It was the first time in a few years I'd visited the wonderful Top Field home of Hitchin Town. The Canaries have made some improvements recently with the wooden stand behind the goal where you enter replaced by three impressive covered terraces/stands. The uncovered wooden terraces on the dugout side of the ground have also been removed.
THE CURSE OF THE THREE-NILS!!
It's been a difficult spell in charge for Hitchin Town Manager Mark Burke in recent months. Since winning three, drawing two and losing only one of their opening games the Hertfordshire side's results have been as follows -
Sat 3rd Sep - HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS L 0-3 (FA CUP)
Tue 13th Sep - Bedford Town L 0-3
Sat 24th Sep - Stourbridge L 0-3
Mon 26th Sep - ST IVES TOWN D 1-1
Sat 8th Oct - REDDITCH UNITED L 0-3 (FA TROPHY)
Mon 10th Oct - LEISTON L 0-3
Both sides played some good football in the first half but there wasn't much goalmouth action - It was the visitors who made the long trip from Suffolk who were the better side in the second half scoring via Finlay Barnes's diagonal shot from the edge of the box, Ben Fowkes shot from just inside the box and Will Davies from close range late in the game.
Finley Wilkinson had rattled the cross bar for the home side with the score at 0-1 and if that chance had gone in who knows what would have happened? At least the score wouldn't have ended 0-3!!
It was a largely forgettable night for The Canaries whose twitter account summed up how their loyal fans amongst the crowd of 326 may be feeling in comical fashion by tweeting "I missed 'Motorway Cops:Catching Britain's Speeders' on Channel 5 tonight for that".
All is not lost though as Hitchin Town's 12 point haul from 10 league games played is their best start to the league season since the 2017/18 season when they got the same total.
For the Leiston Fans who were present it was a great night and I heard one of them remark the win puts them above Suffolk rival's Needham Market - Leiston are now 4th on 18 pts from 10 games and The Marketmen on 16 pts from 9 games in 8th. I'm sure the local derby at Victory Road on Boxing Day will be a very well attended game.
Leiston are on the road again this weekend when they travel to Bromsgrove Sporting (10th) with Hitchin Town at home to Hednesford Town who are currently bottom of the table with only one win in their last six league games. That victory came in a 5-0 result against fellow struggler's AFC Rushden & Diamonds.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
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