Saturday 3 December 2005 - Top Field - kick off 3.00pm

Southern League Premier Division
half-time: 1-0 result: D2-2 attendance: 282
team: Shuttlewood, Rollo, York, Coupe, S Jones, Harris, McConnell (Paul 90), Holloway (c) (Clarke 71), Walsh (Bird 80), Partridge, Sandell. subs not used: Davidge, Power.
man of the match: Andy Sandell
scorers: Sandell (22,59)
bookings: Harris (57), York (87)
officials: R Beevor, A Chapman, B Williams
league position: 7th form: WWWLWD next match: Grantham (H)
Report taken from by Richard Gadsby

Throwing away a two-goal lead with half an hour to go is hardly the best way of closing the gap on the Southern Premier Division leaders - but City somehow managed to do both. With several other results going their way, a point against a decent Hitchin side does not look too bad on paper, but it was agonisingly close to being so much more after a brilliant brace from Andy Sandell had given them a healthy cushion. City hardly deserved to win, in fact they barely deserved the draw, but as games against Weymouth, Yeading and Bedford proved they have rarely been given the results their displays deserve this season and are long overdue a bit of luck. Perhaps the best thing to come out of the game for City was the end of the three-game suspensions for Gethin Jones and talismanic keeper Paul Evans. Before the pair were banned, City had not conceded a goal in more than ten hours of football. Without them, they have let in five goals in three games - all from defensive errors.

Things started brightly for City with Jon Holloway stinging the hands of Hitchin keeper Richard Wilmot with a drive from the edge of the box with less than a minute played. Long throws seemed to be causing the visitors some problems in defence as Hitchin fought back but it was City who took the lead when some lovely one-touch football between Adie Harris, Scott Partridge and Phil Walsh on the edge of the box led to Sandell cracking a low drive in off the post on 22 minutes. Hitchin responded by dominating the rest of the half but City managed to hold on until half-time thanks mainly to some woeful finishing from Josh Sozzo and Thomas Hayes.

The second half started much more evenly with City content to soak up the pressure and hit on the break. And they managed to double their lead on 59 minutes when Sandell brilliantly turned two markers on the byline, cut into the box and fired another low drive past the diving Wilmot. It was tough on Hitchin who had more than matched City for most of the game but, to their credit, the home side kept up the tempo and continued to press forward. They were duly rewarded when an unmarked Glen Lamacraft headed home from six yards after City had failed to read the short corner on 65 minutes. Sixty seconds later the game was all square. A brilliant run from Daniel French saw him ghost past two defenders and pull the ball back from the byline for Sozzo to side-foot home. The goal kicked City back into life and set up a nail-biting final 20 minutes with both teams going for the win. Hitchin came closest when a close-range half-volley from Sozzo which was wonderfully turned away by the diving Justin Shuttlewood and Jim Rollo almost nicked it for City when a powerful shot brought out a smart save from Wilmot. A draw was a fair result in the end though and if City can pick up more points at home they will be sitting pretty in the Southern Premier Division by Christmas.