This week saw us lining up against the old enemy Hadlow Harrow. After a year apart Hadlow have now joined us in the top flight. I think both sides always look forward to these games and over the years the results have normally been close with the spoils going both ways. Luckily we made it to kick off with no threats of violence or boxer-esq trading of insults at the press conference. I certainly wasn’t going to announce that the game would be as one sided as a gang rape, I’ll leave that to messers Haye and Harrison (Audley that is!)
B&A went in to the game with a strong line-up and strong look to the squad, although Kenny forgot to turn up so we lacked some height on the bench.
The game started, and continued as a scrappy affair. The boys in black and red never really got the ball down and played. To be fair to the home side that was down to their dogged and physical performance. They didn’t give the B&A any time to think or move on the ball, closing everything down straight away. Something that Hobbit and Co weren’t doing. So it was no surprise that Hadlow opened the scoring with a well worked goal. This sparked a reaction and Blackham started to create chances. 2Gun was looking after the ball well up top and ran his socks off trying to close down the Hadlow back four. James Lattimer then had his first chance of the game and shot from 18 yards straight at the young Hadlow keeper. It looked harmless enough but someone the ball squirmed out from underneath his body and Hobbit was on hand to feed off the scraps that he so loves. A typical grubby Hobbit goal 1-1. It wasn’t long before the pressure paid off again. This time a long throw in to the box from the Mantis was expertly flicked on by Adam Jefferies with a stooping header. Hobbit, with his back to goal laid the ball back to Latts who let fly from 8 yards to put the boys in black and red in front for the first time.
We started the second half a lot brighter forcing a corning in the early stages. Baggo whipped over a trademark cross and Gandhi rose highest to nod home. Blackham then looked like the dominant force the next 30 minutes or so but still were slightly untidy at the back. Hobbit made way for the young Zac Shing to come on and run the tired Hadlow legs ragged and even gave his PE teacher a lesson or two in how to beat your man. Grant Jefferies came on to make his debut at the back replacing the heavy legs of gent Jim. 2Gun was still leading the line well and started to match the Hadlow boys in the air and in terms of effort. A lapse of concentration at the back let Harrow in to snatch a 2nd goal to set up a nervy finish but the B&A boys hung on for the 3 points.
Sometimes you have to win ugly and that’s what today was but still another good three points to keep us at the top of the tree.
