing on the roof of the net rather than in it.

One move involving this ponderous playing out from the back saw a succession f passes back and forth and then the forward ball saw a player caught off-side.

This was just a glitch for the Glassboys whose attacking was as persistent as the rain, urged on by a knot of supporters who stood on the open terracing in the rain, with one banging a drum with gusto.

There was interruption when Luke Brown really did have a gilt-edged chance but his shot was turned away for a corner. O'Hanlon fired on target for Stourbridge after good work from Usher-Shipway.

Knights and O'Hanlon combined again and won a corner which saw a shot from McQuilkin, that went wide. There was an alarming moment when Hitchin were caught asleep, following the award of a free-kick that was taken before anyone could draw breath and this gave O'Hanlon a free-shot that Horlock was able to keep out.

Another free-kick in a scoring area was conceded by Hitchin, and, somewhat unaccountably, Reece Styche put this over the bar and really ought to have done better. He atoned for this later, but it was not the only golden chance he wasted.

Hitchin's next free-kick was better but the header from Josh Coldicott-Stevens was straight at Price. Hitchin continued to look leaky at the back and it always seemed that there would be a neat ball dinked ahead of the defence and as we approached half an hour it did seem that a Stourbridge goal was forthcoming.

Their play had been confident and positive, and they went one up with a slightly untidy effort following a corner in the twenty-seventh minute with the troublesome O'Hanlon getting the final touch in the crowded goal area. It was deserved, given the run of play, and it ought to have galvanised the hosts into more aggressive forward play, but at this stage it did not.

Instead, the Glassboys went looking for another one before half-time and a Knights cross was 'awarded' with Horlock's acrobatic save nearly causing him a mischief.

Gibson was given a reprimand for the challenge, but it must be added that this was a clean game without a single caution, the referee preferring a wagging finger to the yellow card, which was good to see.

At this stage skipper Dan Webb was exhorting his team mates in as loud a fashion as Charlie Horlock, but it had little impact on play. A fee-kick by Dasilva aimed at Webb was defended and at the other end a Stourbridge shot only just cleared the cross bar.

With the more creative play attributed to Stourbridge it was, at times, uncomfortable viewing, and it seemed that Hitchin had their own fuel crisis since they really did need to step on the gas.

Stourbridge finished the half as they had begun, with purposeful attacks, with sometimes effortless winning of possession in midfield.

During the interval I chatted with Stourbridge officials, and, although they were pleased at their team's performance, they told me that their team had not so far put two really positive displays on in both halves.

Well, this was the game they did, and then some. But there was a little bit of hope for Hitchin, when, following a Marsh cross, Wilson faltered a little in defending and on a more charitable day his defensive move might have put the ball in his own net. He did not, and it is true to say we were clutching at straws.

An optimistic long through ball for the isolated Snee saw the Stourbridge goalie out smartly to see to that one, and a following cross for the hard-working Akubuine saw Price gather that without hindrance.

I will add that following this, Hitchin did get the ball into the net, but the offside flag ruled that out. When it rains, it pours, forgive the pun.

But this was a positive period for Hitchin who did manage to exert themselves, and being just a goal down, well, all things were possible. The hosts forced successive corners, one with a move from Smith and Brown, but Price punched away and there was a pivotal moment when it seemed that an unlikely equaliser might just occur, O'Hanlon cleared off the line. It unhappily proved to be the last real threat on the Stourbridge goal. There was a decent cross from Jones, but the hapless Snee just could not connect.

Then what we most feared to happen, happened, and cutting in from the right, Styche returned to accuracy and scored a handsome second goal for the Glassboys on the hour mark.

It was a bitter pill to swallow and made recovery all the more difficult. Yes, there was a bit of enterprising play from red-booted Alex Brown, but his effort was cleared and Styche boldly tried a lob from range, which Horlock gathered almost indignantly. Such cavalier moments occur when you are two goals to the good and the hosts seemed to have shot their bolt.

A fine move involving Knights and Styche saw the former provide a perfect pass and the latter has no reasonable excuse for not bagging his hat-trick instead of aiding autumnal weather by knocking a few leaves off the trees behind the Fishpond Road end. He had another go, following a defensive stumble, but Horlock was there again.

Barker came on as a substitute and was later joined by Tearle but this made little difference, and Brown's next effort was a mere token.

With Tearle brought down there was a wasted free-kick, and we returned to the imperious forward play from Stourbridge, happily in control and heading with ease to their first win and, consequently, a rise out of the bottom spot.

The third goal was scored as if to emphasise the away team's dominance and it came with a minute of normal time remaining and it was man of the match Styche again, and what a fine shot it was, the unsporting bounder!

The final whistle went and, as usual in a bad defeat, some supporters were giving me angry advice on what to write, and believe me, I felt for them.

I did have a brief chat with manager Mark Burke after the game and he told me that Stourbridge were a quality team who had no business being bottom of the division.

He was right, but had we played a lot better they might still be there, but I suspect that they are in recovery mode.

Being third from bottom now, in the dreaded R word region, Hitchin do need to get their act together and very soon.

Of course it is early days but an improvement is urgently required. The team travels to Huntingdonshire on Tuesday for a League Cup clash with Division One Central St Neots.

In this a proper performance is necessary as there follows a tricky away trip to Hednesford a few days later.

We know there are no easy games, (are there ever?), but it must be said that on more than one occasion we have made it hard for ourselves.

Having said that, it must be added that the Stourbridge performance was masterful and they fully deserved the points.

Read Pipeman's reports on the Hitchin Town website