Late goals complete week to forget for frustrated Stratford Town

FOOTBALL

Hitchin Town 4-0 Stratford Town

Evo-Stik Southern League, Premier Division

Report by Bryan Hale

STRATFORD'S wretched week which had seen them dumped out of the FA Cup by Scarborough Athletic ended in more disappointment as they comprehensively beaten by a lively Hitchin side at Top Field on Saturday.

The starting line-up showed two changes from the Scarborough game with Charlie Evans and James Hancocks coming in for the injured Dan Summerfield and the holidaying Lee Thomas.

Stratford had the better of the early possession, but it was Hitchin who created the first serious chance in the 12th minute when Brett Donnelly’s crisp effort was turned behind by Stratford keeper Louis Connor at the foot of his right-hand post.

And it was Donnelly who gave the Canaries the lead six minutes later. A cross from the right was not cleared by the Stratford defence and when Charlie Smith returned the ball into the centre Donnelly climbed the highest to direct his header beyond Connor into the net.

With Stratford struggling to make an impact, Donnelly doubled Hitchin’s lead in the 33rd minute. Collecting a pass some 20 yards out he twisted and turned past Loyiso Recci to hit a precision right-foot drive into the bottom corner.

Two minutes into the second half, only the woodwork prevented Donnelly celebrating a hat-trick as he beat the offside trap to let fly with a thunderous effort which was tipped onto the bar by Connor and it ricocheted away to safety.

But the Canaries continued to be comfortably on top, and they wrapped up the points in the 79th minute when substitute Trey Charles skipped down the right to reach the byline and his low cross was turned in by fellow substitute Connor Vincent from virtually on the goal-line.

Stratford’s misery was complete in the 87th minute when Charles again used his pace to shoot against Connor and then react quickest to drill the rebound into the empty net.

HITCHIN: Johnson, Cotter, Webster, Kirkpatrick, Webb (c), Bickerstaff, Green (Rolfe 65), Smith, Donnelly (Vincent 63), Bailey, McNamara (Charles 73).

STRATFORD: Connor, Evans, Hancocks, Gallinagh, Recci, Francis, Marsden, Fry (c) (Taylor 61), Luckie, Grocott, Stephens (Bako 54).