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Chelmsford City 1-0 Hendon, Saturday 3rd February 2007, Chelmsford Sport & Athletics Centre, Kick-Off 3:00pm, Ryman League Premier Division.
Jeff King's Clarets returned to winning ways after Jason Hallett marked his return to the side with a 59th-minute clincher versus Hendon on Saturday in Melbourne which ended City's recent poor run. He swept home the rebound after Mario Noto's free-kick was spilled to earn Chelmsford three crucial points and keep them four points from top spot in front of another four-figure crowd. Hallett was preferred to Kezie Ibe as the lone striker to face the North Londoners while in midfield there were two important returns. Noto came back into the side following his one-match suspension while a surprise selection saw Fiston Manuella rated sufficiently fit to assume his holding role slot. Elsewhere, on the left, Stuart Ainsley dropped to the bench as Chris Duffy moved over to full back. It was an afternoon of change in the Clarets camp and the familiar sight of Richard McKinney in goal was altered with Ashley Harrison making his League debut for City between the sticks to cover for the former Northern Ireland Youth international's finger injury. With four straight defeats in the bank, the last team Chelmsford needed to face was one growing in confidence like Hendon were as they sat near the top of the form table with four wins from their last six games as they aimed to drag themselves nearer safety at the bottom. But a pair of early dangerous crosses from Ricky Holmes and Noto, one from each flank, added extra belief to the battered and bruised Clarets. On 10 minutes, Jeff Minton also sliced wide for his effort to be quickly followed by a Holmes tester from the left which was pushed wide by Greenbacks goalkeeper Richard Wilmot. Capping the short burst of attacks, Dwain Clarke couldn't get a touch on a dangerous left-wing delivery in the goalmouth and Hallett will have considered himself unlucky that he couldn't get to the ball in time to dispatch into an empty net. From this point the visitors decided to become more involved on the offensive and Davis Haule attempted a 17th-minute long ranger to get Hendon underway. Twelve minutes later, Jamie Busby sent a searching deep free-kick towards the goal but this was eventually comfortably collected by Harrison. Dean Green tried to bring down the curtain on the first half with a goal though he wasted possession at an acute angle from goal as he fired well-off target to sum-up the entertainment served-up in the opening period. A few minutes after the interval proceedings began to liven-up, with another Holmes ball landing at Hallett's feet ten yards out though the young Chelmsford front man could make nothing of the decent chance. At the other end, Belal Aiteouakrim fended-off the attentions of a tracking defender and sent a shot flying across the face of Harrison's goal to maintain the away team's interest. However, it would be Jeff King's team who would break the deadlock on 59 minutes. Noto sent his free-kick goalwards only for Wilmot to parry it into the path of Hallett who reacted quickest to finish the job in off the underside of the crossbar. Exactly ten minutes later Hallett could and should have netted a second, finding himself through on goal after capitalising on some uncertain routine defending. But Hendon were relieved when the former Canvey Island youngster prodded wide with only Wilmot to beat. In even more comedic style, the team in green found themselves rueing a similar gaffe two minutes later. After fouling an opponent, Manuella appeared to receive an opponent's elbow in his face in retaliation but, with confusion in the air, Hendon took their free-kick quickly. Aiteouakrim was released in acres of space bearing down on Harrison but somehow the midfielder failed to get near the net after the Clarets 'keeper came out quickly to block and the opportunity dissolved. With five minutes remaining a Manuella header floated into the path of Holmes from close range though his deflected touch-on ended-up wide. This would have added extra gloss to the scoreline but City were more than pleased with the result which returned them to form going into a crucial set of matches in the promotion shake-up. City: 1 Ashley Harrison Hendon: Richard Wilmot, Chris Robinson, Craig Vargas, Marc Leach, James Parker, Jamie Busby, Davis Haule, Lee O'Leary, Brian Haule, Dean Green, Belal Aiteouakrim. Subs: Ross Pickett, James Burgess, Jazz Rose, Danny Edwards, Rakatahr Hudson. Bookings: City: Duffy (89, dissent). Hendon: B. Haule (36, foul), Leach, (45, foul), D. Haule (89, foul). Referee: T. Mason (Sidcup). Assistant Referees: J. Garwood (North Weald) and G. Tilley (Basildon). Attendance: 1,005. City Man of the Match: Chris Duffy. For more Match Photos, Click Here. An alternative report on this match can be found by John Stoneman at groundblogger.blogspot.com |
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By
Chris Evans
(Picture by Matt Bradshaw)
