Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round, Saturday 16th August
This was my first Saturday football in the UK for quite a few weeks, but it was a good one as I finally got myself over to Hitchin Town's Top Field, and it is a top field in every sense of the word let me tell you, I have heard lots of good things about it, so have always wanted to visit it myself.
Today was that day, and they were up against a familiar side to myself, and a side that are just up the road from where I live, Grays Athletic, in the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup, the hosts were a Step Three side last term but suffered relegation and are now in the Southern League One Central, which is the same level as Grays who are competing in the Isthmian One North.
Before I go on to put some meat on the bones of how this game could play out and did play out, a little bit about the ground, well it has a nice bar and lots of space to drink in, lots of TV screens and projectors showing live football and all the channels you would associate with a football club, and once inside the ground you are met with a wonderful stadium which has plenty of character too it, and considering how old the ground is, it's very good indeed.
I love these old grounds, obviously some of it has been touched up over the years, but the lovely old seated stand on one side, a superb open terrace at one end, a nice sized covered one which bends around the other end and then an old wooden terraced stand on the other side behind the dug outs, it really is a wonderful place to watch football, it also has a lovely tea bar with friendly staff serving you decent grub, even if it is a bit pricey!!!
One other thing I'd like to mention, after I had walked as far away from the tea bar as possible, I fancied a coffee, and I just happened to mention this to a club official in a lovely club suite, he had just come out of the boardroom, and he duly took me into their and got some one to make me a coffee, I mean how cool is that, very much appreciated, it's not a bad little boardroom either, so whatever happened after this didn't really matter, my day had already been made and enjoyable.
Right, to the game, Hitchin were probably favourites to win this game, they had kept largely the same squad from the season before when they were relegated from Step Three and were amongst the favourites to take the Southern One Central and get back up, Grays themselves knew this would be a tough game but they also had a decent squad assembled by the management for this campaign and were equally ready to give the season a crack and make the play offs at least.
Both sides had started their league campaigns last weekend and both had record one win and one defeat so far, Grays did gave to beat Essex Senior League Barking in the Extra Preliminary Round whereas Hitchin were beginning their journey in this years competition, so based on both sides starts, there wasn't a lot in it, but people in the know knew that the visitors would have to play very well if they were going to record a positive outcome.
Well, the opening exchanges were very promising for the Essex side, and they took a 12th minute lead when a cross from the right saw Callum Fitzer send a wonderful first time volley beyond hosts keeper Joshua Bowler and give them the early advantage, stunning the home crowd of almost 500 and sending the decent sized visiting support wild, it had been a very good start to this contest for Grays.
Hitchin had a lot of possession but found the Grays defence a tough nut to crack, and to be honest keeper George Marsh had very little to do as his defence put in a few blocks to deny the hosts any chance of testing him, and in fact Grays, who had the dangerous Jayden Silcott-Brown as an outlet down the right hand side, could easily have doubled their lead when a break from a hosts attack saw him burst in down the right, see an effort deflect towards the far stick, and seemingly find strike partner Luke Hirst to apply a finishing touch.
But no, a superb last ditch clearance from right under Hirst's nose from full back Lewis Franklin denied the visitors, it was a goal saving challenge if ever I saw one, and it kept the hosts only a goal behind rather than two, Hitchin's best chance of the half did see striker Taylor Rhiney get across his marker to glance a header just over the bar rather in into the net, it meant the visitors would go into the break a goal ahead and executing their game plan to perfection.
Hitchin once again had plenty of possession in the second period, but they just could not penetrate a solid and organised visiting back line, and the frustrations were clear to see, they were running out of ideas as the second period went on, Grays were just happy to soak it all up and repel, although they offered very little going forward in the second period and their were some rather tired bodies out there.
They kept plugging away though, and it just seemed as though Hitchin would not find that leveller, too many final balls were wanting as they tried to force the issue, caused by some superb defensive play from the visitors who were mastering a perfect gameplan and away performance, again Marsh was rarely tested in the visitors goal due to defensive blocks and wayward finishing, although they did come close when the ball struck the base of Grays post late on, and at that moment you could have been forgiven that this was the visitors day.
However, there was to be one last twist in this tie, as in the 95th minute the hosts mounted one last attack down the left, and saw Callum Kane send a ball into the box which glanced of Rhiney's head straight into the head of Grays centre half Lewis Clark and saw the ball fly perfectly beyond Marsh into the far corner, and hand the hosts a late late equaliser.
It was gutting for the visitors who had worked so so hard in this game, and had up till that point done everything correctly, but one moment right at the end of the game had denied them what would have been a superb hard working win against the odds, and saw Hitchin live to fight another day, Wednesday in fact, in a replay against Grays at Chadfields in Tilbury.
A good cup tie though and fair play to the hosts who didn't give up even if it looked as though it wasn't going to be their day, Grays will no doubt fancy their chances at home in midweek but Hitchin will certainly be a threat still and will equally fancy winning second time round, should be a decent replay that, that's for Wednesday, but today was a very enjoyable day, played at a marvellous venue.
Full time Hitchin Town 1 Grays Athletic 1
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