HAMWORTHY UNITED 1 ROMSEY TOWN 0
Sydenhams Wessex League Premier Division Sat (15-12-07)
Hamworthy United collected their first double of the season having won 2-0 at Romsey in October. This was once again an evenly contested match that could have gone either way, but it was the Hammers who finally found the back of the net to win the game. A good Refereeing display from Mr Berry added to the enjoyment of the game. The official never once needed to go to his pocket for a card, but preferred to use common sense, and that does not always happen as often as it should do these days, especially with Assessors attending almost every game. and watching every move the officials make.
As stated earlier there was not a lot between the two sides with both defences dealing with most attacks before a save from either keeper was necessary. The Hammers had probably the better of things in the opening quarter, and went very close to scoring when Steve Gilbert headed a cross just wide, and into the side netting. This was as close as either side came to taking the lead before the interval. This was despite of a lot of activity in midfield from both sides, but neither team really threatened in front of goal, and so the score remained 0-0 at the break.
The game opened up a bit more in the second half as both teams went in search of a goal, but still the finishing from both sides did not match up to their approach work. Romsey twice broke quickly from defence, but then wasted the opportunities by not forcing a save from Martin Peters. Carl Mutch had a chance to give United the lead when he missed an overhead kick at the other end, when a header looked the better option. The Hamworthy Keeper did have to pull off a good save in the 69th minute following an attack down the left wing which left him one on one with the attacker. Peters palmed the ball away as the Romsey Man tried to knock the ball past him. A mêlée followed, but the ball was eventually cleared to safety by a Hamworhy defender. It was from this clearance, followed by a sweeping move down the entire length of the pitch that the Hammers finally took the lead. Carl Mutch running through the middle collected the final pass, but this time kept his cool to slot the ball past the keeper,and into the net to finish off a great move. The last part of the game saw Romsey pushing up in search of an equaliser with Hamworthy trying to hit them on the break, and exploit the gaps that were now left at the back, but the score remained 1-0 at the final whistle.
Team: M.Peters, M. Hubbard, S. Gilbert, B. Williams, N. Walker, M. Dean (D. Williams), R. Middleton, M. Connet, C. Mutch ( J. Moores), W. Byerley,M. Grimason. Unused Subs: G. Horlock. G. Smart