British Gas Business Football League Premier Division Saturday 7 October 2006 - Theobalds Lane - kick off 3.00pm

Report taken from by Richard Gadsby

It could all have been so different if Scott Rogers had put away his penalty after two minutes. Simon Peddie handled in the box and, after robbing Hogg of the strike, and a hat-trick as it turned out, Rogers struck a low spot-kick to Martin Peat's left which was well saved by the keeper. It was to prove an ominous miss. For the next 20 minutes the ball never left the Cheshunt half, except for two hoofed clearances, and yet the score somehow stayed all square. Rogers battled well to win the ball on the right byline and swung in a cross for Scott Partridge to control with his chest before firing straight at Peat. New signing Arek Zarczynski almost opened his account after controlling a long throw-in on the edge of the six- yard box and then spooning the ball just over with the keeper beaten. City were almost made to pay for their wastefulness when a quick break led to Lee Allen smashing a powerful shot which Paul Evans did well to block. The chance seemed to rattle City and the game lost some of its cohesion, at one point descending into a particularly dour spell of head tennis. A lack of skill forced Cheshunt into the long ball tactic, but a lack of composure saw City also dabbling with football's dark art until the game was given a much-needed kick in the crotch by Hogg. The midfielder ran into the box, turned his defender and then drove the ball into the top left corner from 12 yards. It was almost 2-0 on the stroke of half-time when Hogg's looping header was nodded into the net on the goalline by the ever-poaching Partridge only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.

Surely a resurgent Cheshunt would emerge all guns blazing for the second half? Surely the home side felt they had a chance of bridging the narrowest of gaps after the break? Evidently not. It was City who upped a gear with some pinball-passing around the edge of the besieged Cheshunt penalty area. The home side were forced further and further back and, as if to demonstrate, at one stage had seven players on their own goalline when a passback under pressure was punished by the referee's whistle. Rogers laid the set-piece off for Hogg whose shot hit the head of Peddie, crashed onto the crossbar and bounced to safety. The former Bristol Rovers skipper was not to be denied though, and less than ten minutes later was on the scoresheet again. A shot from Zarczynski was blocked and rolled out to Hogg who made an inch-perfect chip over the stranded Peat from a tight angle. With ten minutes left, Cheshunt struck twice the number of shots they had had all game, making a grand total of three, but by then the match was over.