Encouraging performance aganist classy Tudors

We welcomed another Conference side to Bulpit Lane, this time the Tudors, who won the league so convincingly here back in April, and they again proved the better side in an entertaining game, our defence falling to two “sucker punches” early in the second half after the start had been delayed by 15 minutes due to the visitors being delayed by M25 traffic.

Both sides had large squads available and there were many substitutions during the game, so there it little to learn before the league starts in earnest on August 9th., but there was plenty of neat football and we gained several corners without really threatening the Hemel goalkeeper. We wasted a good chance at the start of the second half, but it was the visitors who took the lead only 3 minutes after the interval, New signing Potton ,who was a prolific goal-scorer at Chesham last season, heading home from a free-kick. Only 4 minutes later Olly Thorne finished a carbon copy of the goal,by heading in from a perfectly placed free-kick.

Alan 0’Brien came on and showed his pace with good attacks down the wing but twice his crosses were too long and out of reach by our forwards, the best of of whom Lee Smith and Josh Parsons, but we were unable to break down the Hemel defence and they held on fairly comfortably to their two-goal lead. It had still been an encouraging performance by our lads against a class side.