Hertford Town 3 – 2 Wealdstone
Hertford Town3 - 2
WealdstoneApril Fools.
A poor pitch and a Stones team who failed to compete or to cope with the rutted surface, yet they should have been well in front by half time.
Stones scored first when Jolly reacted quickest to a corner to poke the ball home, only to see poor defending concede an equaliser five minutes later. Two or three other chances were created as Stones dominated the first half possession but to no avail, and it was Hertford that could have been in front at half time as a breakaway saw the ball rebound from a post, thee rebound headed off the line by James Fisher.
It was not a good half for either team of the officials, the three in black seemingly unaware of a number of challenges and incidents that on another day would have brought a flurry of cards.
The second half continued in the same vein with a brawl after two minutes, one yellow card the result, but five minutes later Hertford took the lead when a poor pass from Burgess was intercepted in the Stones half and a number of failed clearances allowed Leggatt to score. The lead was only to last three minutes as Morgan bundled the ball home and Stones for a short while found their feet forcing the home side back, but to be fair neither side looked like scoring.
That was until a breakaway again released Moore and he looped a shot into the top corner from fully thirty yards to give the home side the points, and leaving the Wealdstone side questioning what was wrong.
Wealdstone: Andy Carter, Lee Gardener (s10 James Fisher), Rob Courtnage (b65), Mark Burgess (s62 Tommy Williams), Matt Carvell, Martin Carter, Robin Tucker, Richard Jolly (28), Dave Ryan (s62 Mickie Swaysland), Marvin Morgan (59), Danny Tilbury, Subs not used: Andy Myhill, Billy Amartiefio
Harrow Times
Hertford Town 3 -2 Wealdstone
From the highs of the efficient win at Oxford on Saturday, Wealdstone sunk to the depths with this defeat by bottom placed Hertford, who hadn’t won in the league since Boxing day, nor at home since September, writes Steve Paull.
Stones took the lead after Rob Courtnage’s corner was cleared back out to him. The second ball into the box rebounded from all the heads at the far post to where Richard Jolly gleefully thumped it past Fitkin.
Hertford equalised soon after the Wealdstone defence seemed to disappear as Draper’s long ball found Turner in the clear to round Andy Carter and slot the ball into the unguarded net.
The home side emerged for the second half with a more aggressive frame of mind.
Just before the hour mark the accepted script was thrown away as the home side took the lead. Four failed attempts to clear lead to the ball falling to Leggatt on the edge of the box where his cross-shot beat Carter’s despairing dive to the left.
To Wealdstone’s credit on this frustrating night, they equalised within two minutes when Marvin Morgan forced the ball home from close range after Jolly had won a header at the far post.
Substitutions were now made by Stones in an attempt to go for the win,
but unfortunately they did not improve on what had by now become a direslog.
A draw was looking like the inevitable result until a moment of slackness in the Stones defence lost it. Leggatt, without a Wealdstone player anywhere near, arced his shot spectacularly over Carter.
Steve Paull