New player/manager Chris Burman revealed his ruthless side by making 4 changes to his starting XI and that included dropping his brother to the bench! Time would tell as to how this would affect the performance of the men in Lincoln green!
Anyway Old Herts started brightly enough with a ball from Want to Smith leading to their first attack, only stopped by a Thundridge hand ball. Want’s free kick flew over the bar. A further attack developed when Paget from right back played the ball up to Smith, he sent Want away down the wing, but his low cross was scrambled away.
Jowitt was called to sweep up Thundridge’s first meaningful attack and his pass to Want was pushed up to Barnes, who had his first attempt on goal. Then Bolton with a good call from his goal line received the ball and launched a long kick down the middle for Smith to have a clean strike that was well held by the Thundridge keeper.
Unfortunately for Old Herts on 10 minutes a soft penalty was given away for the second successive week when Brooks was adjudged to have impeded a Thundridge forward and was given a yellow card for his protested innocence. This was later to have further implications as we shall see. However the penalty was taken and bobbled unconvincingly into the corner of the net.
Old Herts Athletic 0 Thundridge 1
Brooks immediately made up for this though when two well directed headers turned defence into attack. Firstly allowing Want and Smith to combine to set up Burman for a shot and then set Rob Christian away for a powerful run down the right wing. Paget, Luke Morris and Smith played a neat triangle, as Old Herts started to play football, but Thundridge were also trying to impose themselves on the game and a lot of their movement involved their tricky left winger who favoured cutting inside Paget whenever he could. A dangerous cross was headed away by Jowitt, but the clearance was met by a Thundridge midfielder whose well struck shot was capably saved by Bolton and this was quickly followed by another Thundridge cross that was not converted.
Darren Moss at left back for the Lincoln greens made a purposeful interception and passed to Barnes, allowing him to run at the Thundridge defence again. Old Herts continued attempts to keep the ball moving were being frustrated by a number of niggly fouls in midfield by their opponents (some given, some not!) and by Thundridge’s attitude that if a foul was given they’d kick the ball away, so preventing a free kick to be taken quickly. Burman in midfield passed the ball on to Moss and his pass to Smith gained a throw-on level with the Thundridge penalty area. Moss’s throw was headed on by Smith to Christian whose shot went narrowly wide.
Burman then gave away a foul 25 yards out from his own goal with the free kick being deflected and Bolton had to move sharply to his left to push the ball around the post. The best move of the match so far developed on 35 minutes with Bolton kicking the ball up to Morris, back to Smith onto Burman through to Christian whose shot again went wide.
The final incident of the first half was a gentlemanly debate followed by some handbags at dawn, when Morris earned himself a yellow card for an agricultural tackle!
The second half commenced with some good attacking pressure from Thundridge and also some unnecessary complaining! Rob Christian was crudely brought down on the half way line, before Want had a chance on goal. A Thundridge attack down the wing resulted in their low shot being blocked, as they began to apply some sustained pressure. Moss, Luke Morris and Dylan Thomas (on for Barnes) were involved in a fluent move that again set Christian up for a shot, as now it was Thundridge’s time to soak up some Old Herts pressure.
Burman was trying to gain some control in midfield and received a Thundridge boot in his face for his efforts (The Thundridge player only receiving a talking to from the ref), but soon after his through ball put Morris in on a one to one with the keeper and his firm low shot was frantically kicked away (Luke did admit afterwards that he should have scored!) and then Moss’s throw to Morris set Smith up for a screaming shot that went narrowly over the bar.
Thundridge in turn had a shot that struck the post low to Bolton’s left as both teams tired in the warm afternoon sun and the game became stretched.
On 67 minutes Old Herts made a double substitution Reeves replacing Morris and Rob Burman replacing Paget. Jowitt immediately using Rob Burman for him to make a run down the wing.
Reeves decided to use his experience to ruffle some feathers in the Thundridge defence and Chris Burman was winning everything in midfield, but it increasingly looked like some inspiration was needed if Old Herts were to score the equaliser they were searching for. Bolton was required to make a smart save, but Thundridge were becoming nervous of throwing their lead away. Chris Burman made a driving run from midfield to see his 25 yard shot go wide and Want’s mazy run forced a corner, Brooks being unlucky when his header went narrowly wide.
The Lincoln Green’s well organised defence were proving more than adequate in squeezing down their opponents and preventing any clear cut chances, although Brooks did have to intervene with an excellent covering tackle before setting up a further attack. Chris Burman had another shot deflected for a corner and Dylan Thomas and Christian combined well down the right but the required inspiration was not forthcoming.
The most controversial moment of this match however occurred in the dying minutes. After Rob Burman conceded a free kick just outside the box, Brooks received a second yard card and was sent off. Interpretations of the event vary, was it for dissent or was it for kicking the ball away, no-one seems to know except that all his team mates were supportive of him, but in any event given the events that had occurred prior in the match it did seem harsh.
So with Thundridge just about hanging on the game came to a close.
The mood in the changing room and the end was sombre, quiet and heads were down. The manager’s words were hard but fair, the fitness level are not high enough for the new division and last year’s glories don’t win matches at this level. What is sure is that when the ball is passed 10 yards to feet or to space into which a man can realistically run, when 50/50 tackles are won and when shots are on target games are won. And that’s based on fitness!
