With both teams challenging for second place in the B division, this match had all the hallmarks of a tough and edgy encounter. A strong wind blowing straight down the pitch added to the intensity and made for tricky playing conditions throughout.
The corresponding fixture at HTC earlier in the season had ended 1-1 thanks to a late equaliser from Steven Fazackerly. However Horndean were robbed of Steven’s talents for this fixture as he hadn’t fully recovered from the back injury he had picked up the week before.
Horndean settled more quickly than their hosts and with the wind at their backs played some impressive and flowing football. However the wind wasn’t quite as advantageous as many would have thought as a number of through balls ended up outrunning their intended targets and a number of promising breaks came to nothing.
Chances proved to be few and far between for both sides. The few that came the Hawks’ way were met by a Meon Milton goalkeeper showing the same fine form he displayed to deny Horndean earlier in the season.
Horndean’s 5-man midfield were winning the decisive battles in the middle of the park but it was proving hard to breakdown a Meon Milton defensive line that had only conceded 10 league goals this season.
Some excellent build-up play on the Horndean right saw Jake Lynch deliver an excellent ball beyond the Meon defence. Euan Condron managed to stretch for the ball but couldn’t direct it on target.
Jake had another opportunity towards the end of the first half when a fierce drive with the outside of his right foot went tantalisingly beyond the far post with the home keeper scrambling.
The second half saw Meon use the wind advantage to put Horndean under more pressure and this time it was the turn of visiting keeper, Anthony Batchelor, to shine.
Despite the pressure Horndean continued to play a solid passing game from defence to attack and created a number of half-chances that with a little more luck could have put the Hawks on top.
Meon came close to breaking the deadlock on 2 occasions. First, a corner from the left was met with a powerful header that came crashing off the bar and was cleared to safety. Then, with the final seconds ticking away, another corner from the left managed to evade everyone in a congested penalty box and drifted beyond the far post.
In the end a draw was a fair result and keeps the Hawks’ push for promotion on track as the season heads for an exciting climax.
Horndean put up a spirited display and halted Meon’s run of 3 straight wins. They also became the first team this season to stop Meon Milton from scoring.
Final score – Meon Milton Kanus 0, Horndean Hawks Raptors 0
