Harpenden Town started their Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division fixture at home (at Rothamsted Park) to Wormley Rovers, in second place (after ten league matches played) in the league table. They faced a Wormley Rovers side who were starting this fixture in 12th place in the league standings, after seven league matches played. This step 5 match was won 4-1 by Harpenden Town.
Wormley Rovers came very close to taking a very early lead during this game. After Myles John had connected with Tom Mulqueen’s corner-kick, inside the centre of the Harpenden box, where his powerful headed effort on goal was excellently turned over his crossbar by Connor Freeman. But, after a good start to the game Harpenden would soon make it 1-0, ten minutes into proceedings. Henry Jones had won the ball down the left, before taking the ball forward and, 20 or so yards out from goal, would power a low and clinical effort into Tiernan Parker’s goal, 1-0. Soon after Harpenden player Charlie Smith had curled a free-kick effort into the Wormley box to a teammate, whose headed effort had hit the woodwork, the home side would then double their advantage.
For Harpenden Town’s second goal of the evening (in the 23rd minute) another good curling free-kick effort (from out on the left flank) by Charlie Smith, into the Wormley box, was met on the stretch by the captain Sam Doolan. And his low first time effort would go past Tiernan Parker and into the goal, 2-0. Harpenden would continue to play well as they finished the first half strongly as a team. But, the best chance/effort during the remainder of the first half came from Wormley player Tom Mulqueen. As his powerful whipped free-kick effort from 25 yards out, had hit Connor Freeman’s crossbar on its way over.
After a fairly quiet start to the second half it was Harpenden who created the first chance of the second half. The impressive Henry Jones doing well with his back to goal, to play the ball back into the path of Joshua Codling, down the left-hand side of the Wormley box. He would then power an effort narrowly wide of the Harpenden goalkeeper’s near post. But, soon afterwards and in the 61st minute of the game Wormley Rovers managed to pull a goal back. Full-back Junior Appiah had got forward well to receive the ball and loft a good ball into the Harpenden box, which bounced for Myles John at the back post, who finished high into the goal, 2-1.
Around six minutes after Wormley had got their goal Harpenden Town would reestablish a two goal lead. As a bit of an error would result in a Wormley defender losing the ball on the edge of the Wormley penalty area, to Henry Jones. And the Harpenden centre-forward would, with Tiernan Parker out of his goal, finish low into the goal, 3-1. In the 74th minute of this match Harpenden Town would make sure of the win, with Henry Jones getting his hat-trick goal. He was alert to the ball down the right, before taking the ball forward the relatively short distance to inside the Wormley box, where he would clinically finish into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal courtesy of an unstoppable effort, 4-1.
Late on and with Harpenden Town controlling and finishing the game strongly, they would come close to making it 5-1. As Joshua Codling’s outside of the boot pass had found substitute Judd Farrant down the left-hand side of the Wormley penalty area, but his effort on goal was well turned behind by Tiernan Parker. Overall this was a very strong performance from Harpenden Town. They started the game well, and for so much of the game they were dominant, using the ball really well. Their Centre-forward and hat-trick hero, Henry Jones, put in a great shift in the forward areas of the pitch, deservedly being named as my player of the match. Finally, once again it was great to see Wormley Rovers player Junior Appiah, someone who has dedicated so much to non-League football, and whose quality and experience will continue to be important for Wormley, who he recently joined. He is a fantastic person and player.
Team-sheets/match-day squads:
Harpenden Town:
(1) Connor Freeman
(2) Shay Kelly
(3) Layne Eadie
(4) David Keenleyside
(5) Robbie Goodman
(6) Sam Doolan (captain)
(7) Zach White
(8) Joshua Codling
(9) Henry Jones
(10) Charlie Smith
(11) Ollie Baker
Substitutes:
(12) Judd Farrant
(14) Oliver Webdale
(15) Charne Lemba
(16) Charlie McDonald
(17) Solomon Tabase
Wormley Rovers:
(1) Tiernan Parker
(22) Junior Appiah
(5) Louie Offer (captain)
(6) Rehan Field
(3) Myles John
(8) Freddie Brown
(4) Tom Mulqueen
(18) Freddie Stanley
(19) Lucas Titchmarsh
(9) Lanrewaju Balogun
(7) Shaquille Ishmael
Substitutes:
(16) Matt Thompson
(23) Lewis Nicholls
(12) Bailey Eden
(14) Brad Empson
(20) Freddie Wood
Leave a comment