Reviews
Single Goal Enough to Send Hereford Out of Cup
26th January 2009
Opposition: Solihull Boys Football Team
Date: 14th January
Match: Region of British Colleges Cup 2nd round
Venue: Westfields
Score: Hereford 0 Solihull 1
Scorers: Solihull 45+1
Hereford player of the match: Jon Hopkins
Hereford and Solihull clashed in a cup match which would see the winner reaching the quarter final of the Regional Cup. The opening fifteen minutes were very tight and it became obvious it was going to be a very physical game. Each team penetrated the others defence but it was Solihull who had the first real chance, forcing an excellent save from John Hopkins. However, Hereford began to dominate with Steve Smith running rings around Solihull’s right back. He managed to put numerous crosses into the box and combined with Martin Lott’s speed and attacking play, the pair gave Nick Aldridge and Jaron McCauley opportunities to open the scoring. Both strikers came into this game in excellent form but simply did not produce it. They appeared to be off the pace and were often in the wrong position to score, shooting straight at the opposing goalie or wide.
Hereford continued to press Solihull but rarely forced the goalie into a difficult save. In comparison, Solihull had fewer chances but every time Hopkins was forced to make superb saves. As half time approached Solihull pushed harder and though Hopkins made one excellent block, he was unable to prevent the Solihull striker smashing the ball into the top corner. The boys had dominated the half but came off with their heads down and one goal behind.
Hereford controlled the second half even more. Their strategy was centred on ‘pass and move’ and with the use of the wings they created further opportunities but did not convert. Many of the chances fell to Aldridge and though they were not straight forward, he was expected to put at least one away. In the dying minutes Hereford managed to force a corner and after a huge mix-up the ball fell to Chris Gwynne but somehow it did not cross the line and Hereford went on to lose.
Notable performances came from Hopkins who made four or five brilliant saves to keep Hereford in the match. Martin Lott was also very effective going forwards and with his incredible pace should have had an assist. Steve Smith was very strong in the first half but his impact lessened after the break. He stayed very wide on the wing and perhaps if he had moved further infield he could have turned the game.
Overall, the boys slumped to a very disappointing loss in a match where they should have at least drawn. If they had scored first then it is more than likely that they would have won by three or four goals, but their finish was not good enough and the reason for this poor result.