Hatch At The Double As Saints Climb To Top Spot

GODMANCHESTER ROVERS   1    ST NEOTS TOWN    3       

St Neots Town maintained their solid start to the season with a confident performance at neighbours Godmanchester Rovers to top the league table after two games. Rovers had scored five in their first match at Oadby but there was little evidence of that in this encounter with the visitors’ goal never really threatened until late in the first half.

“Early days” said St Neots Town Manager, Cameron Mawer, with his immediate attention on the upcoming home FA Cup visit by Fakenham Town next weekend. The only team change with Nathan George still nursing his opening day injury, saw Tommy Reynolds included in the defence in an otherwise unchanged side.

After Harvey Williams had sent his second minute effort over the home crossbar the game settled into an early stalemate with both defences looking solid and confident. The home side had fractionally the better possession but made little use of it whilst St Neots were happy to probe patiently although they did feel they should have had a penalty after 28 minutes when strong appeals for a defensive handball were waved away. The last 15 minutes of the first half saw some more positive play after St Neots had taken a 29th minute lead. The goal came after home defensive hesitancy as Lorell Smith stole the ball from a defender and crossed for James Hatch to head powerfully past home keeper Sam Clare. Godmanchester’s best first half effort came from Manny Gbejuade whose angled chip rebounded from the crossbar.

The visitors made a half time change with Sam Johnson replacing Reece Crowter before Harvey Williams raced through the home defence to fire over the bar. St Neots’ pressure was beginning to tell and Takula Chijota picked up a yellow card after two wild challenges. A free kick by Johnson then rebounded from the Godmanchester crossbar and then from a corner a James Hatch header brought the save of the match from Clare. Chijota then committed a further ugly foul earning him a second yellow card and a sending off and that saw St Neots take over. Five minutes after the dismissal an attack down the right flank saw Williams’ cross pick out Sam Johnson to increase the visitors’ lead. St Neots then used their numerical advantage to dominate and James Hatch headed his second goal from a cross by substitute Dom Lawless but the home side claimed their late consolation goal in added time through substitute Dom Butkus.

 

 

 

Tonight’s Travelling Saints Supporters’ Man of the Match – Kindly sponsored by The Greystones Public House, Sawtry

HARVEY WILLIAMS

 

 

 

St Neots Town:   Stacey, Reynolds, Nickels, Dummett, Brown, Lincoln, Crowter, Muyembe, Smith, Hatch, Williams

Subs:  Lawless, Rowley, Romeo, Johnson, Barnett.

Goals:  Hatch 2 (29 & 80 mins), Johnson (78 mins)

Cards:  none

 

Godmanchester Rovers:  Clare, Squillace, Chijota, Ilunga, Kusi, Spark, Turner, Dear, Tait, Hamilton. Gbejuade

Subs:  Goumou, Tagg, Hall, Myles, Butkus.

Cards:  Chijota (RED – 72 mins), Butkus (Y – 90 mins)

Goals:  none

Referee:  Lewis Fletcher

Attendance: 223

 

John Walker