Hitchin Town 1 - 2 Chesham United

1.&n= bsp; = ; Richard Hay= ward

2.&n= bsp; = ; John Kyriacou

3.&n= bsp; = ; Sam Ledger<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> = (goal 53 mins) &nb= sp;

4.&n= bsp; = ; Ollie Adedeji

5.&n= bsp; = ; Danny Talbo= t

6.&n= bsp; = ; Mark Lamber= t

7.&n= bsp; = ; Dave Fotheringham

8.&n= bsp; = ; Steve Wales=

9.&n= bsp; = ; Leon Archer=

10.&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Darrell Cox= = (booked 52 mins)

11.&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Michael Bardle

Subs:

12.&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Andy Keepence

Kevin Cotton
Dom Marsala (for <= st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Wales 75 mins)
Steve Obeng (for Talbot 75 mins, goal 90 mins)
Chris Bangura (for Cox 85= mins)

Chesham rounded off a= great week by ending Hitchin’s 100% league record and moving to within two points of them at the top of the table.&nb= sp; Hitchin were the better side in the opening half-hour and good value= for their early lead, but after that Chesham took control of the game although = it was only in the last minute of normal time that they grabbed the winner.

John Kyriacou returned to the starting line-up in the only change from the Cup replay at = Harrow. Danny Talbot played even though his wife had given birth to a boy only the day before. After an uneventful o= pening Hitchin took the lead in the twelfth minute, when Jeff Hammond broke down t= he right and crossed for Jamie Arlick to score from close range. In the next minu= te Danny Talbot’s 30-yard free kick brought a spectacular save from home keeper Martin Bennett, but Hitchin then enjoyed their best spell of the game. H= ammond set up Arlick for a shot that produced a fine s= ave from Hayward, then a long ball from former Chesham man Tony Fontenelle forced Hayward to come out and head clear to = Hammond who lobbed over the empty net. Hammond then had another shot turned behind by Hayward as Chesham struggled to get out of their own half, but just after the half-hour mark Darrell Cox’s through pass found Leon Archer who held off a defender = and rounded the keeper only to roll the ball against a post.<= /p>

Chesham took heart fr= om the near miss and John Kyriacou was just off target= with a long-range effort, then Archer broke clear and Bennett spread himself to save, Danny Talbot got to the loose ball first but his effort came off defe= nder Dean Gilbert and cleared the bar. Darrell Cox then sent Archer clear to slip the ball past the advanci= ng keeper but the ball grazed the outside of the post. In stoppage time Hitchin broke awa= y and Hammond’s shot was parried by Hayward and Ollie = Adedeji just got to the loose ball first.

Early in the second h= alf Hitchin’s Ieuan Lewis somehow worked his = way along the by-line only for Hay= ward to parry, but Chesham now had control of the game. Leon Archer sent Steve Wales clear= and Bennett came out to save and Dave Fotheringham’s= effort from fully 50 yards sailed over the bar. Chesham then won a free kick on th= e left and after the referee had booked Cox for dissent, Danny Talbot crossed to t= he far post where Sam Ledger stole in unmarked to head home. Midway through the half Hitchin br= ought on former Chesham man Lance Gentle-King as an extra defender as they fought= to stem the tide. There was a br= ief flurry of activity at both ends, Darrell Cox’s shot took a deflection= off Mark Smith but Bennett saved, then Lewis crossed and A= rlick’s header was acrobatically tipped over by Hayward. The game was becoming a stalemate = with Chesham dominating but struggling to find a way through, but Chesham made a double substitution with 15 minutes left, then brought on Chris Bangura for Cox who had just come off the night shift= at work. The three substitutes w= ere all involved in Chesham’s last-minute winner. Dom Marsala&#= 8217;s crossfield pass was picked up by Chris Bangura on the left, and he held the ball up until St= eve Obeng made a late run into the box and Bangura’s cross was touched into the net by Obeng from six yards.

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