Archive

Dr Martens League Eastern Division 1999-00

Season 99/00

Reports 99/00

6/11/99 Wisbech Town (0) 0 Hastings Town (0) 0

Att:- 333

First of all - sorry about late match report. Knocked it all together as soon as I got back Saturday night - E mailed it to Karl who looks after the Website and didn’t find out till just after midnight on Sunday it had failed to get through. I HATE BLOODY COMPUTERS.

Anyway - here goes again (of course I’d failed to save what I wrote......). After the appalling surroundings at Fleet and the thronging gate of 66, it was good to get to a half decent ground with a proper atmosphere which is just what was on offer at Fenland Park. Amongst the Wisbech line up was Danny Ashworth who’s played for both sides in Hastings in recent years.

Good game this with Town dominating much of it - virtually a repeat of the Stamford game except there were no goals - somehow. We never actually created a solid chance but went frustratingly close on so many occasions to getting that break through. It just wouldn’t come. Despite back pedalling throughout the 90 minutes, Wisbech created the three good chances and it was only an excellent stop by Kess that prevented us going a goal down late in proceedings. What a travesty it would’ve been if we’d lost the game.

Duncan Jones - improving with every game - went trouser wreckingly close to winning the game with a half hit cross shot that just went wide of the post with the Wisbech keeper nowhere near.

I’d said - prior to the match - to Stuart Myall who sat this one out thanks to 5 yellow cards that with the card happy state of the game, it was a miracle we’d had nobody sent off this season. I spoke too soon - Duncan Macarthur, to few peoples’ surprise, became the first Town recipient of a red card in the 85th minute. What a shame - he’d probably had his best game for Town. Jimmy Elford stood in well for Mylo while Yatesie was on the bench but didn’t come on.

Should have won this one - the gap is now 12 points between us and the top two but we do have three and five games in hand on Folkestone and Ashford. Still - we’d surely have settled for 7 points out of 9 from our last 3 away games.

Simon Stoddart



GAMES BACKLOG FIASCO

As if being behind with our fixtures isn’t enough - we could well have another blank Saturday on Nov 27th - FA Trophy day. The club has tried already to make arrangements for a DM game but so far, nobody is willing to alter their fixture list. What a ludicrous state of affairs. Why doesn’t the DM league take on this issue? A quick look at the league table will tell anybody how far behind we are - so the DM League who draw the fixtures up in the first place should deal with the problem by telling clubs that alterations to fixture lists will have to be made. What if we end up in with a chance of going up but have to play 4 games in the last week of the season?

Level playing field? Yeah, right. .



13/11/99 Hastings Town (0) 1 Burnham (0) 0

LATE LATE SHOW BY TOWN!

Myall 90

Att:- 259

Talk about a dramatic end to the game! Going into injury time - hugely frustrated by the clogging tactics of Burnham plus an inspired keeper - it looked as if two points had been thrown away - but after a goal mouth melee there was Stuart Myall heading home. That sparked off a massive penalty box brawl which eventually ended up with Terry White, Smudger Smith and three Burnham players getting red cards. And straight from the kick off, Burnham went inches wide of equalising with just about their only decent attack of the game!

The game should have been wrapped up so much earlier - Terry hit the bar with a header from a corner, planted another effort against the inside of a post, Jonesie (P) saw the keeper palm a shot against the bar, numerous other half chances went begging - it really looked like one of those days - until Mylo did the business.

Burnham were awful. They’d come for a point - and if they’d got it that would have been only their second point in 8 away games. Unbelievably, after their midweek win over Fisher, they’d gone above us - albeit having played more games. They got what they deserved in the end - but talk about leaving it late. Their manager certainly summed himself up by bollocking one of his players for putting the ball out when Duncan Jones went down after a nasty looking clash late in the game.

The referee had a mixed afternoon - played the advantage rule really well - but let Burnham get away with niggling stuff all afternoon. As for the sendings off - well, the Lennox Lewis - Evander Holyfield preview after we scored was always going to result in red cards. We lose Terry and Smudger for three games each which we can ill afford given the size of our squad.. But those three points are important given the gap that had opened up between us and Folkestone and Ashford at the top.

First Saturday league game since August 28th and the locals turned out in force. Yeah right. When did we last have such a low turn out on a Saturday afternoon for a DM game?

Simon Stoddart

16/11/99 Hastings Town (1) 4 Ashford Town (1) 1 [DMC1]

MYALL TREBLE ENDS ASHFORD RUN

Myall 3, White (p)

Att:- 407

Only a DM Cup tie one might say - not the kind of competition you take too seriously in it’s early stages. But, all the same, this game was a real test for Town against top of the table Ashford who - had they avoided defeat - would’ve set a club record of 16 unbeaten games.

Stuart Playford and Lee McRobert of the ex Hastings contingent were there with Ashford. McRobert? Does anybody miss him? Nah - lazy, inconsistent were his let downs and he didn’t do much in this one. As for Stuart - showed a lot of good touches - and we DO miss ol’ "George" as we always used to call him. He got sent off late in the game after fouling Paul Jones in the box - the penalty put away by Terry to wrap up a thoroughly deserved win. None of us got any pleasure out of the red card - in fact there was genuine dismay amongst the guys who’d been behind the goal.

But it started off so differently when Ashford went ahead in the 7th minute after Town failed to clear a corner. The boys took the blow well and played some decent football in what was a very entertaining first half. Mylo equalised late in the half with a stunning piece of skill - burst clear on the edge of the box, poked the ball past a defender one side, raced past him on the other and buried an angled shot into the far corner.

Ashford had a good spell in the second half but never troubled Kess in goal. Town then worked their way back into the game and Yatesie came on for Duncan MacArthur who picked up yet another yellow card - this time for chops to the referee. WHEN is he going to learn?

With extra time looming, Town continued to play some fine football and their patince was rewarded when Mylo headed home his second. He completed a memorable hat trick soon afterwards when he beat the keeper at his near post - and that, of course, resulted in the Mylobatics we’ve become used to. Terry’s late penalty sealed a great evening’s work.

Yes - again - only a DM Cup tie - the league game here on January 3rd is far more important. But give the boys credit. This was still as local a derby as you’ll get, nobody wanted to lose and there was the added spice of playing against ex Town boys. Well done, lads!

Simon Stoddart

20/11/99 Erith & Belvedere (0) 2 Hastings Town (1) 3

Simmonds 31(p), P.Jones 53, Yates 64

Att:- 152

Three more valuable points on the road as Town closed the gap on the top two toa still tough, gap of 13 and 10 points on Ashford and Folkestone who lost and drew respectively this afternoon. We have 6 and 3 games in hand on those two. Town were in SE London at Welling’s Park View ground where Erith currently share with their Conference hosts. Good turn out by Town supporters who comfortably out numbered the home people.

Town were good value for their win. They dominated proceedings for much of the 90 minutes with Steve Yates was back in the side after a spell out injured. No Terry White or Duncan MacArthur who were both suspended - Terry’ll be out for another 3 games from next Saturday and MacArthur’s got more free Saturday afternoons looming as well.

Town didn’t have to play all that well in the first half - Erith (who with today’s result have failed to beat us in 17 attempts) were just awful. Craig Tucker, in their goal, was their best player and that was only because he was such a good laugh. He had no chance with Danny’s well placed spot kick after Duncan Jones was flattened on the half hour. The other good chance we had was courtesy of an almighty cock up by Tucker and his defence on the edge of the box but nobody was on hand to tuck it away.

Town started off the second half really well and two good efforts were fired in by Yatesie and Simmo before Paul Jones saw Tucker off his line and lobbed him from 35 yards for our second. Erith were played off the park for the next 10 minutes and it came as a real shock when they pulled one back from an impossible looking angle. But Yatesie was there to stab home Town’s third soon afterwards following a 6 yard box melee.

Matt Ball went off late in the game with a groin strain which will hopefully be sorted for next Saturday’s game at home to Baldock. We don’t want Bally out any longer than necessary - he’s been playing out of his skin. Steve Sargeant came on for Matt and looked in good nick. Erith got their second late in the game - but too late to have any effect on the outcome.

Three deserved points and up to 6th as only Witney and Fisher above us won. Man of the match - undoubtedly, Craig Tucker in the Dere’s goal. Took everything chucked at him - from behind and in front of his goal !

Next Saturday - we play Baldock in a re-arranged game - the only DM Eastern fixture of the day. Win that and we’re right in there!

Simon Stoddart

23/11/99 East Preston (1) 1 Hastings Town (2) 5 [Sx Snr Cup Rd2]

Sussex Senior Cup stroll

White 21, McArthur 23, Simmonds 50,51, Myall

Att:- 68

Didn’t make this one - let’s be honest, having to take a day off, or should I say night off, for a trip over to West Sussex - just didn’t appeal! If it had been a league game.......

Anyway, several players missing with work commitments, injuries etc, etc. Dean had to play several reserves and in what could’ve been a difficult hurdle against Bumpkinship opposition, we came through pretty comfortably.

The reward is an away tie at Bumpkinship Div 2, Storrington and - get this - because they haven’t got floodlights, it’s got to be played on a Saturday at the expense of yet another DM Eastern game. WHY are in this competition if they can’t stage midweek home games? WHY do we have to lose out? What a joke.

Simon Stoddart

27/11/99 Hastings Town (0) 0 Baldock Town (1) 1

Chance to make up lost ground spurned

Att:- 318

Virtually a replay of the game at Norton Road a month ago - but this time they get the only goal of the game after just 7 minutes when the defence fails to deal with a corner. No Smudger or Terry as they start their 3 games out after the Battle of Burnham - and matters are hardly helped with Mylie already off with a hamstring problem.

Even allowing for that, we should have won this game. We were bound to get one sooner or later where the rub of the green was just not going to go our way and here it was - especially the second half when the post, the cross bar and Adam Wheeler in goal combined to keep us out. It was a real sickener to lose this game which, being the only Eastern Division game of the day as everybody else was engaged in FA Trophy action, was our first opportunity to make up some ground..,

It would’ve been better to have been completely outplayed and stuffed, but we lost today to a pretty mediocre side who, nevertheless, rode their luck and took one of only two chances they had in the 90 minutes. And that’s what it’s all about.

So, a tough round of games coming up - no Terry or Smudger till the 11th of December at Folkestone, and how long will Mylie be out? Just his luck - he’s been playing some great stuff lately and now this. The next month - 6 weeks will be a real test as we try to make up for today’s disappointment.

On a hugely positive note - WELL PLAYED DUNCAN MACARTHUR who had a hell of a good game today ! Yeah - well played.

Simon Stoddart