Hitchin Town
1
Gillard (80)
Slough Town
0
League
Attendance: 817
Brian Lee
You just know it isn't going to be your day sometimes. Like whet you turn up at Hitchin's Top Field Stadium to be greeted by the rather unattractive spectacle of a busload of foul mouthed Enfield supporters camped behind Trevor Bunting's goal.
Quite what this particular 'barmy army' hoped to achieve I don't know; they certainly succeeded in so unsettling the Rebels that they handed the game to the home side, while launching barrages of abuse towards Bunting, Andy Sayer and particularly Dave Russell. Stood side by side with exemplary Slough fans in the second-half, no confrontations thankfully took place.
But would you see Rebels supporters turning up at Enfield games and behaving this way? The answer is a resounding no, and it must be hoped that such an incident is not repeated, if not for sportsmanship then for safety's sake.
The behaviour of the 'fans' was certainly more interesting than anything that happened on the pitch, save for the only goal of the game on 80 minutes, with Slough sunk without trace in midfield and unable to punish a Hitchin side who hardly looked interested at all.
Though the visitors held the balance of play, it took Bunting's undoubted ability to prevent an early shock. Rising above the abuse, he dived low to gather Williams' header on 11 minutes and then scrambled he ball away with his feel when danger man Shaun Marshall's header took a wicked deflection off Brian Lee.
Only when Bushay slipped he ball past a hopelessly lost Wilmott from a corner did the Hitchin defence have to really panic, slicing the ball away before it could reach the goal-line. That was typical of he lack of real ideas which the Rebels displayed all afternoon.
When the goal came it was he culmination of 20 frustrating minutes. Gillard had beady headed just wide of his own post in, sadly, Slough's best chance of the game, but was facing the right 'keeper when he met Covington's well-judged ball with a 20-yard shot past the badly-positioned Bunting.
The Rebels' own fans demand promotion; it looks increasingly unlikely. But the prospect of Enfield in the Conference is too much to bear.
Quite what this particular 'barmy army' hoped to achieve I don't know; they certainly succeeded in so unsettling the Rebels that they handed the game to the home side, while launching barrages of abuse towards Bunting, Andy Sayer and particularly Dave Russell. Stood side by side with exemplary Slough fans in the second-half, no confrontations thankfully took place.
But would you see Rebels supporters turning up at Enfield games and behaving this way? The answer is a resounding no, and it must be hoped that such an incident is not repeated, if not for sportsmanship then for safety's sake.
The behaviour of the 'fans' was certainly more interesting than anything that happened on the pitch, save for the only goal of the game on 80 minutes, with Slough sunk without trace in midfield and unable to punish a Hitchin side who hardly looked interested at all.
Though the visitors held the balance of play, it took Bunting's undoubted ability to prevent an early shock. Rising above the abuse, he dived low to gather Williams' header on 11 minutes and then scrambled he ball away with his feel when danger man Shaun Marshall's header took a wicked deflection off Brian Lee.
Only when Bushay slipped he ball past a hopelessly lost Wilmott from a corner did the Hitchin defence have to really panic, slicing the ball away before it could reach the goal-line. That was typical of he lack of real ideas which the Rebels displayed all afternoon.
When the goal came it was he culmination of 20 frustrating minutes. Gillard had beady headed just wide of his own post in, sadly, Slough's best chance of the game, but was facing the right 'keeper when he met Covington's well-judged ball with a 20-yard shot past the badly-positioned Bunting.
The Rebels' own fans demand promotion; it looks increasingly unlikely. But the prospect of Enfield in the Conference is too much to bear.
Slough Town Lineup
- 1 Trevor Bunting
- 2 Andy Clement
- 3 Brian Lee
- 4 Steve Bateman
- 5 Trevor Baron
- 6 Dave Lay
- 7 Neil Catlin
- 8 Andy Sayer
- 9 Mark West
- 10 Garfield Blackman
- 11 Ansil Bushay
Substitutes
- 12 Brian Connor
- 14 Mark Watkins
- 15 Delroy Preddie