HAMWORTHY UNITED 2 ALTON TOWN 2
Sydenhams Wessex League Premier Division (Saturday 16-02-08
Hamworthy United paid dearly once again for conceding a last minute goal. They this time dropped two points after battling back from being behind in the first half to taking the lead from a penalty with just ten minutes remaining. The draw does keep Hamworthy in tenth place in the league just one position above Alton.
There was not a lot to choose between the two teams in the first quarter with perhaps United having the slight edge. It was the visitors however that took the lead in the seventeenth minute following some slack play by the Hammers. The ball was given away cheaply just inside the Hamworthy half, and Alton took full advantage to attack the United goal. To make things worse for the Hammers Alton wingback Sean Burton was found unmarked on the edge of the six yard box and allowed a clear header on goal to make it 1-0 to the Town. United did raise their game after going behind, and it took them only twelve minutes to get back on par. A wonderful strike by Micky Hubbard from fully twenty five yards out flew into the top corner of the net with the Alton keeper only able to act as a spectator. There were no further goals before the interval.
Hamworthy took the game to the Visitors after the break as they tried for a second goal. United had a series of corners which Alton did well to defend. The Hammers did get close to a second goal however from one corner when Micky Hubbard found Steve Gilbert at the far post. The central defender’s shot from an acute angle that found the post, and not the net. United’s loud appeals for a penalty were turned down when the pacey Lee Thomas appeared to have been taken down from behind, but the Assistant Referee judged that the Alton defender had played the ball first and awarded a corner. Thomas’s running caused the Town defence a lot of problems, and a penalty was given when his shirt was pulled as he was trying to get away from his man in the area. Warren Byerley stepped up to send the spot kick into the back of the net to give the Hammers the lead. United had the ball in the back of the net again shortly afterwards, but this was ruled out on two accounts according to the match Officials after the game. Firstly for offside according to the Assistant Referee, and secondly for Warren Byerley handling the ball as he slid the ball home, spotted by the Referee. To their credit Alton took the game to Hamworthy in the remaining minutes as the home side tried to hold on to their lead. They were rewarded in the ninetieth minute when the ball was deflected off a Hamworthy player to the feet of John Lancashire twenty yards out. Like Micky Hubbard’s first half effort the ball flew into the net giving Martin Peters no chance and squaring the match.
Team: M.Peters, J. Byrne, M. Grimason, S. Gilbert, N. Walker, R. Dovell (C. Mutch) S. Legg, M. Hubbard, L. Thomas, W. Byerley, R. Jackson. Unused Subs; G. Horlock, M. Glavin, M MacDonald