HONOURS EVEN IN A505 DERBY

ROYSTON TOWN FC v HITCHIN TOWN FC

Tuesday 15^th October 2019

Royston were fortunate to survive a lacklustre first-half display to eventually salvage a draw against local rivals Hitchin Town.

The Crows were well below par throughout the first half and Hitchin should really have had the game sewn up by half time, which they could quite conceivably of reached with a four-goal lead.

Their first chance arrived in the 17^th minute, as Joe Welch made an excellent low save from Alex Marsh, after a clever through ball from ex-Crow Bradley Bell. 10 minutes later the away team took the lead, as a long free-kick into the box was punched upwards instead of outwards by Welch and after the ball was headed across the box, Lewis Ferrell was able to volley low into the corner.

It was Ferrell who spurned 2 further gilt-edged chances, perhaps showing why he was playing as a centre half. In the 32^nd minute, a deep cross to the back post was headed down into the 6-yard box and with the goal gaping, Ferrell somehow managed to hit the bar, despite being under no pressure. In the 42^nd minute, Ferrell found himself in another good position but wastefully fired over.

The only real point of note for Royston in the first half came in the sending off, of assistant manager Chris Watters in the 37th minute. Having been booked by the referee the conversation rumbled on and a second yellow card was shown.

The half time interval saw a change of tact from Royston as Adam Murray was, not for the first time this season, deployed in an attacking role. A tactic that always opens a debate, but on this occasion, it definitely worked, as his muscular presence unsettled the Canaries defence, who had previously been completely untroubled.

Just short of the hour mark Murray was hauled to the ground, an offence that looked to occur just inside the Hitchin penalty area. To the chagrin of the home support the linesman, who had spotted the foul, decided it had happened outside the area. Up stepped Scott Bridges, but his well-executed shot was beaten away by a diving save from Charles Horlock.

The game was much more of a contest now and Hitchin were again indebted to Horlock in the 67^th minute as he smothered another Bridges effort, after he had initially done well to force Matt Bateman away from goal. Four minutes later Murray had a free header from an Ed Asafu-Adjaye cross, but he sent it wide of the post and shortly after this, Brandon Adams wasted another chance, as having rounded Horlock in the Hitchin goal, he shot high and wide, albeit from a difficult angle.

With the Crows very much on top, their cause was hampered by a red card for Bridges with 11 minutes left. A tangle with another ex-Crow, Jhai Dhillon, saw Dhillon somewhat easily fall to the ground, although Bridges had clearly raised his hands to give him the opportunity.

The game was still very much a contest, as Royston continued to search for an equaliser, although Marsh nearly put the game beyond them, as he raced clear of the home defence, only to see his shot deflected onto a post by Welch’s foot. With 5 minutes remaining the decision to move Murray upfront was resoundingly vindicated, as Welch’s long punt forward caused hesitation in the home defence. Murray didn’t need a second invitation to attack the bouncing ball on the edge of the box and he was rewarded, as he looped a header over Horlock to level the scores.

Royston continued to press forward, despite the uneven numbers, but it was Hitchin who nearly took the 3 points as Stephen Cawley worked himself some space on the edge of the Crows six-yard box, but Welch was alert to the danger and managed to block the shot and made sure that honours ended even.

Royston: 1-Welch, 2-Scott-Morriss, 3-Taylor, 4-Bridges, 5-Murray ©, 6-Crowther (12-Knight 63), 7-Asafu-Adjaye, 8-Watkins, 9-Adams, 10-Bateman, 11-Ofosu (14-Martin 46)

Unused: 15-Green, 16-Brathwaite, 17-Smart (GK)

MOM: Adam Murray

This match report is kindly sponsored by Lounge India.

Lounge India is an exceptional Indian Restaurant based in Royston. They take great pride and care in every aspect of producing the food from their wide an varied menu and also the service.  The authentic cooking methods used by their highly skilled and experienced chefs guarantee mouth-watering and memorable dishes. Lounge India insist on using only the finest natural ingredients in their dishes and each is cooked fresh to order. For more details visit Lounge India