The Reserves returned to league business against a team positioned one place above them after an enforced week off last week. Playing every other week as has been happening to Keith Middleton’s Team over the past few weeks does not help in maintaining some sort of consistency in the team. A result today was vital as teams below them have started picking up points.
United started the stronger of the two teams taking the game to their north county visitors. Barry Gerrard went close in the first few minutes forcing the keeper to make a good save following a jinxing run into the box. Keith Middleton should have scored when he rose unchallenged to head a cross wide of the post. Sturminster gradually got into the game, but their attacks were ably dealt with by the Hammers youthful back line, and keeper Gary Smart. With six minutes remaining player Manager Keith  Middleton made up for his earlier miss with a top class finish to break the deadlock. He showed all his experience when he collected the ball and shot in one movement giving the experienced Newton Keeper no chance as the ball found the net just inside the post. The visitors should have replied straight away as a corner found the far post, and dropped at the feet of an attacker a yard off the line with the goal at his mercy. He hesitated and somehow Hamworthy managed to scramble the ball away to keep the lead at half time.
The second period continued much the same as the first with Hamworthy just having the edge of play and looking the more likely of the two teams to score. They should have done that when they were awarded a penalty but the normally reliable Joe Kittle on for Gary Williams sent the ball over the bar. The Hammers were never in any real danger and thoroughly deserved their win they now go forward to next weeks Cup game away to Gillingham in good heart.
This result lifts the Reserves to sixth place in the league.

Team: G. Smart, R. Flower ( S. Leaton), D. Watts, D. Frake, S. Griffiths, J. Crossin, K. Middleton, D. Orchard, J. Stickland, G. Williams (J. Kittle), B. Gerrard (M. Wynne) Unused Sub: K. Killick

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 12:08 pm and is filed under Match Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.